John Manners-Sutton, 3rd Baron Manners
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John Thomas Manners-Sutton (15 May 1852 – 19 August 1927) was a British nobleman. He is known for an 1881 wager, when Manners wagered that he could buy, train, and ride to victory a horse in the
Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap st ...
, and succeeded.


Background and life

Manners was born to John Thomas Manners-Sutton, 2nd Baron Manners and Lydia Sophia Dashwood. He was commissioned an officer in the
Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...
, but resigned the commission as a lieutenant. In 1900 he accepted to be a
militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...
officer, and was appointed a captain in the 3rd (Militia) Battalion of the
Hampshire Regiment The Hampshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot and the 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot. The regim ...
on 18 March 1900.


The wager

In 1881, Manners made a bet that he could buy, train and ride the winner of the 1882 Grand National. With just a few months in which to prepare, Manners managed to procure a horse called Seaman for £1,900. The vendor, an Irishman called Lindt, was not certain that the horse could be trained to the required standard in time for the race and few believed Manners had the riding ability or experience necessary. The day of the race brought some of the worst weather conditions in
Aintree Aintree is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England. Historically in Lancashire, it lies between Walton and Maghull on the A59 road, north-east of Liverpool city centre, in North West England. I ...
's history. The freezing conditions and snow meant many jockeys took a more cautious approach and held back, but Manners drove on until he found himself level with the favourite at the final fence. Manner's horse started to go lame but he managed to press it over the line to win his bet by a short lead. The horse never raced again but lived with the family at the family home for the rest of its life.


Avon Tyrrell house

With the proceeds of his wager, Manners built a house, Avon Tyrrell, on his sister-in-law's land in
Sopley Sopley is a village and civil parish situated in the New Forest National Park of Hampshire, England. It lies on the old main road from Christchurch to Ringwood, on the east bank of the River Avon. The parish extends east as far as Thorny Hill ...
,
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...
. The medium-sized country residence was designed by the renowned architect
W.R. Lethaby William Richard Lethaby (18 January 1857 – 17 July 1931) was an English architect and architectural historian whose ideas were highly influential on the late Arts and Crafts and early Modern movements in architecture, and in the fields of co ...
and was completed in 1891. Built with 365 windows, 52 rooms, 12 chimneys, 4 wings and 7 external doors, it is what is commonly known as a calendar house. It is now a Grade I listed building and is considered to be one of the archetypal Arts & Crafts buildings. The racehorse, Seaman, is buried in the grounds between two trees, having lived out its days as a family pet. The house was used as a hospital during the second world war. The family never moved back in however, and in 1949 it was donated to the 'youth of the nation'. To that end, Avon Tyrrell House is now owned by a charity that provides holidays, courses, personal development and activities for young people.


Family

On 12 Aug 1885, Manners married Constance Edwina Adelaide Hamlyn-Fane the daughter of Henry Edward Hamlyn-Fane and Susan Hester Hamlyn-Williams. They had five children: Twin daughters, Angela Margaret and Betty Constance Manners, born 15 June 1889; An older daughter, Mary Christine, born 4 December 1886 and two sons, John Neville Manners-Sutton who was born in 1892 and killed in action on 1 September 1914 and Commonwealth War Graves Commission "Son of John Thomas Manners, 3rd Baron Manners, of Avon Tyrrell, Christchurch, Hants" Francis Henry Manners-Sutton, later to become 4th Baron Manners, born 21 July 1897. Constance died on 4 March 1920 and on 5 September 1922 Manners was re-married to Zoe Virginie Guinness (née Nugent), the widow of Claude Hume Campbell Guinness; and daughter of Albert Llewellyn Nugent, 3rd Baron Nugent and Elizabeth Baltazzi.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manners, John Manners-Sutton, 3rd Baron 1852 births 1927 deaths Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...
Masters of foxhounds Eldest sons of British hereditary barons