Sir William Strickland, 3rd Baronet facts for kids
Sir William Strickland, 3rd Baronet of Boynton, Yorkshire (March 1665 – 12 May 1724) was an important English landowner and politician. He served in the English and British Parliament between 1689 and 1724. He was also well-known for owning racehorses.
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Early Life and Family
Sir William Strickland was born in March 1665. His father was Sir Thomas Strickland, 2nd Baronet. William studied at Exeter College, Oxford.
In 1684, he married Elizabeth Palmes. She was the daughter of William Palmes. When his father died in November 1684, William became the 3rd Baronet. He also inherited Boynton Hall, near Scarborough, at just 19 years old.
Political Journey
In 1689, Strickland became a Member of Parliament (MP) for Malton. An MP is a person elected to represent a group of people in the country's government. Malton was a "pocket borough." This meant his father-in-law had a lot of power over who was elected there.
Strickland was elected in Malton many times without anyone running against him. In 1708, he decided to run for Yorkshire instead. He won that election. His son, William, then took his old seat in Malton.
Strickland was a member of the Whig political party. He supported a group within the Whigs called the Junto. He lost the election in 1710. After a few years, he was elected again in 1716 for Old Sarum. In 1722, he was elected unopposed in Malton again. He served for two more years before he passed away.
Besides being an MP, Strickland was also the High Sheriff of Yorkshire from 1698 to 1699. He was also made Commissary-General of the Musters in 1720.
A Passion for Racehorses
Sir William Strickland loved owning and breeding racehorses. One of his horses, the Acaster Turk, was named "Champion Sire" in 1721. This means it was the best father horse for creating new racehorses that year.
Strickland was a key person in a famous horse race called The Merlin Match. We don't know all the exact details, like the date or the horses' names. But we know the race definitely happened.
The Merlin Match
The Merlin Match was a special head-to-head race. It took place at Newmarket. Strickland's horse was called Merlin (or a similar name). The other horse belonged to Tregonwell Frampton, who was the Royal trainer.
This race was seen as a big contest between the North and the South of England. It was also like a challenge between regular horse owners and the official racing world. Many people were very interested and placed large bets on the outcome.
The story goes that before the race, Strickland's groom (horse caretaker), Hesseltine, met Frampton's groom. They secretly agreed to test their horses over the full race distance. This way, they could get inside information and bet wisely. Hesseltine agreed, and Merlin won the trial race by a small amount.
However, both Strickland and Frampton had told their grooms to trick the other. Each groom secretly added extra weight to their own horse during the trial. So, both owners thought their horse would easily win the real race!
In the end, Merlin won the actual race, just like he won the trial. A popular song from that time described the win:
And now, Little Merlin has won the day,
And all for his master's gain
Guarded him to stable
again, again
Guarded him to stable again,
And as they rode through Newmarket,
Many curses on them did fall,
A curse light on these Yorkshire knights,
And their horses and riders
and all, and all,
and their horses and riders and all.
Many people won or lost huge amounts of money. Some people who bet on Frampton's horse lost everything. Because of this, the law was changed soon after. It became legally impossible to get back more than £10 from a gambling debt.
Later Life and Passing
Sir William Strickland died in May 1724. He passed away after falling during a fox hunt. His son, William, was the only one of his children who lived to be an adult. His son inherited the baronetcy after him.
