86 AT THE SIGN OF THE STOCK YARD INN 



for honors. GEORGE DREWRY, for long years after- 

 wards herd manager for His Grace the DUKE OF 

 DEVONSHIRE at Holker Hall, writing of these Oxford 

 winners after the lapse of fifty years, said: "The 

 two things that I remember best at Oxford were 

 the Duke of Northumberland and Duchess 43d. 

 These I still think were the best two Shorthorns 

 that I ever saw." 



The sage of Kirklevington had now reached the 

 age of three score years and five, and having vindi- 

 cated, as he believed, the correctness of his prac- 

 tices, was not disposed to enter regularly in the 

 showyard battles of the time. The BOOTHS were 

 the ruling power at the ringside of those days, with 

 cattle of tremendous substance and wealth of flesh, 

 but lacking the elegance and dairy propensity of 

 Mr. BATES' stock. JOHN BOOTH of Killerby bantered 

 BATES upon one occasion upon his lack of courage 

 in not entering regularly the lists, and challenged 

 him to show a cow at the Royal of 1842, held at 

 the beautiful and ancient Yorkshire capital. This 

 was accepted, and the broken-legged Duchess 34th, 

 mother of the Duke of Northumberland, was driven 

 across country nearly forty miles to meet the re- 

 nowned Necklace. Although ten years old and taken 

 direct from pasture, she turned the trick. Many of 



