author
baron Henry Verney Willoughby de Broke
1844–1902
An English peer, soldier, and country sportsman, he is remembered as the 18th Baron Willoughby de Broke and as Master of the Warwickshire Foxhounds. His life links aristocratic landholding, military service, and the hunting culture of late Victorian England.
1 Audiobook
Advice on Fox-Hunting
by baron Henry Verney Willoughby de Broke
About the author
Born on May 14, 1844, at Kineton in Warwickshire, he was the only son of Robert John Verney, 17th Baron Willoughby de Broke, and Georgina Jane Taylor. He was born Henry Barnard, but after his family inherited the Verney estates he took the surname Verney, and he later succeeded to the title in 1862.
He was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford, and went on to serve as a British Army officer, eventually holding the rank of colonel. Beyond public life, he was especially associated with the Warwickshire Foxhounds, serving as their Master from 1876, a role that made him a well-known figure in county society.
He married Geraldine Smith-Barry in 1867, and they had children, including Richard Greville Verney, who succeeded him as the next baron. He died on December 19, 1902, while at sea aboard the P&O steamer Australia.