Sir George Bullough, 1st Baronet

Sir George Bullough, 1st Baronet (February 28 1870 – July 26 1939) was an English businessman, soldier, and Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder.

Born in Accrington, Lancashire, George Bullough was educated at Harrow School. In 1891 the twenty-one-year old George Bullough and half-brother Ian each inherited a half interest in Howard & Bullough, their father's successful textile machinery manufacturing company. As well, George inherited the Isle of Rum, the family's sporting estate in the Inner Hebrides where he would build Kinloch Castle between 1898 and 1901.

In 1903, George Bullough married Monique Lily de la Pasture whose family had an estate at Montreuil-sur-Mer in northern France. Known as Lady Monica, she was the eldest daughter of the Fourth Marquis de la Pasture whose aristocrat ancestors had fled the French Revolution. They had one daughter, Hermione, who married John Lambton, 5th Earl of Durham.

Other than the income it provided, George Bullough had little interest in the family business. With his wealth, he chose to pursue an interest in yachting and Thoroughbred horse racing as well as hunting, serving as Master of the Ledbury Foxhounds from 1908 through 1921. He acquired an ocean-going steam-powered yacht with which he travelled extensively. Following the outbreak of the Second Boer War, Bullough converted his yacht to a hospital ship and sailed it to South Africa for service. As a result of his support of the war effort, in 1901 he was knighted by King Edward VII.

Bullough served as a cavalry officer with the Imperial Yeomanry from 1908 through 1911 and because of his horsemanship, during World War I he was appointed a superintendent with the Remount Department with the rank of major. For his services to his country, George Bullough was elevated to the Baronetcy in 1916.

Thoroughbred horse racing

An avid sportsman, Sir George Bullough had a lifelong interest in horses. Interested in Thoroughbred racing, he eventually became a member of the National Hunt Committee and a member of the Jockey Club. He developed a significant racing stable that had its first major success in steeplechase with Ballymacad who won the 1917 Grand National. Investing in flat racing Thoroughbreds, his Irish-bred colt Golden Myth won several important English races including the 1922 Ascot Gold Cup and Eclipse Stakes. When Golden Myth retired to stud, Bullough teamed up with prominent trainer John L. Jarvis to establish Longholes Stud near Newmarket. In 1934, they won an English Classic when Campanula captured the 1,000 Guineas.

Sir George Bullough died in 1939 while playing golf in France. He was buried alongside his father John Bullough in the family mausoleum at Harris on the west coast of Rùm.

References

* [http://www.electricscotland.com/historic/castles/kinloch.htm Kinloch Castle and Sir George Bullough]
* [http://www.horseracinghistory.co.uk/hrho/action/viewDocument?id=940 Sir Geirge Bullough at the United Kingdom's National Horseracing museum]