Sir Nigel Kingscote. 
11 
candidates, the more advanced courses of instruction required 
of these candidates being given in the College. Indeed, in 
season and out of season, Sir Nigel was never tired of working 
in the College interest, and the number of his friends and 
acquaintances that he induced to become supporters of the 
institution may, the Secretary says, “ be reckoned by scores 
if not by hundreds.” 
Sir Nigel took an active part in the formation of the 
Shorthorn Society of Great Britain and Ireland, established 
in July, 1874, to take over Coates’ Herd Book. 1 He was 
indeed the first of the signatories to the articles of association, 
and the last survivor of them. He was for a long series of 
years Chairman of the General Purposes Committee of the 
Shorthorn Society, and served the office of President on two 
separate occasions (1879-80 and 1901-2). 
Another Society in which Sir Nigel took a prominent part 
was the Hunters’ Improvement Society, the establishment of 
which was the outcome of a meeting held at Tattersall’s on 
November 5, 1884, to organise a Show for classes of thorough- 
bred stallions suitable for getting hunters and half-bred 
horses. In December, 1880, he was elected a Vice-President of 
the then newly formed Hunters’ Improvement Society, and in 
June, 1887, was elected President, serving later for a second 
tex-m in 1901. He acted as Chairman of a Special Committee 
which drew up, after much delibex-ation, the conditions for 
l’egistering hunter stallions and mares. Though a great 
adherent of “ blood ” and the thoroughbred, he more than 
once acknowledged that the registration of stallions with a 
slight stain would be of value to breeders. 
He was also on the govei-ning bodies of the Smithfield 
Club (President in 1879 and 1903), Southdown Sheep Society 
(Vice-Pi’esident since 1899, President in 1902), and the 
Kingscote Fanners’ Club, a local institution of which he was 
for many years the President, and before which he not only 
read papers himself, but persuaded leading exponents of 
agricultural thought to do likewise. 
Sir Nigel was a member of the Royal Commission on 
Agriculture of 1880, of which the late Duke of Richmond 
and Gordon was the Chairman, and also on the later 
Commission appointed in 1893, under the chairmanship of 
Mr. Shaw-Lefevre (now Lord Eversley), and pei’formed useful 
service on both. 
In his own county of Gloucestershire, Sir Nigel was for 
many years a leading figure. He was a Deputy Lieutenant for 
1 For an interesting sketch of the origin and growth of this publication see 
pp. 37-38 of Sir Nigel’s article on “The Value of Pedigree,” in the R.A.S.E 
Journal for 1902. 
