CURIOUS CUSTOM. 295 



was not really a gold shoe, however, but a gilt one, that 

 had done duty on the hoof of Lord Willoughby d'Eresby's 

 favourite horse ' Clinker.' Deceived by its appearance, 

 or misled by its popular designation, some rogue stole 

 Clinker's shoe. This happened in 1846, and for twelve 

 years the pride of Oakham Hall was conspicuous by its 

 absence; but in 1858, the bailiff of the town was 

 astonished by receiving the long-missing golden shoe 

 per rail, accompanied by some humorous verses ; but 

 the thief was never discovered.' 



The most recent instance of the horse-shoe impost 

 having been levied, is reported in the daily papers for Jan- 

 uary, 1869 : — 



' Shoeing a Peer. — A short time since, Lady Louisa 

 Finch, Lord Redesdale, Mr Campbell (who were on a 

 visit to George Finch, Esq., Burley-on-the-Hill), and 

 G. H. Finch, Esq., M.P. for Rutland, paid a visit to 

 Oakham Castle to inspect the Old Norman Hall (the 

 oldest in England except Westminster Hall) and its 

 horse-shoes. This getting to the ears of the bailiff, he 

 was quickly down upon his Lordship for the honour of a 

 shoe. Lord Redesdale selected one similar to those which 

 of late have been fixed on the walls, and the new shoe 

 will shortly be added to the large number now in the 

 castle. The old manorial custom, from which this arises, 

 took place at the first erection of the castle, on the grant 

 to Walchelme de Ferrars, whose ancestors bore arms 

 seme of horse-shoes, as designative of his office of Master 

 of the Horse to the Duke of Normandy. In the early 

 Norman period of our history, grants of customs seem 



' Chambers's Journal. 



