| Date | 12 October 2012 |
|---|---|
| Source | Slough Observer |
| Reference | VP-0044 |
| Volume | Views of the Past |
| Collection | Views of the Past |
Transcript
Sporting Lord had ties to past Jubilee and Olympics
Email Elias with feedback and your memories on observernews@berksmedia.co.uk
THE names Grenfell and Desborough are perpetuated in many place names in and around Maidenhead.
These were named after the great local politician and benefactor William Henry Grenfell who was later to become Lord Desborough.
He was born in London in 1855 and was the eldest son of Charles William Grenfell, MP of Taplow Court, Buckinghamshire.
He became a great athlete and participated in both national and international sporting events, ranging from rowing and punting to fencing and boxing.
He was educated at Harrow where he excelled at cricket and went on to study at Balliol College, Oxford.
He was particular famous for the dead heat which he rowed in during the Oxford Cambridge boat race in 1887 and became the president of the Oxford Boat Club the following year.
He twice swam the Niagara Falls and also ascended the Matterhorn by three different routes.
In 1908 he became the President of the Olympic Games in London and established the marathon as permanent fixture in the Olympic Games. After leaving university he started a long career in politics both locally and nationally.
In Berkshire and Buckinghamshire alone he served on more than 115 committees.
In November 1895, William Grenfell was elected Mayor of Maidenhead and 4,000 Maidonians came out to greet the new mayor at the old Guildhall in the High Street. He also held this position during Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee year.
The grounds of Taplow Court were made available to local people for school treats and festivities.
The family also owned large amounts of land in Maidenhead. In 1899 Grenfell gave Grenfell Park to the town in perpetuity.
The signing of the lease was marked by a procession through the town and a grand dinner for 200 in the Town Hall.
He held many honourable titles including High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire and High Steward of Maidenhead.
In 1905 he was elevated to the Peerage and became Lord Desborough. In 1928 he was admitted as a Knight of the Order of the Garter.
In December 1920, Desborough had the unfortunate distinction of having his obituary erroneously published in The Times which had confused him with Lord Bessborough.
He actually died 25 years later at the age of 89 in January 1945.
ATHLETE AND POLITICIAN: William Henry Grenfell as Mayor of Maidenhead (1897). He was later to be elevated to the peerage in 1905 and became known as Lord Desborough.
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