Celebrating Hampshire Historians

Porter, John

02.03.1838 – 21.02.1922

As Porter explains at the begining of one of his autobiographical publications ‘the Porter family had been settled in Rugeley, in Staffordshire, more than a hundred years’ before he was born there. Leaving school in 1852, his father, a tailor, was keen for John to enter the legal profession. However, his son had other ideas and for the next few years he served his apprenticeship as a trainer of horses. By his late teens he had a managerial role and subsequently became a trainer in his own right.

In 1863 he married his first wife Emily (nee Moodie) and the couple moved to Park House in Kingsclere, which was to be their home until the first decade of the twentieth century. Emily died in 1902 and the following year John remarried, Isabella (nee Pilsbury), and by 1911 the couple were living at Ormande House, Newbury, where John died aged 83.

As a flat racing trainer, Porter enjoyed great success, with his horses winning twenty three of the British classic races, including seven in the country’s most prestigious race, the Derby, plus the English Triple Crown on three occasions. This resulted in the National Horseracing Museum describing him as ‘undoubtedly the most successful trainer of the Victorian era.’ To complement his training he founded the Newbury Racecourse.

Sources

• Wikipedia

• Cornelius Lysaght, The History of Park House Stables, Kingsclere

Portrait

Illustrated London News May 28 1892

Contribution to county’s history

The training of race horses in Kingsclere is an important part of Hampshire’s history and Porter’s life and works offer some insights into aspects of late Victorian and early twentieth century society and country life. These include the visits the Prince of Wales made to Kingsclere; its natural history; the built environment; rivalry between the village barbers and carriers; Kingsclere’s Albert Hall; football and cricket; and poaching.

Relevant published works

• Kingsclere (Chatto & Windus: London, 1898)

• John Porter of Kingsclere: An Autobiography (Grant Richards: London, 1919)

Critical Comments

Other Comments

As indicated above, Porter’s reputation was based on his horseracing prowess. Indeed, both of his publications are more biography than history. Moreover, they were substantially written by his editors Byron Webber and Edward Moorhouse respectively.

Contributor

Roger Ottewill (13 February 2024)

Key Words

Race Horse Training, Kingsclere, Park House Stables

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