JOHN V. HERRING 25 



short time:. According to the " Druid " {Scoii & 

 Stbn'gkt), he " had thrown aside the reins in Jack 

 Spigot's year, and fairly cast in his lot with the 

 mahl-stick." As Jack Spigot won the St. Leger 

 in 1 82 1, we may conclude that Herring spent at 

 least five or six years as coachman. He did not 

 neglect the brush during this period ; all along the 

 road he could point to inn sign-boards and coach 

 panels he had painted, and also to portraits of 

 horses in inn parlours, the work of his spare hours. 

 These works of art brought him into notice, and 

 he became known as the "artist coachman." He 

 made considerable progress during this time, for 

 we find that in the year 1818, two years before he 

 is said to have finally abandoned the box, he ex- 

 hibited the " Portrait of a Dog " at the Royal 

 Academy. In the same year he began to con- 

 tribute to the Loudon Gentleman. 



While driving" the Doncaster and Halifax coach 

 Herring married, and when he gave up " the 

 ribbons " settled for a time at Doncaster. He 

 spent eleven years here altogether, and afterwards 

 betook himself to Fulbourn, near Newmarket, 

 where he remained for three years. After leaving 

 Fulbourn he took up his abode in Camberwell to 

 study under Abraham Cooper, R.A., a circumstance 

 worth mention as reflecting the character of the 

 man. Bv this lime he had achieved success as a 



