AND STIRLINGSHIRE HUNT 



was huntsman to the Lothians pack for eight ; 

 and subsequently huntsman or kennel -huntsman 

 to the Linlithgow and Stirlingshire for nine. On 

 leaving the Linlithgow and Stirlingshire as he 

 did now (1887), he took a small house at Cor- 

 storphine not far from Golfhall, but later went 

 to live at Portobello, where he died on the 5th 

 of February 1898, aged sixty-eight. 



"The grave has this week closed over one of 

 the keenest sportsmen, one of the cleverest hunts- 

 men, one of the best and most reliable of servants 

 who ever blew a horn or holloaed his hounds on 

 to a line. A worthy successor of Will Williamson, 

 Tom Rintoul, and Joe Hogg,^ John Atkinson 

 showed sport equal to anything recorded of their 

 palmiest days. Always cheery, except at the 

 close of a blank day, it gave an additional zest 

 to the pleasures of the chase to find him in the 

 field. There was a vein of humour in his tempera- 

 ment which enabled him to face such difficulties 

 as he encountered in the happiest spirit, and 

 always with that twinkle in his eye so familiar 

 to his friends. . . . Atkinson leaves behind him 

 his devoted wife, whose pleasant greeting on re- 

 turn from hunting will ever be remembered by 

 the members of the Lothian Hunt, who, in those 

 good old days, experienced her hospitality. It 

 may be but poor consolation to her in her widow- 

 hood, but all of us who knew John so well, ad- 

 mired him so much, respected him so thoroughly, 



^ Lord Wemyss' huntsman in East Lothian. 



271 



