Viscount Valentia KCVO CB JP

This officer was born Arthur Annesley on 23 Aug 1843, the eldest son of the Hon Arthur Annesley and Flora Macdonald of Clanranald. His father died when he was only one, and he inherited the title of 11th Viscount from his grandfather in 1863. After attending RMA Woolwich he was commissioned into the 10th Hussars as a cornet on 10 May 1864 while they were stationed in Dublin, promoted to lieutenant on 2 May 1868. During his time with the 10th in Ireland he was a leading figure in the hunts, establishing his own pack of hounds when they were stationed at Dundalk. He retired from the regiment in 1872 and went on to command the Oxfordshire Hussars from 1894. When war broke out in South Africa in 1899 he organised the first contingent of Imperial Yeomanry, going out to the war as AAG of the Yeomanry.
As well as hunting, Lord Valentia was a keen racer, riding cup-winners like Moccas and Ventpiece. He was also one of the pioneers of the new sport of polo, playing on Hounslow Heath in the first match on English soil in 1869. On this occasion the 10th Hussars team beat the 9th Lancers 3-2. After leaving the regiment in 1872 he stood for parliament and was MP for Oxford from 1895. He was appointed Comptroller of the Royal Household from 1898 to 1905. He was married on 30 Jan 1878 to a widow, Laura Sarah Webb. They had 2 sons and 6 daughters. His son Captain Hon Arthur Annesley was also an officer in the 10th Hussars and was killed in WW1. In 1917 he was created Lord Annesley of Bletchington entitling him to a seat in the Lords which he did not have as Viscount Valentia since it was an Irish peerage. He was decorated with the MVO in 1901 and the KCVO in 1923. He died on 20 Jan 1927. The photo shows Lord Valentia in the dress uniform of the Oxfordshire Hussars c1895.

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