Henry de La Poer Beresford, 3rd Marquess of Waterford KP (26 April 1811 – 29 March 1859), styled Lord Henry Beresford before 1824 and Earl of Tyrone between 1824 and 1826, was an Irish peer.
He was the second son of the 2nd Marquess of Waterford, but became heir apparent to the Marquessate on the death of his elder brother, George, Earl of Tyrone, in 1824. He succeeded to the Marquessate on his father's death in 1826.
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By repute, in 1837, when celebrating a successful fox hunt, Lord Waterford and his party found several tins of red paint which they daubed liberally on to the buildings of the High Street of Melton Mowbray so originating the phrase "painting the town red".[1]
However, the earliest known example of the phrase appearing in literature is in The New York Times, July 1883. This is evidence for the idea that the phrase originated in the United States of America, circa 1883.[1]
A popular rumour that was in circulation as early as the 1840s claimed Lord Waterford was the main suspect behind the "Spring Heeled Jack" phenomenon. However, as that character's acts continued after his death in 1859, Waterford cannot be given sole responsibility.
That Lord Waterford had some role has been accepted by several modern authors, who suggest that a humiliating experience with a woman and a police officer could have given him the idea of creating the character as a way of "getting even" with police and women in general.[2] They speculate that he could have designed (with the help of friends who were experts in applied mechanics) some sort of apparatus for special spring-heeled boots; and that he may have practiced fire-spitting techniques in order to increase the unnatural appearance of his character. They also note the embroidered coat of arms with a "W" letter observed by the servant boy at the Ashworth incident, a notorious coincidence with his title's name.
Indeed, Waterford was frequently in the news in the late 1830s for drunken brawling, brutal jokes and vandalism, and was said to do anything for a bet; his irregular behaviour and his contempt for women earned him the moniker "the Mad Marquis", and it is also known that he was present in the London area by the time the first Spring Heeled Jack incidents took place. He was also pointed as the perpetrator by the Revd E. C. Brewer in 1880, who attested that Waterford "used to amuse himself by springing on travellers unawares, to frighten them, and from time to time others have followed his silly example".[3]
Lord Waterford was a keen horseman and in 1840 he entered two horses in the Grand National Steeplechase, regarded today as the most famous race over jumps in the world. Waterford chose to ride one of the horses, The Sea himself but was sent off in a field of thirteen runners as a totally unconsidered outsider. Reporters noted that at one stage during the four and a half mile contest The Sea was almost half a mile behind the leaders but Waterford persisted and completed the course to finish last of four to complete the course.
In 1842, Lord Waterford married Louisa Stuart, daughter of the 1st Baron Stuart de Rothesay, and settled in Curraghmore House in Ireland, and reportedly led an exemplary life, until he died in a horse riding accident in 1859. Spring Heeled Jack remained notionally active for decades after, which leads the aforementioned modern researchers to the same conclusion as Brewer's: Waterford may well have been responsible for the first attacks, while it was up to other pranksters who occasionally imitated him to continue the task.
| Peerage of Ireland | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Henry Beresford |
Marquess of Waterford 1826-1859 |
Succeeded by John Beresford |