54 THE JOCKEY CLUB 1750- 



lion, for a Jockey Club Plate in 1755, and her own 

 brother Sweepstakes for a Jockey Club Plate in 1756, 

 &c., &c. His grandson, the late popular Earl Gran- 

 ville, though unknown among the winners of horse- 

 races, even if he ever ran a horse for a public race of 

 importance (though he is said to have been sleeping 

 partner in more than one), was himself for very many 

 years a member of the Jockey Club, and at his death 

 was probably its doyen, as he was elected a member 

 about half a century ago, in 1846 or thereabouts, the 

 very year in which he succeeded to the title. 



We now come to the greatest racer and the great- 

 est bettor (who, like the famous Colonel Mellish, seldom 

 or never * opened his mouth under 500 guineas ') of 

 the whole lot, namely LORD GROSVENOR, the first Earl, 

 who was born 1731, created a Baron 1761, Viscount 

 and Earl 1784, and died August 5, 1802, and after 

 whom Earl's Court, Kensington, is named, from the 

 house in which he lived there. He was originally Sir 

 Eichard Grosvenor (about the seventh baronet), and 

 how devoted he was to the Turf may be inferred from 

 a remark of Horace Walpole's : ' Sir E. Grosvenor is 

 made a Lord, Viscount, or Baron, I don't know which, 

 nor does he, for yesterday [March 17, 1761], when he 

 should have kissed hands, he was gone to Newmarket 

 to see the trial of a racehorse.' He was one of the 

 subscribers to the Jockey Club Challenge Cup in 

 1768. He married in 1764 Henrietta Vernon (pro- 

 bably a sister of Horace Walpole's Mr. ' Jockey ' 



