spell he met and befriended many people He shared the anguish of Lady Anne’s temptation’s reach. Wilfrid described his who were to be useful contacts in the miscarriages and the tragic loss of a life in the East as ‘sober and restrained’ future, and he learned the mechanics of longed for son after just a couple of days, and loved the experience of ‘penetrating foreign policy. and later on twin girls. When Judith was unknown regions of the earth’. ‘My Shortly after his marriage in 1869 to born one month early in 1873 he feared pleasures in the East were not those of Lady Anne Isabella Noel King, his elder another tragedy and he described her the flesh and almost as little of intellect. brother Francis died, leaving Wilfrid the survival as miraculous and which brought They were the pleasures of an outdoor family estates in Sussex, which included tears to his eyes. He wanted to baptise life which is too soberly severe for folly, a Crabbet and Newbuildings. He retired from her himself until his cousin intervened. life of bodily toil, of an abstemious habit in the Diplomatic Service without regret. His one regret was that the Holy Father meat and drink, rough lying on the ground Deeply saddened by the loss of his ‘might have made it a boy’. Nevertheless, by night, endurance of sun wind and rain brother, whom he loved dearly, he made she was taught to shoot, taken rabbiting, by day. There was little time for thought a sculpture of him in alabaster, which has fishing and other such expeditions that a still less for passionate longings bred been described as a masterpiece. He was father would take a son. of idleness…’. Wilfrid and Lady Anne’s very artistic and it was intended before Wilfrid experienced bouts of ill health feelings were shared: ‘what I thought she the death of his mother that he should throughout his life, made worse by thought, what I did she did, what I felt she be apprenticed to the portrait painter, G F pneumonia in 1873 that caused permanent felt. These times were our true times of Watts. His daughter, Judith, said that it was damage to one lung. It was partly due marriage, more than in Europe, and they his love of beauty and symmetry that drew to one of these episodes of sickness were happy times.’ him to Arabian horses; it must have also that he and Lady Anne made their first In the winter of 1877, they went to contributed to his good eye for a horse. common journey to Eastern lands, initially Aleppo to meet the British Consul, Mr The many farms that Wilfrid inherited Constantinople, with which he was Skene who gave them the help and the from his brother were flourishing, but not familiar and where he knew many people advice on Bedouin horse-breeding that the Manor House at Crabbet, which was in connected with the Embassy. Free from they needed to start the Crabbet Arabian poor condition. Together with Lady Anne the constraints of the Diplomatic Service Stud. Wilfrid, Lady Anne and her brother they designed a new section, keeping and the Victorian views of the world in Ralph were all interested in Skene’s idea only some servant rooms, a conservatory which he had grown up, they travelled to start a stud of purebred Arabian horses and library (later to be Lady Wentworth’s around Turkey seeing how the poor in England, but it was Lady Anne and her favourite lair). The bricks for the new part suffered due to bad government. They brother Ralph who financed it. Wilfrid came entirely from Wilfrid’s own brickyards, travelled to , where they discovered commented: ‘If I can introduce a pure the slates for the roof from Horsham, an Eastern people in violent subjection Arabian breed of horses into England and the wood from nearby forest, only the to western. Lady Anne, granddaughter help to see Arabia free of the Turks, I shall Portland stone was not local. The sun’s rays of Byron, had inherited in some way, not have quite lived in vain.’ The Blunts’ surrounding the porthole window on the sympathies in the cause of freedom in the first purchases were made that winter of The Life and Times of front of the building symbolised the Blunt East, which Wilfrid admitted had affected 1877/78 – the very first was Dajania on motto ‘By thy light I live’. his subsequent actions. Christmas Day 1877. ‘Nor has the world a better thing, Their interest and love of the eastern The following winter they returned to Though one should search it round, way of life grew, and during these times Arabia for more horses and to visit the Than thus to live one’s own sole king, Lady Anne was an essential part; his desert of Nejd, described by Wilfrid: ‘in Upon one’s own sole ground.’ mistresses were unimportant and out of the imagination of the Bedouins of the

WORDS ELIZABETH ARCHER PHOTOGRAPHY REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Wilfrid was an accomplished poet and author, was devastatingly handsome and charming, and had many mistresses. In the Arab horse world he is linked with his wife, Lady Anne Blunt, as the founder of the .

