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nettled at a remark of that gallant officer's to the effect that the North had^ 

 never produced a great fighter yet, and that the South was the true nursery 

 of British boxers. " I'll lay you a level thousand, Major," said the Squire,. 

 *' that we in Cheshire will find a man withiu three months who'll thrash your 

 coachman." The Major promptly accepted the bet, feeling sure that in a 

 match of this sort he should recoup himself for his losses over the cocking. 

 Several other Cheshire gentlemen present backed up the Squire of Lyme 

 Hall, Mr. Egerton, of Tatton Hall, to wit, INIr. Thomas Cholraondeley, of 

 Vale Royal Abbey, and young Sir Oswald Moseley, of Bolesworth Castle.. 

 The terms of the wager were that the Cheshire gentlemen were, within three 

 months, to produce a man who should thrash Major Wheble's coachman^ 

 Harry Flowers, the prize for the combatants to be two hundred guineas.. 

 The Wiltshire gentleman and his friends were so confident of success that 

 they betted heavily, and many thousands of pounds were laid on the event. 

 In due course Major Wheble returned home, and within a week of his return 

 he received a letter from Squire Legh, informing him that they had found 

 their man ; that his name was William Keate, and that he would be ready 

 to tight Flowers six weeks from that date. 



And here let us say a word or two about this Cheshire worthy whom 

 Squire Legh and his friends had unearthed. The man was an iron- worker 

 by trade, and had been picked up first at Nantwich by INIr. Peter Legh, of 

 Booth Hall, who had seen him thrash a big salt-miner there. He was a 

 powerful young fellow, over twelve stone in weight, and had a slashing style 

 of hitting, which attracted Mr. Legh's attention. It subsequently transpired 

 that this Keate was a well-known man in that part of the county, and had 

 fought many battles with unvarying success. But outside Cheshire he was 

 unknown. Such was the man, then, upon whom the Cheshire squires relied 

 to win them their money against their Wiltshire rivals. The battle was to 

 take place at Major Wheble's park, at Bulmershe Court, near Reading, on 

 Saturday, the 7th of July, to suit those Cheshire sportsmen who were coming 

 up to London for Goodwood. The news had spread far and wide over Berks 

 and Wilts that Harry Flowers, of Dunsden, was to fight the Champion of 

 Cheshire, and there was great local excitement over the event. Major 

 Wheble had offered the hospitality of Bulmershe Court to a number of. 

 Cheshire sportsmen, among them the Earl of Grosvenor, who was as fond of 

 prizefighting as W'illiam Windham himself; Lord Penrhyn, of Winnington 

 Hall; Mr. Peter Legh, of Booth Hall, and his brother, Tom Legh, of Lyme 

 Hall ; young Sir Oswald Moseley, and Mr. Egerton, of Tatton. The inns at 

 Reading were full of visitors from various outlying parts of Wilts and Berks, 

 and even from London, forty miles away, and much grumbling there was at 

 the accommodation. For the Reading of 1809 was a very different place from 

 the Reading of 1890. It was then one of the dirtiest, the worst lighted, and- 

 the v/orst paved towns in England. Of course, many of the country people 

 drove straight from their own residences to the field of battle. Sir Francis 

 Sykes had tooled over his dashing four-in-hand from Basildon, and had 

 brought with him Mr. Richard Benyan, of Englefield ; Mr. Charles Fyshe 

 Palmer, of Luckley House ; and Squire Brummell, of Dorington Grove. Tlie 

 Marquis of Blandford, too, had driven his drag over from W^hite Knight's, 

 and so had Viscount Folkestone (Lord Radnor's eldest son) from Coleshill 

 House. Charles Dalbiac, of Hungerford Park ; Lord Craven from Benhanx 



