315 



House, and many others had ridden to the rendezvous. Wiltshire, too, had' 

 sent out a strong contingent. Sir Henry Daryell, Master of the South Wilts 

 Hounds ; Mr. Barnard Dickenson, of Bovvden Park ; Lord Ailesbury from 

 Savernake ; Mr. Paul Methuen, of Corsham House, one of the most liberal 

 and enthusiastic patrons of the Prize Ring then living ; General Popham, 

 Sir George Dashwood, Captain Unwin Smith, young Fulwar Craven, the 

 Squire of Chilton, who had not yet attained his majority, and other good 

 sportsmen and true. 



The spacious park encircling the mansion of Bulmershe Court presented a 

 lively scene of bustle and activity on the morning of Saturday, July 7, 1809.* 

 From an early hour in the morning vehicles of all descriptions and pedes- 

 trians by hundreds had been making their way towards the scene of battle. 

 As many guests as the Major's house would hold had been accommodated 

 within its hospitable walls on the previous night, and every spare bed in the 

 little neighbouring village of Earley had been tenanted by ardent sportsmen, 

 who had come from thirty miles and more away. From Eeading crowds of 

 foot people and carriage folk of every degree were flocking towards Bulmershe 

 Court before the clock of St. Mary's had chimed six. For his aristocratic 

 visitors, who must have numbered upwards of a hundred, the genial master 

 of Bulmershe Court had prepared a hearty breakfast such as country squires 

 of the good old times loved to do justice to— mighty joints of beef, and chines 

 of pork, and towers of brawn and vast veal pasties, washed down by the 

 famous Kennet ale. After breakfast the lawn in front of the house presented 

 almost as gay an appearance as when the meet of the season was there. The 

 hunting scarlet, of course, was absent, but there was plenty of variety in the- 

 colours of the gentlemen's coats. Nor were the fair sex unrepresented. Even' 

 if they did not propose to witness the fight, the dames of the country squires- 

 saw no harm in accompanying their husbands to a jolly sporting gathering, 

 where they could meet the wives of their neighbours and gossip over the 

 matters that interest matrons. In the park below the crowd was less select, 

 but quite as jolly. It was a glorious July morning, and everyone was in the 

 best of humours. Half-past ten was the time fixed for the fight, in order 

 that it might be over before the sun reached its meridian height and heat, 

 and long before that time the Ring, which had been carefully formed by Bill 

 Gibbons and old Joe Ward, specially retained from London for that purpose, 

 was surrounded by a dense crowd, which could not liave numbered less than, 

 three thousand persons. A wooden stand had been erected for Major Wheble 

 and his friends, whilst a circle of a score or more of wag;4ons offered excellent 

 views of the ring to those who were willing to pay a shilling or two for sitting 

 or standing room. Keate had come up from Cheshire on the previous 

 Wednesday in company with his trainer, Isaac Bittoon, whom Lord. 

 Grosvenor had paid to come down and look after him. During the interval 

 the pair of them had put up at a neighbouring farmhouse, where Major 

 Wheble had procured them rooms. Flowers, of course, was under his 

 master's eye at Bulmershe Court. 



When at last the two champions appeared on the wooden stage which had 

 been erected— for the Major was a stickler for the old style— there was 

 tremendous excitement. Flowers, of course, as the local champion, received 



* *' Fistiana " gives 7th July, 1810, as date of this fight. 



