Charles James Apperley
Encyclopedia
Charles James Apperley English
sportsman and sporting writer
, better known as Nimrod, the pseudonym under which he published his works on the chase and on the turf, was born at Plasgronow, near Wrexham
, in Denbighshire
, North Wales in 1777.
before joining the Ancient British Light Dragoons in 1798. He served with the regiment in Ireland
, and in 1801 married Winifred Wynn of Peniarth, daughter of a Caernarvonshire landowner. He settled in Warwickshire, where he devoted himself to the pleasures of the Chase.
that covered horse races, hunt meets and other sporting events. His references to the personalities of the people he knew or met at such events helped to double the circulation of the magazine
within a few years. Mr. Pittman, the proprietor of The Sporting Magazine, gave Nimrod a handsome salary and defrayed all the expenses of his tours. He also gave Nimrod a stud of hunters. After Pittman's death, the proprietors of the magazine sued Apperley for the money that had been advanced. To avoid imprisonment, Apperley moved to Calais
in 1830, where he supported himself by writing. Apperley is best known for his two books, The Life of a Sportsman, and Memoirs of the Life of John Mytton, both of which were illustrated with coloured engravings by Henry Thomas Alken
.
Apperley eventually returned to England and died in Upper Belgrave Place, London
, on May 19, 1843.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
sportsman and sporting writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, better known as Nimrod, the pseudonym under which he published his works on the chase and on the turf, was born at Plasgronow, near Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
, in Denbighshire
Denbighshire
Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...
, North Wales in 1777.
Youth
Charles James Apperley was the second son of Thomas Apperley, Esq., of Wootton House, Gloucestershire, but is stated to have been born near Wrexham during 1777. Apperley was educated at Rugby SchoolRugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
before joining the Ancient British Light Dragoons in 1798. He served with the regiment in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and in 1801 married Winifred Wynn of Peniarth, daughter of a Caernarvonshire landowner. He settled in Warwickshire, where he devoted himself to the pleasures of the Chase.
Sporting activities and literary career
Between the years 1805 and 1820 Apperley devoted himself to fox-hunting. From 1813 to 1819 he was the agent for his brother-in-law's estates and lived at Tŷ Gwyn, Llanbeblig. Around 1821, under the pseudonym of "Nimrod", Apperley began to contribute a series of articles to The Sporting MagazineThe Sporting Magazine
The Sporting Magazine was the first English sporting periodical to devote itself to every type of sport, thus providing the historian with a reasonably comprehensive source.-History:...
that covered horse races, hunt meets and other sporting events. His references to the personalities of the people he knew or met at such events helped to double the circulation of the magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
within a few years. Mr. Pittman, the proprietor of The Sporting Magazine, gave Nimrod a handsome salary and defrayed all the expenses of his tours. He also gave Nimrod a stud of hunters. After Pittman's death, the proprietors of the magazine sued Apperley for the money that had been advanced. To avoid imprisonment, Apperley moved to Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
in 1830, where he supported himself by writing. Apperley is best known for his two books, The Life of a Sportsman, and Memoirs of the Life of John Mytton, both of which were illustrated with coloured engravings by Henry Thomas Alken
Henry Thomas Alken
Henry Thomas Alken was an English painter and engraver chiefly known as a caricaturist and illustrator of sporting subjects and coaching scenes. His most prolific period of painting and drawing occurred between 1816 and 1831.-Life:Alken was born on 12 October 1785 in Soho London and baptised on...
.
Apperley eventually returned to England and died in Upper Belgrave Place, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, on May 19, 1843.
Works
- Nimrods German Tour (1828) (first edition of Nimrods German Tour from Sporting Magazine in 1829-1830. Publishing company:Godewind Verlag, Germany 2006.) ISBN 978-3-939198-70-3
- Remarks on the Condition of Hunters, the Choice of Horses, &c.(1831);
- The Chase, the Turf, and the Road (originally written for Quarterly ReviewQuarterly ReviewThe Quarterly Review was a literary and political periodical founded in March 1809 by the well known London publishing house John Murray. It ceased publication in 1967.-Early years:...
), (1837) - Memoirs of the Life of the Late John MyttonJohn MyttonJohn Mytton was a notable British eccentric and Regency rake.- Family :John "Mad Jack" Mytton was born to a family of Shropshire squires with a lineage that stretched back some 500 years before his day...
(1837) - Nimrod's Northern Tour (1838)
- Nimrod Abroad (1842)
- The Horse and the Hound (a reprint from the seventh edition of the Encyclopædia BritannicaEncyclopædia BritannicaThe Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
) (1842) - Hunting Reminiscences (1843)
External links
- Nimrods German Tour in German on Lexikus.de