Thomas Assheton Smith (the younger) (2 August 1776 – 9 September 1858) was an English landowner and all-round sportsman who was notable for being one of the outstanding amateurcricketers of the early 19th century. He was aTory politician who sat in theHouse of Commons from 1821 to 1837. He was also known for his pioneering work on the design ofsteam yachts in conjunction with the Scottish marine engineer Robert Napier.

Thomas Assheton Smith
Thomas Assheton Smith
Member of Parliament forCaernarvonshire
In office 1832–1837
Preceded by	Charles Griffith-Wynne
Succeeded by	John Ormsby-Gore
Member of Parliament forAndover
In office 1821–1831 Serving withSir John Pollen, 2nd Baronet
Preceded by	Thomas Assheton Smith I Sir John Pollen, 2nd Baronet
Succeeded by	Henry Arthur Wallop Fellowes Ralph Etwall
Personal details
Born	(1776-08-02)2 August 1776 Westminster, London
Died	9 September 1858(1858-09-09) (aged 82) Vaynol Park, Bangor
Spouse	Matilda Webber ​ ​ (m. 1827)​
Parent(s)	Thomas Assheton Smith I Elizabeth Wynn
Residence	Tedworth House
Education	Eton College
Alma mater	Christ Church, Oxford

Smith was born in Queen Anne Street, Cavendish Square,Westminster, London. He was the second son of Elizabeth (née Wynn) Smith andThomas Assheton Smith I (1752–1828), who made his fortune in the Welsh slate industry and was a noted patron of cricket in the early years ofMarylebone Cricket Club (MCC) from the1787 English cricket season. He had five sisters and an elder brother, John, who was expelled from the family after marrying a servant, paving the way for Thomas to become his father's heir. His younger brother, William, saw action atTrafalgar onHMS Temeraire but drowned in 1806.^[1]

Smith was educated atEton between 1783 and 1794, eventually playing for the school's cricket team. He went on toChrist Church, Oxford where he joined theBullingdon Club and was a prominent member of its team in 1796.^[2]

Smith was electedMember of Parliament representingAndover in 1821 and held the seat until 1831; at the1832 general election he was elected MP forCaernarvonshire and held the seat until 1837.^[2] He wasHigh Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1838.^[3]

Smith was a hard hitting right-handed batsman and made 45 known appearances infirst-class matches up to the1820 season. His career spanned theNapoleonic Wars which had a detrimental effect on the game and so reduced his opportunities for playing.

Smith played for the Gentlemen in the inaugural and secondGentlemen v Players matches in 1806.^[4][5]

According toScores & Biographies (S&B), Smith "being a good hard hitter was pretty successful". He was also, says S&B, a "crack" shot and a "mighty hunter" who acquired the name of the "British Nimrod". In the contemporary scorecards, he is generally shown as "T A Smith, Esq." whereas his father was usually recorded as "A Smith, Esq."

From 1806 to 1816, Smith was Master of theQuorn Hunt inLeicestershire, then from 1816 to 1824 of the Burton hounds inLincolnshire. He established his pack atPenton, nearAndover, Hampshire, in 1826. In 1834 he bought many of Sir Thomas Burghley's hounds and in 1842 the whole pack of theDuke of Grafton. He hunted his hounds four days a week and sometimes had two packs out on the same day. In 1830, after the death of his father, he moved his stable and kennels toTedworth House, also in Hampshire.^[6]

Assheton Smith spent summers at hisVaynol Park estate in North Wales, on the shore of theMenai Strait and close to the family's slate quarries atDinorwic. He had several sailing yachts built, then in 1829 engaged Scottish engineer and shipbuilderRobert Napier to build the first of what would become eightsteam yachts, which were among the first vessels of their kind. Assheton Smith contributed to their design, in particular seeking an efficient hull design to maximise speed.^[1][7][8]

On 29 October 1827, Smith married Matilda Webber (d. 1859) of Berkshire. They had no children. During his ownership of the Tedworth estate, the house was rebuilt in ornate classical style.^[9][10]

Smith died atVaynol Park, Bangor, Caernarvonshire on 9 September 1858 and was buried at Tedworth, where he lived in his later years. His widow died the following year on 18 May 1859.^[2]

• Arthur Haygarth,Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744–1826), Lillywhite, 1862.
• Eardley-Wilmot, Sir John E (1893) [1859].A Famous Fox Hunter. Reminiscences of the late Thomas Assheton Smith, Esq., or The Pursuits of an English Country Gentleman (5th and cheaper ed.). London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Retrieved1 June 2020 – via Internet Archive.

• Hansard 1803–2005:contributions in Parliament by Thomas Assheton Smith II
• CricketArchive profile