Anne Blunt

Among the great and influential horses they took to England were Azrek, Dajania, Queen of Sheba, Rodania and the famous Ali Pasha Sherif stallion Mesaoud. To this day, the vast majority of purebred Arabian horses trace their lineage to at least one Crabbet ancestor.

• Honorific Prefix — The Right Honourable • Name — The Baroness Wentworth • Birth Name — Hon. Anne Isabella King • Born — 22 September 1837 • Birthplace — England • Died — 15 December 1917 • Place of death — Cairo, Egypt • Known for — * Arabian horse breeder • artist • musician • Parents — * William King-Noel, 1st Earl of Lovelace • Augusta Ada Byron • Children — Judith Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth

Lady Anne was a daughter of William King-Noel, 1st Earl of Lovelace, and the Hon. Augusta Ada Byron, the world's first computer programmer. Her maternal grandparents were the poet Lord Byron and Anne Isabella "Annabella" Noel-Byron, 12th Baroness Wentworth (née Milbanke). In childhood, she was known as Annabella, after the grandmother for whom she was named. • Illustration — A watercolour by Lady Anne described as "'Window onto an (?)Italian lake'. Dated 'Nov.26 / (18)67'. Inscribed verso of backing and dated 1868. 15x11 inches." Lady Anne was fluent in French, German, Italian, Spanish and Arabic, a skilled violinist and a gifted artist who studied drawing with John Ruskin. She also had a lifelong love of horses, dating from childhood, and was an accomplished equestrienne. Her interest in the Arabian horse, combined with Wilfrid's interest in Middle Eastern politics, led to their mutual interest in saving the Arabian breed and thus their many journeys. Lady Anne travelled extensively in the Middle East and is particularly noted as the first European woman to ride through the Arabian desert to reach the city of Ha'il. The books Bedouin Tribes of the Euphrates and A Pilgrimage to Nejd are attributed to her and were based on her journals, but were extensively edited by her husband. Her own voice comes through more clearly in her published journals. She owned a violin made by Stradivarius, since known as the Lady Blunt Stradivarius, though she was not the original owner. It was extensively refurbished in 1864 by Jean Baptiste Vuillaume, from whom she purchased the instrument upon recommendation of her instructor, Leopold Jansa. She possessed the instrument for 30 years, selling it in 1895. Lady Anne's 1869 marriage to Blunt was not a happy one. Her many pregnancies produced a single surviving child, Judith Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth. Anne never ceased to grieve over her miscarriages and the babies who died soon after birth. Although a fond father to Judith when she was a child, Blunt made no secret that he would have preferred a son. Lady Anne and Wilfrid differed over management of their horses, with Wilfrid, though the less talented horseman, often prevailing on management decisions. At times, this meant leaving valuable bloodstock in Egypt under the care of inept managers who neglected the horses to the point that some died of exposure and thirst. In England, his theory that Arabian horses should live under "desert conditions", even in a cold, damp climate, often meant the animals lived with insufficient fodder and were exposed to the elements to an unnecessary degree. • Illustration — Lady Anne Blunt and Kasida, her favorite riding mare Blunt also had many mistresses, often simultaneously. However, in 1906, when his mistress Dorothy Carleton (later adopted as his niece) moved into their home, Lady Anne, unable to tolerate what she termed an "oriental" lifestyle, left him. The Blunts agreed to a formal separation and the Stud was divided. Lady Anne signed a Deed of Partition drawn up by Wilfrid. Under its terms, Lady Anne kept Crabbet Park and half the horses, while Blunt took Caxtons Farm, also known as Newbuildings, and the rest of the stock. Following the separation, Lady Anne spent several months each year at her Sheykh Obeyd estate near Cairo, a 32-acre (129,000 m 2) apricot orchard the Blunts had purchased in 1882 and set up as a breeding farm for the horses they owned in Egypt. Her daughter Judith lived full-time at the Crabbet estate with her own husband and children. Finally, leaving the stud under the management of Judith, Lady Anne left England permanently in October 1915 and spent the remaining years of her life at Sheykh Obeyd.

Anne Blunt was recorded at birth as Hon. Annabella Isabella King. The authorities additionally record the headings Lady Anne Blunt, Lady Blunt, Anne Blunt, Anna Isabella Noel King and Anne Isabella Noel Blunt, 15th Baroness Wentworth. Her recorded languages were English, French, German, Italian and British English. She was the child of William King-Noel, 1st Earl of Lovelace and Ada Lovelace. She married Wilfrid Scawen Blunt. One child is recorded: Judith Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth.

Anne Blunt is recorded as a citizen of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Recorded with the occupation botanical collector. Recorded with the occupation horse breeder.