 He scored 260 points, which would have given him a silver medal if his competition had been official.Backhouse received a Diploma of Merit for his effort in the Continental style.At their home, Sutton Court in Herefordshire, he and his wife, Sarah, continued the botanical interests of his grandfather, William Backhouse (1779–1844), and father, William Backhouse (1807–1869), and spent much time in cultivating daffodils and lilies.