196 England's oldest hunt. 



lacked knowledge of the outside world, and, as he himself 

 put it " t'gahin's on o' t'quality." Miss Katherine Dun- 

 combe says : — 



The reputation he enjoyed of being a character was never more 

 well deserved. He could neither read nor write. Yet, in spite, or 

 perhaps because of, the want of education, he possessed an excellent 

 memory. He was besides, quick-witted and gifted with a keen sense of 

 humour. Many of his quaint sayings are well remembered by those 

 who knew him. 



I have selected a few from the plethora of stories, some 

 of which I have from time to time heard whilst in the Sinning- 

 ton country, and have had sent to me, whilst from contem- 

 porary writers I have stolen one or two. All these have 

 been chosen not so much with regard to the value of the 

 anecdotes, as with a view to giving an insight into the char- 

 acter of the man. They tell not only of his enthusiasm, his 

 keen sense of humour, but also of his absolute hatred of any- 

 thing which was small and lacked the robustness which is 

 signally a trait of the Tyke. It was his enthusiasm, men- 

 tioned at the outset more than his wit which earned for him 

 the position he occupied in North Yorkshire during his 

 life-time, and in which his memory is still held to-day. 



Jack Parker was the son of a farmer at Welburn, where 

 the name of his family is found in the parish register during 

 decade after decade, telling of weddings, births and deaths 

 in Kirkdale Church. Indeed, the Parkers tilled land there 

 till the Shaws bought the Welburn estate. I have already 

 told the story of how he filled the office of huntsman in a case 

 of emergency when Jack Clark (of whom Mr. William 

 Kendall, I am told, thought a great deal) broke his arm during 

 the course of a run. Jack Clark finished his days as hound 

 gatherer ; .fchat is to say, collecting the hounds which were 

 kept by individual farmers at a distance, and bringing them 

 to the buildings which did duty as kennels at Kirbymoorside. 

 Lockey Clark followed his father in this position. The 

 huntsmanship of this little trencher-fed pack was at this 

 time more or less an honorary one. Once the salary only totall- 

 ed £15 for the season. The huntsman found his own horse or 

 horses, had little or no assistance in kennel, rarely, if ever, 



