LIFE OF FLOWER 3 



was founded in 1890, by Mr. C. H. Allen, of Hampstead, 

 a small local society for that district and Highgate, 

 having for its object the abolition, or at all events the 

 mitigated use, of the bearing-rein for draught-horses of 

 all descriptions. That body did good work in this 

 direction for many years in the north of London ; and 

 by its means the Hampstead Vestry was induced to 

 prohibit the use of the bearing-rein on the horses in its 

 employ an example subsequently followed by many 

 large coal-owners and others connected with horses. 



From this small beginning arose in 1897 the now 

 flourishing society known as the Anti-Bearing Rein 

 Association, of which, as was appropriate, Mr. Archibald 

 Flower, a grandson of Edward Fordham Flower, became 

 Co.-Hon. Secretary with Mr. Allen, while the late 

 Duke of Westminster, and the late Sir W. H. Flower 

 (the subject of this biography) respectively accepted 

 the positions of Patron and President. 



In all the obituary notices it is stated that William 

 Henry was the second son of Edward Fordham and 

 Celina Flower. This, however, as I am informed by 

 Mr. Arthur S. Flower (the eldest son of Sir William), 

 is not strictly the case. As an actual fact, the eldest 

 son of the aforesaid Edward and Celina was really 

 Richard, who died in infancy, so that Charles, who was 

 born second, grew up as the eldest son, and William 

 Henry as the second, whereas he was really the third. 



The fair-haired and blue-eyed William not being 

 intended to succeed his father in the business, was 

 permitted from his early years fortunately for zoo- 

 logical science to pursue that innate love of natural 

 history which, as we have seen, developed itself in very 



