Thomas Lister, 3rd Baron Ribblesdale

Thomas Lister, 3rd Baron Ribblesdale (28 April 1828 – 25 August 1876) was an English Peer of the Realm.[1]

Thomas Lister, 3rd Baron Ribblesdale
3rd Baron Ribblesdale
In office
1832–1876
Personal details
Born28 April 1828
Armitage Park, Staffordshire, UK
Died25 August 1876
Leukerbad, Switzerland
SpouseEmma Mure
Children5, including Thomas and Reginald
Parents
Alma materChrist Church, Oxford
Military service
Rankcornet
UnitRoyal Regiment of Horse Guards

Lister was the only son of Thomas Lister, 2nd Baron Ribblesdale and Adelaide, the daughter of Thomas Lister (1772–1828). He was born at Armitage Park, Staffordshire.[2] He succeeded to the barony in 1832 following his father's death: at just four years old he was the youngest Peer of the Realm.[3]

His mother remarried in 1835 to John Russell, 1st Earl Russell (the future Prime Minister); but she died in November 1838 shortly after giving birth.[4] Lister and his sisters lived with Earl Russell and his new wife, Fanny,  at 37 Chesham Place, London.[5] Lister mainly received private tuition but did study for a time at Eton.[6] He matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford on 4 June 1846.[7]

In 1849 Lister purchased the rank of cornet in the Royal Regiment of Horse Guards retiring the following year.[8][9] In 1850 he was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of the West Riding.[10]

Lister was a noted racehorse owner who "may be said to have burst like a meteor on the turf" following his purchase of Jonathan Peel's entire stud in August 1851;[11] this purchase caused his step-father "some anxiety".[12] He raced horses under his own name and that of his trainer William Day.[13][14] His horses had some success: St. Giles was regarded by his trainer as "about the second best horse of his year", winning the Betting Room Stakes at Doncaster and the Great Northamptonshire Stakes.[13][14][15] Lister would bet heavily on his horses against the advice of his trainer.[14]

In May 1853 Lister married Emma Mure, the daughter of Colonel William Mure of Caldwell, Ayrshire.[16] They had five children: Thomas, Beatrix, Martin, Adelaide, and Reginald.[2] The family lived in France for a time, "a method of reconstruction often adopted in those days by families and single gentlemen who had ... galloped themselves out of their fortunes".[17]

Lister committed suicide in 1876 while staying at Leukerbad, Switzerland[18] "having fallen on hard times due to his indulgence in racing."[2] He was succeeded in the barony by his son Thomas.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Mr Thomas Lister (Hansard)". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  2. ^ a b c "Lister Family, Barons Ribblesdale, Family and Estate Records". The National Archives (United Kingdom). Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  3. ^ "We have to announce the unexpected death of Lord Ribblesdale...". Bell's Weekly Messenger. 16 December 1832. p. 7. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  4. ^ "DEATH OF LADY JOHN RUSSELL". Bell's New Weekly Messenger. No. 359. 4 November 1838. p. 4. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Russell, John [formerly Lord John Russell], first Earl Russell (1792–1878), prime minister and author". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/24325. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. Retrieved 8 December 2022. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  6. ^ "FESTIVITIES ON LORD RIBBLESDALE ATTAINING HIS MAJORITY". Leeds Intelligencer. No. 4958. 5 May 1849. p. 6. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  7. ^ Alumni Oxonienses: the Members of the University of Oxford, 1715-1886. Vol. 3. p. 856.
  8. ^ "WAR OFFICE -- August 24". British Army Despatch. Vol. III, no. 59. 24 August 1849. p. 3. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  9. ^ "WAR-OFFICE -- March 15". British Army Despatch. Vol. IV, no. 88. 15 March 1850. p. 3. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  10. ^ "Page 2739 | Issue 21145, 18 October 1850 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  11. ^ "SPORTING INTELLIGENCE". Morning Post. No. 32512. 11 September 1876. p. 3. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  12. ^ Walpole, Spencer (1889). The life of Lord John Russell. Internet Archive. London and New York, Longmans, Green, and co. p. 174.
  13. ^ a b Frederic Boase (1965). "RIBBLESDALE". Modern English Biography. Internet Archive. Frank Cass & Co. Ltd. p. 130.
  14. ^ a b c William Day (1891). "LORD RIBBLESDALE". Turf Celebrities I Have Known. Princeton University. F. V. White. pp. 86–100.
  15. ^ "St. Giles". www.tbheritage.com. Retrieved 2022-12-11.
  16. ^ "MARRIAGE IN HIGH LIFE". Blackburn Standard. Vol. XVIII, no. 957. 11 May 1853. p. 2. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  17. ^ a b "Lister, Thomas, fourth Baron Ribblesdale". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/49165. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  18. ^ "The Late Lord Ribblesdale". The Times. No. 28721. 30 August 1876. p. 4.