LIVERPOOL 83 



uncle, and to him he was sent to learn stable work and 

 a certain amount of reading and writing, while in 1828 

 Olliver made his first appearance over the home course 

 in a cap and jacket on Lord Mount Charles's Cornet, 

 winning his maiden race run at the same meeting for 

 General Grosvenor, in heats, on Icarus. Page unluckily- 

 failed ere long, and then Tom, having nothing better to 

 do, took service with some one in Ireland where poverty 

 again reigned supreme, and the unlucky Olliver had once 

 more to run for it. He had great difficulty in collecting 

 enough money to bring him back to England, and on 

 landing at Liverpool had no more than a few pence in 

 his pocket, so, in order to keep body and soul together, 

 he went to Farrell, the dealer, as roughrider, leaving him 

 after a short time to go to Mr. Tyrwhitt Jones, who 

 soon failed, and Tom Olliver had once more the world 

 before him. 



At that time the gentleman jockey question was one 

 of the scandals of steeplechasing. What constituted a 

 gentleman rider beyond the assumption of the title it is 

 impossible to say. At any rate Tom at this stage set up 

 as a gentleman jockey, and being a fine, resolute, if not 

 over elegant, horseman, soon had plenty of mounts. 

 His first ride over a country was at Finchley in the 

 spring of 1837, when he rode Mr. Walker's Columbine, 

 Jem Mason winning on Wing. In the winter of the 

 year he managed to turn the tables on Mason at St. 

 Albans, where Tom, on The Performer, was first, and 

 Mason, on Lottery, second. Captain Becher, Bill Bean, 

 Dan Seffert, and Barker also riding in the race, so this 

 must be regarded as a good performance on Olliver's 

 part, and it quite established him among the band of 

 foremost steeplechase riders, and he maintained his 

 reputation by winning, in the spring of 1838, the Dun- 

 church Steeplechase, beating Jem Mason on The Nun, 

 and Mr. Powell on Warwick, while in 1839, as above 



