24 Life and Times of " The Druid? 



Let us turn to more modern times. There 

 are few racing men in whom " The Druid" 

 would have taken more interest than in Cap- 

 tain James Octavius Machell. It is well 

 known that a painting of Crackenthorpe in 

 Westmoreland, " rebuilt by Hugh Machell, 

 1629, sold by Launcelot Machell, 1786, and 

 re-purchased by James Machell, 1877," hangs 

 upon the wall of Captain Machell's study at 

 Bedford Cottage, Newmarket. It may not 

 be out of place to give briefly the history of 

 the Machell family, extracted from the work 

 from which I have already quoted, merely 

 adding that the above-mentioned Launcelot 

 Machell was the father of two sons, Hugh 

 and Thomas, the younger of whom was one 

 of the most famous antiquaries that the 

 county of Westmoreland ever produced. 



" Crackenthorpe Hall. 



" This mansion lies two miles to the north 

 of Appleby, charmingly situated on a fertile 

 river-holme on the east side of the river 

 Eden. The only remnant of the old manor 

 house is the kitchen and back part of the 