e enjoyed interesting Wales called him a ‘disloyal and eccentric placed in the Diplomatic Service, and for conversation and sport, Jesuit’. He was totally unconcerned the following 12 years little was expected especially if it was dangerous, with kowtowing to convention, and was of him other than to make himself had a great eye for a horse, and easily swept away with anything he felt pleasant. Hwas not very good at managing his financial passionate about. Domestic quarrels were During these years he was posted affairs. Perhaps also he craved admiration. also fiery. to Constantinople and South America, He was scandalous in Victorian eyes He was born into a family of landed and various places in continental Europe. as a dangerous political agitator due to his gentry at Petworth House on August 17, Although not an unpleasant time, it soured outspoken efforts to curb the imperialist 1840, three years after Victoria became politics for Wilfrid and it wasn’t until after policies of the British Empire, about which queen. His family, who owned several his marriage that he renewed his interest he wrote in his diary on September 7, estates in the south of England, had strong in them. His pursuits as an attaché were 1880 ‘that the day of England’s empire conservative traditions and were well those of pleasure, social intercourse and Left: Lady Anne Blunt’s painting of Wilfrid on Pharoah. Photo: Archives of Rosemary Archer. is fast ending – for my own part I do connected with some leading members poetry, with occasional assistance in Right: Wilfrid as a young man. not care how soon’. Even the Prince of of the Tory party. At the age of 18 he was diplomatic dramas. Importantly during this

16 AHN AHN April 2019 • 17 imports and some they had bred. At this Above: Kars, the stud’s first stallion. He proved to have outstanding stamina. time it was Wilfrid who had the final say Photo: The Crabbet Arabian Stud – Its History & Influence. on what was sold. Colts were shown loose Above (Right): Group of . From left Zefifia, Sherifa, Hagar, Dahma, and Rodania, who in a large yard or small paddock. Wilfrid Wilfrid considered the best of the imported mares when he assessed their contribution to the wrote: ‘there is no better test of quality stud in his memo of 1897. Photo: Archives of Rosemary Archer. than to turn a colt loose in a paddock and take note of how he moves his shoulders and forearms’. North, is a region of romance, the cradle stud. A step that was to have a major The first sale was held in July 1882, of their race, and of those ideas of chivalry impact on not just the Crabbet Stud but which was unlikely to make a profit as by which they still live’. The trip however the stud they were to establish at Sheykh Wilfrid had invited two hundred guests. turned out to be a nightmare; the horses Obeyd. Wilfrid also pursued his interest in Eleven out of 14 horses were sold, which were a disappointment, and they suffered the Mohammedan religion. was more than satisfactory as the three many hardships, dangers and illnesses. Wilfrid had soon recognised a need for that were not sold – Jerboa, Dajania, and During their travels they met Faris, independence for many countries, from Queen of Sheba – had only been entered one of two rival leaders of the Shammar both the British and Ottoman Empires. At to raise the standard and had been given tribe. Faris admired Wilfrid for his good the time his, and Lady Anne’s views were very high reserves. Several more sales breeding and because he could shoot and very unfashionable. Lord Salisbury, then were held, and they became an annual hit a saucepan thrown up into the air. In a Minister of Foreign Affairs, had learned social event. Wilfrid pitched their travelling ceremony in Faris’ tent they swore blood of the Blunts’ travels and was interested tent in the garden, with a spear at its brotherhood, after which no Shammar to learn about them. Wilfrid gave him his entrance and generally a tethered could take Wilfrid’s life or property and views and one of his suggestions was nearby – the ensemble being known as vice versa. Two further brotherhoods were that Syria should someday be independent the ‘Desert’. forged with Meshur Ibn Mersin of the (at that time Syria included Lebanon, Wilfrid felt strongly that the Gomussa tribe, and Mohammed Ibn Aruk. Palestine and Jordan). would benefit from an Back in England, all was well with He became embroiled in furthering infusion of Arab blood, and lobbied the the horses and Kars proved to have ’s cause and its freedom from British Jockey Club on this matter. He persuaded outstanding stamina: exploitation. Matters came to a head them to run a race in 1884 for purebred ‘Today, all day, I rode upon the Down, when Wilfrid stood up for five Egyptians Arabs but the experiment was a failure, With hounds and horsemen, that he maintained had been wrongly and the press scorned the lack of pace. a brave company, imprisoned. He had become so unpopular There was doubt over whether the race On this side in its glory lay the sea, with the British hierarchy that in 1883 he was rigged, as the winner was well On that the Sussex Weald, a sea of brown. was warned he would be arrested by the beaten by the same opponents in another The wind was light, British naval commander if he set foot race, and one of the Blunts’ two runners and brightly the sun shone, in Egypt. They had by this time acquired ran suspiciously wide. Nevertheless, And still we galloped on from Sheykh Obeyd, but they were only able he did manage to persuade James gorse to gorse. to enjoy its delights for a short while and Weatherby to include a section for And once, when checked, could not return to Egypt until 1887. The Arabian horses in his stud list (General a thrush sang, and my horse Blunts enjoyed winters there together, Stud Book). Pricked his quick ears with Judith too, until 1905, when Wilfrid In 1885 Wilfrid made the first of two as to a sound unknown.’ had to return to England due to ill health. unsuccessful attempts to be elected to In the winter of 1880, the Blunts He never made the trip again. parliament, but he used to get far too returned to Egypt, and it was during this Back in 1882 the Crabbet Stud was carried away with his passionate backing visit that they first met Ali Pasha Sherif, growing and the Blunts wanted to sell of the underdog, in this case the Irish wish and made the first of many visits to his surplus stock, both some of the original for Home Rule.

