Henry Holroyd, 3rd Earl of Sheffield

Born in Marylebone, London, Sheffield was the second but eldest surviving son of George Holroyd, 2nd Earl of Sheffield, and his wife the former Lady Harriet Lascelles, daughter of Henry Lascelles, 2nd Earl of Harewood. He sat as Conservative Member of Parliament for Sussex East from 1857 to 1865. In 1876 he succeeded his father in the earldom. Sheffield is best remembered as a patron of cricket. In 1891, he presented a donation of £150 to the New South Wales Cricket Association which was used to purchase a plate and establish the competition known as the Sheffield Shield, the domestic first-class cricket competition of Australia.

Lord Sheffield died in Beaulieu, France, in April 1909, aged 77. Rumoured to be homosexual,[2] he remained unmarried, and on his death the earldom became extinct. However, he was succeeded in his junior title of Baron Sheffield, which had a special remainder that allowed it to be passed through female lines, by his first cousin once removed, Edward Stanley, 4th Baron Stanley of Alderley.

• Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990
• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages
• MSN Encarta entry (Archived here; accessed 29 March 2016.)
• Profile, Cricinfo.com; accessed 29 March 2016.

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Henry Holroyd