HUBBACK. 39 



of superior quality although from poor cows they were inferior to 

 those of good ones should be conclusive proof of his good descent, 

 for if he had bad blood in him, it would, to a certainty, crop out in 

 some of his progeny. Yet, aside from his meager pedigree, Hub- 

 back had a personal history a plain, straightforward one, attested 

 by several different accounts, all agreeing in the main, and as such 

 we give it. 



John Hunter, the breeder of Hubback, was a bricklayer, and 

 lived in Hurworth. He had once been a tenant farmer, and bred 

 Short-horn cattle, which, when leaving his farm to live in Hurworth, 

 he sold all off, excepting one choice little cow, which he took with 

 him, and as he had no pasture of his own for her to graze in, she 

 run in the lanes of the town. While there she was put to George 

 " Snowdon's bull," also in Hurworth. From him the cow dropped a 

 bull calf. Soon afterwards the cow and calf were driven to Darling- 

 ton market, and there sold to a Mr. Bassnett, a timber merchant. 

 Bassnett retained the cow, but sold the calf to a blacksmith at Hornby, 

 five miles out from Darlington. The dam of the calf taking on flesh 

 readily, would not again breed, and after some months was fattened 

 and slaughtered. Growing to a useful age, the young bull, in 1783, 

 was found at six years old, in the hands of a Mr. Fawcett, living at 

 Haughton-hill, not far from Darlington. 



" Mr. Wright (a noted Short-horn breeder) says that Charles Col- 

 ling going into Darlington market weekly, used to notice some 

 excellent veal, and upon inquiry ascertained that the calves were got 

 by a bull belonging to a Mr. Fawcett of Haughton-hill. This bull, 

 then known as Fawcett's bull, and some years afterwards called Hub- 

 back, was, at the time, serving cows at a shilling each (about 22 cents). 

 Charles Colling, however, as the merits of the beast were talked 

 over between himself and others, did not appear particularly im- 

 pressed with them. But Robert Colling ano! his neighbor, Mr. Wais- 

 tell, of Ali-hill, who had also seen the bull, thought better of him, 

 and more accurately measured his value. The two, soon after Good 

 Friday, in April, 1783, bought him of Mr. Fawcett for ten guineas 

 (about $52), and took him home, where he was jointly owned and 

 used to their separate herds, Colling having seventeen and Waistell 

 eleven cows, served by him during the season. In the following 

 November (1783), Charles Colling having changed his opinion of the 

 merits of the bull, offered his owners eight guineas (about $42) for 

 him, and they sold him. Waistell had reserved, on his part of the 

 sale, that Charles should let all his cows be served to the bull as long 



