An interesting trial. yg 



a gentleman. The only evidence given against him was that he vv^as bHnd 

 of one eye, wore leather breeches, and when he came to Stokesley market 

 dined at an ordinary with the farmers at one shilling or eighteenpence a 

 head, the best joints of beef then never being sold by the butchers at more 

 than fourpence a pound, and eggs being retailed at our market at two- 

 pence a dozen, during the season. As his worldly wealth and unblemished 

 character were freely admitted by his opponents (though they doubted 

 whether he could be said to keep a pack of hounds, as each of his tenants 

 fed a few of them, and the horn was blown to gather them together when 

 the}' had to assemble for a hunt). The counsel on behalf of G.R. declared 

 that a gentleman remained such wherever he dined. Could those wishing 

 to hold from him that title, to which his client possessed every just claim, 

 they ought to have proved, not where he dined and paid, but where he 

 dined and left without paying, then guilty of such an act as that, he would 

 have lost all right to have been considered a gentleman, they, his opponents 

 should have proved, not that he went abroad in leather breeches, but 

 without any at all, then that truly would have stamped his client as no 

 gentleman." The Sporting Gentleman of that year said, regarding the trial, 

 " A match was to be rode by gentlemen only ; but the person who won it 

 was not admitted to be a gentleman, and the amount of the sweepstakes was 

 therefore refused to him. On this the action was brought. He had a 

 verdict in his favour." 



" A New Hunting Song, made on a fox chase," written 

 1783, and included amongst the Roxburghe Ballads (and given 

 in the Badminton Library volume of verse) refers to Rowntree 

 thus : 



Rowntree, a noted old sportsman as good 

 Who brags of his Grey-tail, that choice bit of blood, 

 How at Stokesley so clever she won every race, 

 And how that she's equally famed for the chase. 



We shall have more to say of Stokesley Races later. 



I 



