Rupert Watson, 3rd Baron Manton

Joseph Rupert Eric Robert Watson, 3rd Baron Manton DL, commonly Rupert Watson, (22 January 1924 – 8 August 2003), was a British soldier, landowner and racehorse owner.^[1]

Background and education

Joseph Rupert Eric Robert Watson was the son of Miles Watson, 2nd Baron Manton and Alethea Langdale. Alethea's father was Colonel Philip Joseph Langdale,^[1][2] of Houghton Hall, Sancton, Yorkshire.^[2] When Watson was 12 years of age, his mother and father, a horse breeder, were divorced.^[1]

He was educated at Eton.^[1] He inherited the barony on the death of his father in 1968 and was given Houghton Hall by his aunt.^[1]

Military career

In 1942, Watson joined the British Army and the next year was commissioned into the Life Guards. He serviced in Egypt, Germany, and Italy. He was made captain and in 1947 retired. In 1951 he joined the army again and served in the 7th Queen's Own Hussars until 1956. He served the Leicestershire Yeomanry, where he had been appointed Adjutant.^[1]

Horse racing

From a young age, Watson was a successful jock having won 130 times as an amateur. He won the Kim Muir chase at the Cheltenham Festival in 1955 riding Gay Monarch.^[1]

Following the example of his father, who had established a stud at Plumpton Place in Sussex, he became himself a successful owner and breeder of racehorses. In 1970 he was the Thirsk racecourse's director.^[1] He was a member from 1970 to 1975 of the Horserace Betting Levy Board, created to divert monies from bookmakers to the racing sport. In 1982 he was appointed Senior Steward of the Jockey Club,^[1] becoming effectively chief executive of the horse racing industry, which term ended in 1985. As Senior Steward he led the campaign to allow betting shops to show televised races.^[1]

Manton was a steward at several racecourses, Doncaster, Beverley and York Racecourse. He was a Tattersalls Committee member and between 1985 and 1991 he chaired the York Race Committee.^[1] In 1998 he entered a horse he bred and owned, Silver Stick, in the Horse & Hound Grand Military Gold Cup. His son was the jockey and won the race. Silver Stick raced at Market Rasen. The Queen Mother presented the winning trophy to Lady Manton.^[3]

Hunter

He was a Field Master of both the Belvoir and the Quorn foxhounds and was a "well known" hunter in Leicestershire.^[1]

Family

On 9 January 1951 Lord Manton married Mary Hallinan, whose nickname was Mimi. She was the daughter of Major Thomas Dennehy Hallinan, of County Cork.^[1] They lived initially near Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. They had two sons and a daughter who were triplets and two additional daughters.^[1]

He was given Houghton Hall, East Riding of Yorkshire the ancient seat of the extinct barony of Langdale, by his aunt Joyce Elizabeth Mary, Countess FitzWilliam,^[1] heiress of her father Lieutenant-Colonel Philip Joseph Langdale and wife of the 10th Earl Fitzwilliam.^[1][2] He moved to the East Riding of Yorkshire (now Humberside) to run Houghton Hall and its 5,000-acre (20 km²) estate. He was appointed a Humberside Deputy Lieutenant in 1980.^[1]

On his death on 8 August 2003 the title passed to Miles, his eldest son.^[1] Miles was formerly a successful amateur jockey^[3] and was an officer in the Life Guards.^[1]

References

Further reading

• Charles Roger Dod; Robert Phipps Dod (1996). Dod's Parliamentary Companion. Dod's Parliamentary Companion, Limited. p. 237. 
• Who's Who in European Politics. Bowker-Saur. December 1990. ISBN 978-0-86291-911-5. 

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Lord Manton