1773 THE MISTERS 113 



the great ' Fathers of the Turf.' It would seem 

 that Coxe Hippisley and Hippisley Coxe are at least 

 as identical as a horse-chestnut and a chestnut horse, 

 if J. Coxe Hippisley, member for Sudbury at one 

 time, was one of them. 



Mr. CROFT (or CROFTS, for the name is spelt both 

 ways, according to the loose orthography of the day), 

 whose membership is established by reference to the 

 runners for the Jockey Club Plates of 1756 and 1768, 

 in which years he ran second with Brilliant and Cato 

 (by Eegulus) to the Duke of Ancaster, must have 

 been William Croft (or Crofts), Esq., of West Harling, 

 Norfolk, who died in 1770. He is a very notable 

 member of the Jockey Club, not only as an owner 

 and breeder of horses, but as the reputed ' coach ' 

 upon the Turf of the celebrated Sir T. C. Bunbury, 

 whose neighbour he was, so far as Norfolk and 

 Suffolk are neighbouring counties. He is sometimes 

 confounded with the still more famous Northern 

 light, Mr. John Croft (or Crofts) of Barforth, York- 

 shire, of Bloody Buttocks notoriety, proprietor of the 

 famous Vintner mare of unknown pedigree ; but Mr. 

 Croft (or Crofts), of Barforth, cannot be found among 

 the members of the Jockey Club, even if he survived 

 into the days of the Club. 



Mr. DUNCOMBE, who ran for a Jockey Club Plate 

 (won by the Duke of Ancaster's Myrtle) in 1755, and, 

 being a great ' gentleman-jockey,' had figured in a 

 match (owners up) at York in 1745 against Lord 



