114 ^^ Jock o' Orany 



Fairfield,' breeder and owner of racehorses, a leviathan better at 'The 

 Corner,' on a carriage top, or in ' any place set apart for that purpose;' a 

 mighty Nimrod with the Bedale and Sir Charles's, and an 'all-round ' man 

 as far as any sport was concerned. That life, with all its curious and often 

 misdirected activities, was closed at five p.m. on Tuesday last (last week 

 of January, i86g). The doctors were anxious that he should winter abroad, 

 but, when they were fain to confess the sad truth that there was no hope, 

 Mr. Jackson calmly determined to await the end in his own home at 

 Fairfield, and among his own kindred, and, for months, he had worn away 

 imperceptibly, like snow in a thaw. He had had only been downstairs 



once since his last sale The funeral is fixed for Tuesday next, at 



Catterick, the scene of his early life, where his brother still farms the 

 paternal acres." 



There is, in the churchyard at Catterick, a red Aberdeen 

 granite monument on a freestone base to his memory, bearing 

 the following cold and bare inscription : 



In memory of John Jackson, 



of Fairfield, 



Who died January 26, 1869, 



Aged 41. 



Before quoting from Mr. Parrington's journal, which he 

 has very generously placed at my disposal, I must acknowledge 

 my great indebtedness to him for so kindly giving me inform- 

 ation regarding early days and early doings in connection with 

 sport in the North Countree. Mr. Parrington is as keen a 

 sportsman to-day, in his 95 th year, as he was when he consented 

 to help Mr. Thomas Wilkinson with the Hurworth, over half a 

 century ago. His memory is as clear as ever it was and he can, 

 without hesitation, quote the day of the month and the year, as 

 well as almost every point made by foxes in the course of the 

 great hunts enjoyed by him in many countries. He tells us 

 how, in his day, the question asked when homeward bound from 

 hunting was not "how many have you killed?" but " have you 

 had a find?" and is of the opinion that not only were foxes 



