14 
Sir Jacob Wilson . 
given in his honour by Mr. James Hope, of East Barns, 
Dunbar. The Scottish farmers on that occasion vied ivith 
their English brethren in showering congratulations upon 
him. This was a special token to his fitness, as before his 
selection had become known it was hoped that the appointment 
would be offered to a Scotsman. Sir Jacob Wilson filled the 
office most efficiently for ten years, at the end of which time 
he retired under the age clause. 
Sir Jacob devoted considerable time to public work in his 
own neighbourhood. On the formation of County Councils by 
the Local Government Act of 1888, he was elected as member 
for the Chatton Division, in the County of Northumberland, 
and he did much useful work on the Technical Education and 
other Committees. He was also Ruling Councillor of the 
Tankerville Habitation of the Primrose League, which had its 
headquarters at Chatton, near his own home; and as he was a 
fluent and able speaker his services were in frequent demand 
to address meetings in connection with his own and neigh- 
bouring Habitations. In politics he was a staunch Conservative, 
and was more than once approached with a view to his becoming 
a candidate for Parliamentary honours, but — to the loss of his 
party — he felt that his other engagements would not permit 
such an encroachment on his time as this would have entailed. 
He was a magistrate for the County of Northumberland. In 
1890 he filled the office of President of that important local 
body, the Newcastle Farmers’ Club. 
He took a prominent share in the formation of the Glendale 
Agricultural Society in his own district, and was invariably 
a large exhibitor at its shows, where specimens of his Shorthorn 
herd usually carried off a large proportion of the prizes. A 
strong advocate of pedigree in breeding, he took an active part 
in the establishment of the Shorthorn Society, the Clydesdale 
Horse and other breed Societies, and served on the Councils 
of several of these bodies. 
To Sir Jacob belonged the chief credit of starting the Royal 
Agricultural Society’s scheme for the award of premiums to 
sound thoroughbred stallions, given conditionally upon their 
serving a specified number of half-bred mares at low fees 
during the season. The scheme was first put into operation at 
the Society’s Newcastle Meeting of 1887. In the following 
year the work was developed and applied to the whole of the 
country by the transference to this object of the money 
previously expended out of the Royal Bounty for “ Queen’s 
Plates,” and on December 3, 1887, the Royal Commission on 
Horse Breeding was appointed to administer the fund under 
the presidency of the Duke of Portland. The first Show of 
Thoroughbred Stallions for the award of premiums under the 
