AND TIMES OF JOHN OSBORNE 3 



" fifties " and " sixties." The mere mention of the name 

 caused one of the " locals " to overflow with memories 

 of that eccentric but kind-hearted nobleman. 



" Naa, naa, Lord Glasgow when he cum to 

 Middleham wad never enter onybody's hoose at all. 

 Why, he used to drive frae Northallerton to Middleham 

 fower-in-hand often eneugh. He used to waak up an' 

 doon in front o' the hotel heer, sweerin' like a trooper, 

 and threetening to blaw oot the brains o' the coachman 

 if he didn't drive like blazes back to Northallerton.. 

 He alius cum heer to tick o' the clock, ay, an' started 

 back agyen by 't. A reel queer 'un were Lord Glasgow 

 at shootin'. Lie had mony a shootin' day amang his 

 yearlin's. At end o' his time he used to breed 'em as 

 big as camels — far ower big to race. V\^hen he fund 

 they cudden't gan fast eneugh, he wad hev a shootin' 

 day amang 'em. Lord Glasgow ! he were a funny 'un ! 

 Whv, man, he had everv trainer in Middleham in his 

 time, and fell oot wi' 'em almost every month in the 

 year. Ay, theer's been lots o' ' swells ' here in my 

 time. They've all stayed in ' The Swan,' in days of 

 John Fobert, Tom Dawson, and old John Osborne. 

 There was Lord Eghnton, Lord Glasgow, Hamsay o' 

 Barnton, a grand sort; Sir Robert Jardine, before he 

 were Sir Robert — then plain Mister Jardine; lots o' 

 them sort stopped here. But Lord Glasgow w^ere a real 

 queer 'un. He wad never gan into the hooses o' any o' 

 his trainers. He always paced backward and forrard 

 ootside ' The Swan,' scrattin' back o' his head." 



In brief, the above high-class intelligence fonned 

 the introduction to Middleham society. Supplemen- 

 tary tales were volunteered about " The Tub-thumper," 

 " Paddy " Drislane, and Fred Bates, of whom more anon. 

 Of the old Middleham jockey. Tommy Lye — the proto- 



