76 AT THE SIGN OF THE STOCK YARD INN 



some years ago. Those who may be interested in 

 the details of how he originated his famous Dukes 

 and Duchesses are referred to these works. We will 

 therefore merely summarize. 



BATES refused to follow the crowd from the very 

 first. As a young man he had listened to the ani- 

 mated debates of the GOLLINGS, the elder BOOTH, 

 MAYNARD, MASON, and the rest as they discussed 

 at the "Black Bull" or the "King's Head" the rela- 

 tive merits of the cattle shown in the streets of 

 Yarm and Darlington; and while all were raving 

 over the great "Durham Ox" at the show of March, 

 1799, he left the throng to study quietly a heifer 

 driven in from Ketton that was descended from the 

 primal Duchess bought by CHARLES COLLING in 1784. 

 He was ever the student. He was wont to spend 

 the week-ends with COLLING or with MASON just 

 preceding the Monday market days. And while they 

 talked he went among the cattle and thought out 

 his own conclusions. 



In 1804 he was able to gratify his chief ambi- 

 tion. For the then great price for a cow of 100 

 guineas he bought from COLLING a four- year- old 

 Duchess, then in calf to Favorite, and in due course, 

 from that union, a bull called Ketton was produced. 

 This Duchess was distinguished for her mellow 



