THE SKELTONS. 13 



He had five sons, three of whom died young. His son Richard, now in 

 the service of Lord Lilford, was many years Decoy man to Mr. R. Page at 

 the Marsh House Decoy in Esse.x, and Henry is gamekeeper at Wooley 

 Park, Wantage. There was also a daughter, who married a Mr. Register, 

 and who is now Hving at Southery, near Downham Market, in Norfolk. 



Henry Skelton, the fourth son of old George, succeeded his father at 

 the Winterton Decoy. He died in 1861, aged fifty-two years, and was 

 buried near his father at Winterton. 



Old George, and equally so his four sons, were skilled in all con- 

 nected with Decoys to a degree no one has since attained, or perhaps, 

 for that matter, ever equalled in days previous. 



I will now speak of the eldest son of " Old George," who, after his 

 father's death, was always himself alluded to as " Old George Skelton." 



In 1806 "Old George" the second, with his brothers William and 

 Richard, erected the Methwold Decoy, and worked it for fifteen years. 

 He then removed to Dersingham, where, about 1818, he set up a Decoy. 

 This he worked till his death in 1857. In the meantime, however, he had 

 worked the Wormegay Decoy for a short time, and constructed one at 

 Narford Lake and another at South Acre, both for the Rev. Mr. Fountaine. 

 He also made one for Lord Bateman at Shobden, in Herefordshire, besides 

 assisting in constructing one at Hornby Castle, for the seventh Duke of 

 Leeds. In remodelling the Wretham Decoy in Norfolk for Mr. Birch he 

 caught a severe cold, from which he never recovered, and died at Dersing- 

 ham on February 14th, 1857, at the age of sixty-seven years. 



This George Skelton is described as a " very peculiar man," short of 

 stature, web-footed like a duck (see Frontispiece), very strongly built, 

 particularly kind in disposition, perfectly indifferent to cold and hardship, 

 well-informed, and unequalled in skill in the construction and management 

 of Decoys. 



With all these advantages he might have died in comfort and even 

 affluence, but unhappily late in life he gave way to a passion for drink, 

 probably engendered by the cold and hardships he underwent in his pro- 

 fession. This greatly impoverished him. A gentleman who visited him 

 on his deathbed thus described his visit to Mr. Southwell : — " The house 

 Skelton lived in stood quite alone in the marshes, no great distance from 

 the seashore, and was at that time at least two miles from any other dwell- 



