Major Elwon and Dick Christian. 149 



growing iron industry on Tees-side. At one time, Major Elwon 

 was the largest producer of pig iron in this part of the world, 

 and almost up to the time of his death, in 1903, we recall him 

 coming up from Saltburn, morning by morning, to attend 

 'Change at Middlesbrough. After his marriage, he lived at 

 Redcar, in a house on the High Street (now converted into the 

 Queen's Hotel), and rented the ground opposite (in Dundas 

 Street), so that his view should not be interrupted. From here 

 then, he moved to Skutterskelfe Hall, on the decease of Mr. J. 

 Vaughan, who had leased it from Lord Falkland. Skutterskelfe 

 stands on the north bank of the river Leven, and was built in 

 1 83 1, on the site of the old home of the Bathhursts, and here 

 for fifteen years Major Elwon lived. 



Major Elwon's first huntsman proved a failure, but for his 

 second he was fortunate enough to secure the services of Dick 

 Christian, a nephew of the famous " Dick " of that ilk. He 

 was a fine fellow the Major used to tell me, but would have 

 " the bottle." He was invariably three sheets in the wind, and 

 got that he could not ride without he was primed with about a 

 bottle of whiskey. He used to say " I can ride the heads of 

 most of 'em, drunk or sober," but latterly he found it more and 

 more necessary to take jumping powder, and, I am told by one 

 who knew him well, actually got a whole bottle into him before 

 going hunting some mornings. Mr. Parrington said to me, 

 regarding Dick, " I think I never saw, in all my experience, a 

 man so perfect in taking a horse over a fence as Dick was. 

 Hands, seat, figure, head, courage — all were his, and he lost 

 none of them despite the drink he took." '* He used to say," 

 continued Mr. Parrington, " that one of the best horses he ever 

 rode was an Irish hunter I bought at the Christmas horse fair 

 at York, and sold to the Earl of Feversham, when he was 

 mastering the Bedale and I was hunting the Hurworth. Dick 



