96 The Horse-breeding Industry in Yorkshire. 



and to liis two trotter sires Pretende)- and Performer^ which has 

 become classical as an item of okl Hacknej' lore. The stallions 

 referred to are Wroot's Pretender, a black, bought by Ramsdale 

 from a Lincolnshire breeder in 1807, and his son, Ramsdale's 

 Performer, foaled in 1810, and dai'k brown in colour. Another 

 excellent horse he had from Norfolk about 1838 was 

 Moan or Norfidk Phenomenon (Bond's) who sired some 

 useful stock in East Yorkshire in the forties, and eventually 

 was sold to go to Scotland. Bob Ramsdale's son, Philip, was 

 also closely connected with the breed, and helped to establish 

 it, owning a number of good sires. In this way the Market 

 Weighton and Pocklington districts became an important 

 stronghold of the Yorkshire Hackney, and so they have ever 

 since remained, its principal breeding centre extending thence 

 eastwards over the Wold country, Garton-on-the-Wolds and 

 Driffield way ; southwards down to Hull, and including 

 Holderness. Some of the most noted and fashionable blood- 

 lines of the Hackney breed have originated in these parts. 



The three leading sires which in modern times have played 

 the chief part in the development of the Yorkshire Hackneys 

 were the noted Triffit's Fireaway ; the still more famous 

 Denmark ; and Lord Derby II. Practically all the best strains 

 of the present day trace their ancestry back to these foundation 

 stallions which will ever stand out conspicuously in the history 

 of the breed. A prominent Hackney breeder of his day, Philip 

 Triffit, of Holme, Pocklington, bred Fireaway in 1859. He 

 was a very stout and sound horse, standing 15i hands high, 

 and sired a lot of good stock, usually distinguished for their 

 stoutness. He lived to be over thirty years of age. While 

 Fireaivay was far and away the best sire he owned, Triffit, 

 had also, besides some others, two useful stallions in the black 

 Sir Edwin Landseer and the dark brown Landsecr, both being 

 sons of old Fireaway. Denwark, one of the best Hackney 

 sires ever seen, perhaps the best iiT^modern times, was bred in 

 1862 by William Rickell, of Warter, in the Pocklington district. 

 His sire was Sir Charles (Beal's). He was subsequently 

 owned by George Bourdass, of Hunmanby, who later on also 

 became the owner of his celebrated son, Danegelt, foaled 1879, 

 the latter having been bred by Francis Rickell, a brother of 

 William, who also had a stud near Pocklington, and was a very 

 successful breeder. Already earlier, in 1858, he had bred 

 St. Giles (Rickell's), another foundation stallion of great note to 

 whom some of the old Yorkshire strains go back. This old 

 established stud, which formed one of the connecting links 

 with the past, was finally dispersed in 1887. After having got 

 good stock in his native county, Danegelt was subsequently 

 sold by Mr. Bourdass for the big price of 5,000/. to Sir Walter 



