BIRDS SHOT BY THE REV. FRANCIS GISBORNE. 195 



15. 2 Crows, 18 Sparrs. •*" 



16. I Snpe. 



17. 3 Pars. 



18. A Raven'"''' flying up hill shot dead and wing 



broke. 69 yards with very Short Gun.<"5) 



Weighed 2 lb. 13 oz., Length 2 ft., Breadth 3 ft. 

 9 inches., 3 Snpes. 



21. I Wat. Hen. 



22. I Sparr. 

 24. I Rook, 3 Pars., I Lapwg. hit by Genl. G. 



I Sparr. 



8 Pars., i with Genl. G. 



9 Pars., i do. with Mr. Carver.'"'^' 

 4 Pars., I do. with Genl. G. 

 I Wat. Hen. 



Colonel of the 1 6th Foot, and also held the important post of Quarter- 

 Master General of Ireland. In 1771 he was gazetted as Major-General, and in 

 1772, apparently, he came to reside at Staveley Hall. The following inscription 

 is to be found on a tablet to his memory in the tower of Staveley Church : — 

 " Within the rails is interred the body of /antes Gisborne, the eldest stirviving 

 son of the late Revd. fames Gisborne, a nieviber of the Irish Hottse of CoDimons, 

 Lieut. -General, and Governor of Charlemont, in Ireland. He married Mary 

 Ann Boyd, Daughter and Co- Heiress of C has. Boyd, Esqre., of the kingdom oj 

 Ireland, by ivhom he left issue one son and three daughters. He sustained for 

 more tlian 20 years the attack of a cruel distemper ivith the utmost fortitude and 

 resignation, which at last put a period to his life, to the sincere regret of all his 

 friends, on the 20 of Feb., 1778, in the $6th year of his age." 



'••3) fS Sparrs (Passer Domesticus). — These amusing, yet at times mischievous 

 birds, were evidently more numerous at Staveley in those days than now. In 

 the Churchwarden's account dated 1770-1, there appears the following item : 

 Paid for sparroivs at various times, 8j. ^d. ; and again, 1773, for 5 doz. 

 sparrows, \s. 3(/." 



(44) A Raven (Corvus Corax). — I need hardly say that this bird is no longer 

 to be found in the neighbourhood, and is doubtless becoming more scarce every 

 year in England. Possibly this was one of the Ashover birds which Glover 

 tells us in his day (1829) built annually in a rock called Raven Tor. The 

 Editor informs me that Will De Burg Jessop, Esq., of Overton Hall (close by 

 Ravensnest, the ancient haunt of these birds), is endeavouring to reintroduce 

 the raven to its old locality in the cliffs overlooking the Ashover vale. 



45) Very short gun. — The following extract from the first vol. of the 

 old Sporting Magazine (p. 33), may perhaps enlighten us as to the meaning of 

 these words. Under general instructions for shooting, the writer proceeds as 

 follows : — " And first, -uith respect to his piece, it is necessary for any gentle- 

 man who sports much to have two guns : the barrel of one about two feet nine 

 inches, 7vhich will se>~i'e very ivell the beginning of the season and for ivood 

 shooting ; the other about three feet three inches or tipivards for open shooting 

 after Michaelmas ; the birds by that time are grown so shy that your shots ?nust 

 be at longer distances." 



(46) j\.fy^ Carver. — In a very old account, with no date, of the overseers of the 

 poor, I find the following entry : " For going to give Mr. Carver notice of ye 

 trial, £0 \s. od. Gave to Mr. Carver £0 los. od." Possibly he was a local 

 lawyer, although the name is more suggestive of another honourable profession. 



