78 Iktnas of tbe 1Rofc, IRifle, an& Gun 



Colonel's first wife, " whose maiden name cannot be 

 traced." I am able, however, partly from private 

 sources, partly from a pamphlet by a friend of the 

 Colonel's entitled " Calumny Combated," to throw some 

 light on the history of " the celebrated Mrs. Thornton " 

 who for eight years reigned as mistress at Thornville 

 Royal. 



Her name was Alicia Massingham, and she was the 

 daughter of a Norwich watchmaker. The Colonel, I 

 believe, first made her acquaintance when he was march- 

 ing with his regiment through East Anglia. His brother- 

 officer and Yorkshire neighbour Captain William Flint, 

 one of the boldest riders to hounds in England, and a 

 good all-round sportsman to boot, became at the same 

 time enamoured of Alicia's sister Amelia, and the two 

 girls left home together in company with their lovers. 



When they set up their respective establishments in 

 Yorkshire, the two sisters vied with one another in the 

 extravagant splendour of their dress and equipage, and 

 each tried to outshine the other. In beauty they were 

 pretty evenly matched, but Alicia possessed one accom- 

 plishment which enabled her to triumph over her sister 

 she was a splendid horsewoman. Good judges declared 

 that she had no equal in the saddle among the women of 

 her day. Knowing her gift, Alicia was not the sort of 

 woman to hide her light under a bushel, and as she had 

 the pick of Colonel Thornton's large stud of thorough- 

 breds, she had plenty of opportunities of displaying her 

 horsemanship. The first time she did so in public was 

 at the York August meeting of 1804, when she rode a 

 four-mile match for 1,500 guineas over the Knavesmire 



