A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



a few stakes. Another Palatinate courser is Mr. 

 Stark of Croxdale, from whose kennel several 

 useful dogs have been sent out during the last 

 twenty-five years. 



After having practically retired for some 

 twenty years, Mr. George Gregson of Warden 

 Law bred from Chillingham Rose. The litter 

 from her by Our Randy included Houghton, 

 Harton, Horden, and Hesledon, all of which have 

 been successful at various small meetings held in 

 the county. Bonnie Pit Laddie, a good runner, 

 was also bred by Mr. Gregson and sold to 

 Captain R. Scott of Alnwick. 



Since the sport has been established on a firm 

 basis, officiating judges at the meetings in the 

 district, in addition to the late Mr. James Hedley, 

 have been Messrs. Thomas Heads, B. Golds- 

 borough, James Dodd, Hector Clark, Robert 

 Huntley, and on a few occasions Mr. J. Cutter. 

 Among the officiating slippers the name of the 

 late Torn Raper, the famous Waterloo slipper, 

 stands out in great prominence. Although not 

 a Durham man by birth, Raper followed his 

 profession with unequalled ability in this county 

 for many seasons. Later slippers were George 

 Gowland, now retired, and the present Tom 

 Sutton. At the long defunct Darlington Club, the 

 slipping was for many seasons in the hands of that 

 grand all-round sportsman Mr. Thomas Watson, 

 who when he went out with his wonderful pack 

 of harriers often ran 50 miles a day. Darlington 

 was once a stronghold of the sport ; but whereas 

 dozens of greyhounds were kept in the district 

 some thirty years ago when Mr. Torn Watson 

 was the leading spirit there are but few to call 

 upon at the present day. For a long period of 

 years the veteran Mr. George Buckle of Etherley 

 has been a good supporter of the sport, the best 

 of his greyhounds being perhaps Schoolgirl II 

 and the useful Giddy Girl II, both winners of 

 minor events in the county. 



Within the last three decades the names of 

 Mr. G. F. Fawcett and the late Mr. C. J. 

 Fawcett are writ large in the history of Coursing. 

 Up to the time of Mr. C. J. Fawcett's death in 

 1906 the brothers ran most of their greyhounds 

 as partners, but since the latter passed away Mr. 

 G. F. Fawcett on his own behalf has maintained 

 the largest kennel ever owned by an individual 

 courser. The county is proud to claim these 

 honoured descendants of an ancient Durham 

 family as supporters of coursing. For a few 

 years they bred and reared extensively on their 

 estate at Lanchester, and for several seasons the 

 worst of ill-fortune attended their early efforts to 

 send out winners. Their names were synony- 

 mous with failure for a weary period. Men of 

 less grit would have been tempted to retire from 

 the fray. It was not until the kennel was 

 removed from Lanchester to Saughall in Cheshire 

 that the horizon brightened and that success at 

 last rewarded their perseverance and indifference 



to defeat. Henceforth the story of the Fawcett 

 kennel belongs rather to Cheshire than to our own 

 county. We cannot here make more than bare 

 mention of the names of the famous blue bitch 

 Faster and Faster, runner up for the Waterloo 

 Cup in Fullerton's third year, 1891 ; of Fabu- 

 lous Fortune, the Waterloo winner in 1896 ; 

 of the magnificent Fearless Footstep, winner of 

 the Waterloo cups in 1900 and 1901 ; of Farn- 

 don Ferry, which won the cup' in 1 902 ; and of 

 the great Father Flint, the winner in 1903. But 

 in the doings of these greyhounds, and of others 

 almost as famous, that have been bred and trained 

 in the breezy Bewcastle moors, Durham sports- 

 men may well take a legitimate pride. 



The county of Durham is further indirectly 

 associated with Waterloo honours, as Mr. Thomas 

 Holmes of Jarrow-on-Tyne owned Gallant by 

 Young Fullerton Sally Milburn the winner of 

 1897. Gallant's victory was never anticipated 

 by the public at large, though to his owner and to 

 his breeder and trainer, the late Mr. Thomas 

 Graham of Stonerigg, the dog was much ' ex- 

 pected ' after his home trial with Under the Globe. 

 They won a nice stake over Young Fullerton's 

 son, ^17,000 being netted, it is said, and that 

 invested at the remunerative odds of 50 to i, 

 a price which was obtainable through the dog 

 having been beaten hollow the preceding 

 October in a minor stake at the Border Union 

 Meeting. Mr. Holmes has not only gained 

 renown on the coursing field but also on the 

 turf, having owned such good winners as 

 Harriet Laws, Lawminster, Lauriscope and 

 others during a long lifetime. 



Mr. J. E. Neale of Durham has been a liberal 

 supporter of the sport ; but as yet has hardly got 

 his due meed of success. His best greyhound, 

 no doubt, was North Road (late Langton II) 

 which he bought of Mr. Allgood, of Titlington, 

 Alnwick, for ^30. This dog did a great per- 

 formance at Ripon meeting when he won the 

 32 for all ages. In his way to the end of the 

 stake he dismissed representations of the formid- 

 able kennels upheld by Messrs. Fawcett, Colonel 

 North, Mr. Pilkington, and Mr. Allgood, his 

 original owner. 



For many seasons old Mr. Kent promoted 

 meetings at Aycliffe. He was wont to drive the 

 hares from two plantations into a field, the 

 plantations and running field being wired in so as 

 to prevent game escaping. It is asserted that he 

 had one hare only for one of his meetings which 

 lasted two days, the result being one decided 

 course only. The old fellow had an eye for 

 'Number One,' for he provided a liquor booth on 

 the field which went by the name of ' Jumbo.' 

 After each course he reminded his patrons of its 

 existence and, ' Noo, we' gang and see Jumbo 

 agyen,' was his appeal between almost every 

 trial. 



Out in the west part of the county small 



408 