18 AHN AHN April 2019 • 19 In 1887 Wilfrid founded ‘The Crabbet sentenced to two months’ hard labour relationship she intervened and incurred Club’, on the following lines: for holding an ‘illegal’ meeting. After the the wrath of her father for doing so. 1. The Crabbet Club is a convivial trial Lady Anne managed to get onto the He disliked figures, and it was largely association which has for its object omnibus that took him to gaol in Galway up to Lady Anne to manage their finances, to discourage serious views of life by town, and they spoke in Arabic to prevent which dwindled in time, not helped by holding up a constant standard of its eavesdropping. It was not hard labour but Wilfrid’s extravagances. He had capital amusements. very cold, and worse was to come as he through all the inherited properties, 2. It consists of a President, four public was moved to Kilmainham which made but was cash poor. Lady Anne was the officers and forty ordinary members, Galway gaol seem like paradise. Here he opposite. In 1895 Wilfrid made plans to who engage to meet annually at Crabbet succumbed to a depression, which lasted cut costs; Crabbet House was let and the Park on the invitation of the President, many months after his release. Blunts moved to Newbuildings. Part of the there to promote the purposes of the Throughout their marriage Lady Anne stud remained at Crabbet as there was Club. did not receive the love and attention insufficient land at Newbuildings for all There was also a bar on women and she longed for, but as far as Wilfrid was the horses. In 1904 Wilfrid made Crabbet, old age (the latter was approved of by concerned the situation was fine: ‘Lady still let, over to Judith. As well as avoiding Lady Anne as the older guests that came Anne and I are like two ships in the regular potential death duties he conveniently to other gatherings, such as for tennis, trade winds, going pleasantly on together managed to pass on the £15,000 were too noisy). A great addition to the without trouble and without anxiety.’ mortgage. Matters were coming to a club later on was Oscar Wilde. His relationship with Judith broke down head in his relationship with Lady Anne. A Later that year Wilfrid rushed to Ireland when she was in her early twenties, as large factor was the nurse who had been when protesters against evictions were she found out that the father she had employed in 1898, Miss Lawrence. She shot by police; with Lady Anne following worshipped all her life, had not only was a domineering woman and rather on. Whilst attempting to hold a public fathered an illegitimate child (or more) pushed Lady Anne out, not allowing her meeting, the police arrested Wilfrid, in but had tried to seduce her best friend into Wilfrid’s sick room on one occasion. what became quite a scuffle. He was Emily Lytton. When Judith discovered the Wilfrid, possibly affected by his ill health and the drugs he was taking for his illnesses, did not defend Lady Anne. Rather than blame himself, or Miss Lawrence, he blamed religion – he had never had the faith that Lady Anne had. He had been raised a Catholic, was interested at times in Islam and atheism, but was not particularly dedicated to any of them. Following Lady Anne’s conversion to Catholicism in 1880 Wilfrid commented: ‘I had been, as it were, for all these years a god to her and now she had come to acknowledge another god and another service….she had accepted a new standard and by it I stood condemned.’ Lady Anne was adamant when she heard this that Wilfrid had never been her god. ‘I am convinced a religious life is best’ he concluded ‘and equally that I am made for pleasure. Love is to me what a dram is to a drinker’. To make matters worse, Dorothy Carleton, sister of Guy Carleton, the new stud manager at Newbuildings and Above: Poets at relation of Wilfrid, had also been installed. Newbuildings, centre He formally adopted her as his ‘niece’, Wilfrid Blunt. further straining relations with his family Left: Razaz (Astraled x and upsetting some of Dorothy’s. Guy Rose of Hind). One of the Carleton resigned and became Lady horses taken by Wilfrid to Newbuildings, shortly after Anne’s stud manager at Crabbet. Wilfrid Lady Anne’s death. Three and Lady Anne could not continue with daughters were purchased their marriage, or run the stud together. by W R Brown for his Lady Anne found Wilfrid impossible to Maynesboro Stud in America deal with as he was constantly changing and some strong lines were his mind, she disagreed with his decisions established – Razaz himself was sold to Egypt in 1920 over sales and breeding, and he would aged 13. Photo: Archives of try to keep money from sales (horses Rosemary Archer. and land) to bolster his own finances, but still expected Lady Anne to contribute.

