194 England's oldest hunt. 



character of the age amongst huntsmen, and when he's gone we shall 

 ne'er look upon his like again. 



Mr. John Wilson, a native of the Kirbymoorside district, 

 but now of Blackpool, sends me some interesting reminis- 

 cences alike of Jack Parker and his methods : — 



The hunt was naturally ever a great attraction to we Kirbymoorside 

 lads, and how delighted we were when we caught Jack Parker in a good 

 humour after a better day than usual with hounds. Then he would 

 take us into the kennels and show us the young hounds that promised 

 such great things. He pointed out what the good point was in that 

 hound, and wherein lay the virtue in this, for he was nothing if not a 

 hound man. The Kirby lads of that day always found the old tup — 

 of the moor sort — which was turned into the little field hard by the 

 kennels during the hunting season, most interesting. We often here 

 saw Jack teaching a hound his first, and usually his last, lesson on the 

 result of attacking sheep. It was not a long lesson, but it was a severe 

 one, and withal an effective one, for it gave the hounds to understand 

 that they must not participate in extraneous sport of this character. 

 The last time I saw poor Jack he told me he ran in the races at my 

 father's wedding, and won one of the ribbons. 



The present writer never knew Jack Parker, but he has 

 had sent him a mass of information all pointing to the 

 enthusiasm and the humour of the man. Enthusiastic he 

 pre-eminently was, for when he first commenced to carry the 

 horn, I doubt whether he would be paid for his labour and 

 expenses after he had found his horses, corn, etc. It is 

 possible to over-estimate popular characters. The virtues, 

 the lives, indeed, the personality of many men whom the 

 world, or that little world with which they are or have been 

 specially identified, creates its own heroes, and often exag- 

 gerates them. Hero-worship does not always follow upon 

 heroism or merit, often the reverse. In whatever walk of 

 life we journey we have our own heroes, and those who pose 

 as such. A new boy at school holds the bigger fellows in 

 the higher forms as heroes, accords them much respect and 

 a greater fear than he often gives his form or house-master. 

 Gradually they tumble from the pedestal, which it may be 

 they never wished to occupy, or were never aware they did 

 occupy. Leaving school, heroes are created afresh all along 

 the line. The burglar has his heroes — no doubt Bill Sikes 

 was such to the Artful Dodger — so the M.F.H. and his 



