5obn ipeel 55 



The descendants of John Peel, however, indignantly 

 deny that there is any truth in that story, or in another 

 which represents Sir Wilfrid Lawson and Mr George 

 Moore as presenting him with a testimonial in the shape 

 of a large sum of money, subscribed by his neighbours 

 to relieve his necessities. The Peels assert that their 

 grandsire was never in such pecuniary straits as to need 

 assistance of that sort. 



The stalwart old Cumberland ' statesman ' kept up his 

 hunting to the last. He was in his seventy-ninth year, 

 apparently hale and vigorous, when he had his last day 

 with hounds. But the end came suddenly and unex- 

 pectedly. His daughter, Mrs Calvert, has given the fol- 

 lowing account of the closing scene of his life : — 



' He had been at a hunt on the Bassenthwaite side 

 and came home late. He was on the dun pony, I 

 remember, when he rode to the door. My mother and I 

 were sitting up. He said he did not feel well ; he could 

 take no supper and went to bed. He could not rest, 

 however, and got up again, and was very ill before 

 morning. He grew worse and died in about a week.' 



It was on the 13th of November 1854 that the grand 

 old yeoman went ' to the happy hunting-grounds.' His 

 funeral was attended by every sportsman within twenty 

 miles. Such honour had never been paid to any 

 dalesman within living memory. And so, amid un- 

 mistakable signs of heartfelt sorrow, they buried John 

 Peel under the shadow of the tall sycamores and yews 

 in the quiet churchyard of Caldbeck. His famous pack 

 of hounds was broken up at his death, and came into 

 possession of ' that prince of mountain sportsmen,' Mr 

 John Crozier of the Riddings, master of the celebrated 

 Blencathra Hunt. Young John Peel, who was for many 