20 AHN AHN April 2019 • 21 Above: The Desert at Crabbet. Photo © British Library Board X.320/11581. Right: Wilfrid Blunt, 1905. Photo: Lady Anne Blunt Journals and Correspondence 1878–1917.

Separation came in 1906. The horses were preserve the blood rigidly pure’ and ‘not just 27 of the 84 horses alive at the time divided without much trouble and Lady to improve the breed but to preserve it’ of Lady Anne’s death. Judith, now Lady Anne left Newbuildings for good to live in as the Bedouin had done, and secondly, Wentworth, had other ideas and after a a rented house in Three Bridges. Her share ‘to preserve type. By type I mean lawsuit, the Trustees took ownership of of the horses were kept at Caxtons, part those special lines of beauty which are the majority of the stud. By this time, of the Crabbet Estate. There was however characteristics of the Kehailan and which Wilfrid was becoming very infirm and continual interchange of stock in the years distinguish him to the eye from every not supervising the management of the after that, and no horse could be sold other breed’. horses. The stallions were kept in good without the permission of the other, and He was as ever, worried about costs, condition, but the mares, who Blunt even Judith was to intervene. and now that he and Lady Anne were expected to be tough enough to get Wilfrid loved Worth Forest, which becoming old, they worried about the through winter on grass, supplemented was part of the Crabbet Estate, and he future of the stud. Judith had financial at times with acorns, were in such bad built a house there, both to enjoy the problems of her own and found that the condition by the time Lady Wentworth forest and to entertain; guests included mortgage of Crabbet was a millstone she took them to Crabbet that several of the , son of his great friend could no longer bear. Her wish to sell large mares either died or never bred again. Randolf Churchill. Winston was given a parts of the Crabbet Estate was unpopular Wilfrid suffered great pain in his last ride on Rijm during one of his stays at with both her parents, but particularly so years, describing it as ‘this death in life’, Newbuildings. Rijm was greatly admired with Wilfrid who almost exploded. In the and eventually he died on September 10, by the Blunts, and when Wilfrid wanted to end, land was sold, some of which was 1922. He left Newbuildings to Dorothy sell him, having received a very high offer, bought by the Blunts. Carleton, who lived there for 30 years Lady Anne vetoed the sale. Eventually, The Blunts were reunited in 1915, before she died, leaving it in her will to she bought him from Wilfrid and he went some nine years after they had last met, Lady Anne Lytton with succession to to Crabbet. and found they could enjoy each other’s Lord Lytton’s heir. Wilfrid was buried at Selling horses in England had never company. When Lady Anne died in 1917, Newbuildings in the woods, wrapped in been easy, as the nation was more she left almost everything in trust for his favourite Eastern travelling carpet, lying attuned to hunters and , her granddaughters, Anne and Winifred on a bed of greenery and his favourite and the Arabian was considered too Lytton. Wilfrid thought that all the horses flowers, as he wished. There was no small. The Blunts were true to their would become his, and intended to keep coffin, or religious or other ceremony. original intention to save the as it was, despite these difficulties, and Wilfrid was pleased with the REFERENCES: Rosemary Archer, Colin Pearson and Cecil Covey, with Betty Finke: horses they had bred. ‘It has been done Crabbet Arabian Stud – Its History and Influence by selection and a careful avoidance The : Wilfrid Scawen Blunt. Photo credits for Newbuildings, Poets at of breeding for mere size.’ In his Newbuildings, Wilfrid as a Young Man: The Earl of Lytton: Wilfrid Scawen Blunt. memorandum on the stud he outlined Elizabeth Longford: A Pilgrimage of Passion – The Life of Wilfrid Scawen Blunt his principles for breeding; firstly ‘to

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