Lord of Welbourn Hall

In 1840, John (Johnny) Peyton Dulany de Butts, at the age of 3, became the lord of the manor of Welbourn Hall, in Lincolnshire, England. The heir-at-law of his great-grandaunt, Millicent Welby Ridghill of Welbourn Hall, he inherited a substantial estate. Still a minor, his affairs were managed by his grandfather, guardian, and namesake, John Peyton Dulany, from the family's home in Middleburg, Virginia, called "Welbourne," named in honor of the senior John's wife, Mary Ann Welby de Butts who was born at Welbourn Hall in Lincolnshire.

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The half-Arabian stallion called "Blueskin," the gray horse ridden by George Washington during the American Revolutionary War, and the horse most featured in paintings of Washington, was a gift from Ben and Elizabeth Dulany. At the end of the war, Washington returned Blueskin to Elizabeth with his thanks, noting he wished the horse appeared like she'd remembered, "Marks of antiquity have supplied the place of those beauties with which this horse abounded—in his better days." 

Blueskin was the start of the family's indelible link to equestrianism. In 1853, John Peyton Dulany de Butts' uncle, Colonel Richard Henry Dulany of Welbourne in Middleburg, Virginia, founded the Upperville Colt & Horse Show. It is the oldest horse show in America. Colonel Dulany created the annual event to showcase and improve local breeding stock in Northern Virginia. Colonel Dulany continued to run the show until his death in 1906. The show has occupied the same scenic spot since its inception 171 years ago; under the shady oak trees of Grafton Farm, near Upperville, Virginia. 

Today, the Upperville Colt & Horse Show has a top AA rating and is considered one of the most prestigious horse shows in the United States. It spans seven days and showcases over two thousand horse and rider combinations. It has been named the "Horse Show of the Year" by the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame and the Virginia Horse Show Association. The prize list includes classes in breeding, hunters, and jumpers, and entries range from local children to leading Olympic and Show Jumping World Cup horses and riders.

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On 27 April 1861, Johnny deButts (John Dulany's grandson, aka John Peyton Dulany deButts, Esq.) enlisted in the 1st Virginia Cavalry, serving under his first cousin, Col. Richard Welby Carter, commander of Company H.  According to historian and author Eric W. Buckland in his book "Of Mosby Best Beware" (2023), deButts was one of 35 men of that regiment who made the famous charge near the Henry House at the First Battle of Manassas (Bull Run), in which 8 men were killed and the majority wounded.  deButts had his pistol shot out of his hand taking a finger with it. 

Later, in February 1863, deButts transferred to the 43rd Virginia Cavalry Battalion, better known as Mosby's Rangers.  During his time as one of Mosby's men, deButts took part in several notable raids against Union forces in Virginia. However, one of the more chicane events took place one evening in February 1864, when deButts was nearly captured at Welbourne by the federal cavalry. He was hidden in a feather bed beneath three of his younger cousins who appeared to be sleeping contentedly when the Union soldiers conducted their search looking for Mosby and his men. 

On 29 April 1864, a detail of Mosby's Rangers stopped at Pickett's Public House, which stood to the right of the courthouse in Leesburg. When the 2nd Massachusetts Cavalry rode in from behind, the Rangers fled, but only three escaped.  deButts tried to shoot his way to his horse but was shot in the chest and captured.  He was taken to Fort Delaware, located on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River, where he spent the following 11 months, a prisoner of war.

Johnny deButts, a scion of the landed gentry and lord of the manor at Welbourn Hall in Lincolnshire, England, holds the singular distinction of being the only known combatant of the American Civil War to also belong to the British aristocracy. 

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