Anthony St Leger (British Army officer)

Anthony St Leger (British Army officer)

Major-General Anthony St Leger (pronEng|ˈsɪlɨndʒɚ or IPA|/ˈsɛlɨndʒɚ/;Fact|date=April 2008 1731/32 – 19 April 1786) was a successful soldier, a Member of Parliament for Grimsby, and the founder of the St. Leger Stakes horse race.

Born into the St Leger family, an Anglo-Irish family of Norman stock, he was educated at Eton College and Peterhouse, Cambridge, before embarking on a career in the army.

In 1761, St Leger married a Yorkshire woman, Margaret Wombwell. That same year he was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel of the 124th Regiment of Foot, but a year later the regiment disbanded, and St Leger took on the "Park Hill" estate in Firbeck, where he later bred and raced horses.

From 1768 to 1774, St Leger sat as MP for Grimsby. Two years after leaving the Commons, and with the assistance of Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, he established a two-mile race for 3-year-old horses, on the Cantley Common in Doncaster. This was to become the St. Leger Stakes.

In 1779, St Leger re-entered the army as Colonel of the 86th Regiment of Foot. He subsequently achieved the rank of Brigadier General, before serving a period as the Governor of Saint Lucia. His last posting was in Ireland, by which time he was a Major General.

St Leger died on 19th April, 1786. He was buried in Saint Anne's Church, Dublin.

In addition to giving his name to the St Leger Stakes, the "St Leger Arms" public house in Laughton en le Morthen (two miles up the road from the Park Hill estate) is also named after Anthony St Leger. However, these eponyms are pronounced IPA|/səntˈlɛdʒɚ/.Fact|date=April 2008


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • St. Leger Stakes — Group 1 race St. Leger Stakes Location Doncaster Racecourse Doncaster, England Inaugurated 1776 Race type Flat / Thoroughbred Sponsor Ladbrokes Website …   Wikipedia

  • Anthony Luteyn — Abraham Pierre Tony Luteyn (10 February 1917 9 February 2003) was a Dutch officer who successfully escaped from the German concentration camp of Colditz. Sometimes he is referred to as Anthony Luteyn. Start of World War II Luteyn was born at… …   Wikipedia

  • November 13 — << November 2011 >> Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 …   Wikipedia

  • Guerre de Gaza de 2008-2009 — Informations générales Date du 27 décembre 2008 au 18 janvier 2009 Lieu Bande de Gaza Issue les deux camps revendiquent la victoire Belligérants …   Wikipédia en Français

  • performing arts — arts or skills that require public performance, as acting, singing, or dancing. [1945 50] * * * ▪ 2009 Introduction Music Classical.       The last vestiges of the Cold War seemed to thaw for a moment on Feb. 26, 2008, when the unfamiliar strains …   Universalium

  • Europe, history of — Introduction       history of European peoples and cultures from prehistoric times to the present. Europe is a more ambiguous term than most geographic expressions. Its etymology is doubtful, as is the physical extent of the area it designates.… …   Universalium

  • American Revolution — the war between Great Britain and its American colonies, 1775 83, by which the colonies won their independence. * * * or United States War of Independence (1775–83) War that won political independence for 13 of Britain s North American colonies,… …   Universalium

  • List of Huguenots — Some notable Huguenots or people with Huguenot ancestry include:*Jacques Abbadie, French theologian *Moses Amyraut, French theologian, proponent of Amyraldism *Charles Ancillon, French jurist and diplomat *John André, British officer and spy… …   Wikipedia

  • Art, Antiques, and Collections — ▪ 2003 Introduction       In 2002 major exhibitions such as Documenta 11 reflected the diverse nature of contemporary art: artists from a variety of cultures received widespread recognition for work ranging from installation to video to painting …   Universalium

  • motion picture, history of the — Introduction       history of the medium from the 19th century to the present. Early years, 1830–1910 Origins       The illusion of motion pictures is based on the optical phenomena known as persistence of vision and the phi phenomenon. The first …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”