Paint the town red game prison riot
His favoured companions were young ‘sporting men’, prize-fighters, and prostitutes powerfully built, rich, and with an uncontrolled sense of humour, it amused him to challenge passers-by to fight him, to break windows, to upset (literally) applecarts.
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(He returned to Eton in 1838 to steal the headmaster's whipping block, an exploit Waterford celebrated with an annual dinner.) He matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford, in 1829, but was invited to leave, and for the next decade he was to be found most frequently at the racetrack, on the hunting-field, or in the police courts. His elder brother and both his parents died before he was seventeen, and the young marquess, who was educated at Eton College (1824–9), became notorious for his wildness. ‘Beresford, Henry de la Poer, third marquess of Waterford (1811–1859), reprobate and landowner, was born on 26 April 1811 at 5 Mansfield Street, Marylebone, Middlesex, the second son of Henry de la Poer Beresford, second marquess of Waterford (1772–1826), and his wife, Lady Susanna Hussey Carpenter (1784–1827), daughter of the second earl of Tyrconnel. ‘Larking’, as it was generally known, was later to be replaced by behaviour known as ‘ragging’, which relied more on the teasing of friends, than on the finding of innocent and unaware victims in the street to humiliate. The many outrageous escapades of these young bloods are well recorded in history and the many paintings and sketches depicting such scenes are still in great demand to this day. Drunkenness then, as it is today, was an accepted part of life and some of the so called ‘roaring blades’ or ‘Corinthian Toms’ of the times could almost certainly be compared with the ‘binge drinkers’ of modern times, were it not that then, they were almost always exclusively members of the ‘toff’ hunting set. To some of the recipients this anti-social behaviour was sheer vandalism and wanton violence, but to those taking part it was merely great fun. Moments were also set aside – usually at the end of such bacchanalian moments - for the popular pastime of practical-joking which was often at the expense of the locals. The wine flowed freely along with the best of cuisine and the service available to the visitors in the many taverns and hotels was without comparison - anywhere. The social exclusiveness of Melton is very delicately but no less definitely hinted at by many writers.”ĭuring this period of the early 19th century, especially during the winter season, Melton Mowbray was a vibrant and often rowdy town, a particular playground of the mainly bachelor set it was perhaps similar to the cowboy era of old America, when the drovers celebrated at their journey’s end. Nor was the long purse the only qualification. Even then he would be sure to miss many a good afternoon gallop for want of a spare mount. In his view the minimum required to see a hunting man safely through the winter, if he wished to hunt every day, was six thoroughly seasoned hunters. Pennell-Elmhurst writing in the ‘seventies, had a similar story to tell. At an average of 10 horses to each sportsman that only meant 30 visitors, but some kept from fourteen to twenty and the Earl of Plymouth at Melton Lodge, exceeded even the latter number.
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It was estimated that the custom of the hunting visitors was worth £50,000 a year and that there were generally from 250 – 300 horses in the stables. In 1830, whereas a man with five hunters and a hack could make “a respectable appearance with the Provincials” he had no business in Leicestershire, where he would be half the time kicking his heels in the town where he was quartered, while his friends were enjoying themselves in the field. Many were forced to give up in the race to compete socially on the grounds of cost alone, but Melton remained the ‘only’ place to hunt there was no comparison in any other part of the country. If a man was heavyweight he needed the best horse flesh for the Leicestershire jumps and the best horse-flesh was never cheap. Naturally, he was a wretched horseman and his stables had the reputation of being unlucky. He fitted up his stables with mahogany partitions and had gold embroidery on the green sheets with which he covered his horses. ‘…During the ‘thirties Lyne Stephens, reputed to be the richest commoner in England, spent money lavishly in the town.