Yorkshire Trotting Conversation. 249 



the size of Yorkshire roadsters, by introducing Roan 

 Phenomenon.* 



We are now in the great Vale of York, to which 

 Mr. Bancroft could find no parallel save the plain of 

 Lombardy. It comprises every kind of soil, from stiff 



* The following is a specimen of a Yorkshire trotting conversation 

 which we had with a noted Market Weighton character: "Ourauld 

 black horse was first horse we had — our auld bay mare was dam of her 

 as bred Merrylegs, and all of them good 'uns. That first chestnut horse 

 we selt him to Catlin. That Howden Show week he trotted two miles 

 in 5 min. 20 sec. on York and Hull Road. That was bay hoss as Duke 

 of Gordon got, as had the match — he trots his first eight miles in 

 33 minutes. They said, ' he'll loss the match.' I says, ' he weant — 

 touch him over shoolder, Bill. ' Little Bill, they called him, rode black 

 mare the hundred miles in nh. 48 min. She had 13I1. 15 min. to do 

 it in. She was only three that spring — if we had only roped her in that 

 hundred miles we'd have brokken all Weighton. The bay horse I sold 

 to the Duke of Gordon was the worst horse to get up a hill — he didn't 

 pull, he met the hill. I never tell noe man in England yet what the 

 Duke of Gordon gave me, and I never will. Creeper was mighty fast, 

 but an uneven tempered horse, nae style aboot him : T'auld mare was 

 tremendous fast ; some days beat owt in the world — some days we 

 could mak' nowt of her. When she was 22 years old, she carried little 

 Bill 2 miles 200 yards in 5 min. 16 sees., with a flying start. I knew 

 when I went into the stable i't morning whether she meant trotting or 

 not. If she was in one of her tantrums she would rear up, and squat 

 on the ground. She had a way of whisking her tail round if she didn't 

 want to act. 



" I once ploughed a yacre of ground with her, and then trotted 

 16 miles to Beverley races and back. T'auld bay meer come of a black 

 meer by Harrison's Sportsman, gitten with syke a horse as come of 

 Jerry Boughton — little bit of fash down the legs, but go for yae summer 

 day after another. They lived like racehorses — there never were noe mair 

 syke. We had Merrylegs, and good job if we'd never had him. We 

 selt him for 630/. to Squire Dennison. Black Fireaway he was half- 

 bred— black and blood. Old Pretender, a black, he was very bloodlike 

 — I doubt if there was a better— fine legs and short fetlocks. He got 

 Performer, a dark brown ; and Merrylegs, a dark chestnut, was gitten 

 with Performer. He had a queer white mark on foot that all the Per- 

 formers had. It was white round the coronet, and down the front of 

 the hoof. Merrylegs was about the last, and got bad ones. They tried 

 to cross the blood, and stronger animals didn't do. 



"The Norfolk Phenomenon did no great good. Philip Ramsden 

 and Kirby bought them. There was a Fireaway and a Shales. The 

 Prickwillows were rum'uns to trot. I've seen such goes from Hull to 



Hayton. The fellows used to pull up, ' , /'// have noe mair of you 



— you come from Market Weighton.'' " 



