Bell's Life in Sydney and Sporting Reviewer (NSW : 1845 - 1860), Saturday 8 September 1855, page 1


"WILD SATÍEELI,"..WINNER OF

THU DERBY.

i TAB strange and mysterious nama of the win-1 nor of tho Derby, added to tho equally mysterious' anecdotes of tho horse, have caused,much disI cussion among sporting circles, and as gentlemen

on the turf aro not generally antiquarians, tho origin of " Wild Dayroll," has rather puzzled' them, and set thom on guesses , very wido of tho mark. We will endeavour togive a little informa-tion, which td such os reside at a distance from the locality of Wild Dayroll tho man, and Wild Dayrell tho horse, may not bo uninteresting.:

Just beyond tho town of Hungerford, once famous a's a station-not for locomotives-bu t fdr the glorious old fast-coaches 'between London and Bath, and within tho frontier which divides Wiltshire from Berkshire, stands a . noble old mansión, part of the Elizabethan and part we be-lieve of an earlier dato, called Littlecót Hall. It's quaint nrchitectural bcnntics are well .known to every antiquary, and in'"Nash's Mansions of tho Olden Time;" tho hall.,forms' ono. of ' tho most charming of illustrations. .In tho stately. repose of Littlccot the fomily of Popham have flourished for generations. Tho worthy' ownorof Wild Dayrell is tho present décapant." In the old man-sion tho visitor is pointed out a bedchamber, con-taining a bedstead with bide furniture! long since

worn threadbare; and in the bottom of ono of tho

curtnins is a place where a picco has been cut out nnd sewn'in again,'upon which the following traditionary story is founded. It was related by tho lato.'Lord 'Wobh Seymour to Sir, Walter Scott, but tho residents in tho neighborhood have for generations repeated tho storyj with such variations as may bo supposed, but all agreeing in the main facts.

" It was on a dark rainy night in tho month of November, that an old midwife sat musing by her cottage fireside, when on a sudden she was startled by n loud knocking nt the door. On opening-it sho found a horseman,' who' told her that her assistance was required immediately by a person of rank, and that sho should bo hand-somely rewarded i but that there were reasons for

keeping thc affair a itrict/secret and, therefore, sho must submit to be blindfolded, and to bo con-ducted in that condition to the bedchamber of

tho lady. With som o hesitation tho midwife consented; the horeoman bound her oyes, and placed her on a pillion behind him. After pro-ceeding in silence for may miles, through rough and dirty lanes » they stopped, nnd tho midwifo was lcd into a houso which, from thc longth of her walk through tho apartments, as well as tho sounds about hcr.'she discovered to bc tho scat of wealth and power¿ When tho bandage was re-moved from' hor eyes, she found hcrsolf in a bed-chamber, in which wore tho lady on whose ac-

count she had peen sent for, and a man of haughty and ferocious aspect. The lady was de-livered of a fine ' boyv*. Immediately the man commanded the mid wife to give him tho child, and catching it from hor','ho hurried across tho room and tlircw.it on jthe back of tho fire, that was' blazing in tho chimney. Tho child, however,' was strong, and by its struggles rolled itself upon tho hearth, when the ruffian again seized it with fury, and, in spite of the intercession of the mid-wifo and the more piteous entreaties of tho mother, thrust it under tho grate, and raking tho livo coals upon it, soon put an end to its life. Tho midwife, after spending some time in afford-ing all the relief in her power to tho wretched mother, was told that she must be gono. Her former conductor appeared, who again boundhor eyes, nnd convoyed, her behind him to her own home; he then paid ber handsomely and de-parted. Tho midwifo was strongly agitated _ by tho horrors of tho preceding night, and sho im-mediately made a deposition of the facts before a magistrate. Two circumstances afforded hopes of detecting tho house in which the crimo had been committed ; ono was, that the midwife, as she sat by tho bedside, hal, with a view to dis-cover the place, cut out a piece of the bed-curtain, and sown it up again ; the1 other was, that as she had descended tho staircase, she had counted the steps. Some suspicions fell upon ono Darrell, at that time the proprietor of Littlecot houso,

and tho domain around it. The houso was ex-

amined, and identified by tho midwife, and Dar-rell was tried at Salisbury for tho murder. By corrupting his judge ho escaped tho sentence of the law« but broke bis neck by a fall from his horse in hunting a few months after. The placo whero it happened, is still known by tho name of Darrell's Style-a spot still to bo dreaded by tho peasant whom the shades of evening have over-taken on his way."

Old Aubrey gives a nearly similar account, but says tho " lady" was Wild DayrelFs wifo's waiting-woman, that the owner of Littlecot was Sir - Dayrell, and his judge Sir John Popham, " who had this noble house, parke, and manor, and (I thinke) more, for a bribe to save his life." Ho adds that "Sir John Popham gave sentence according to lawc, but being a great porson and a favourite, he procured a noli prosequi."

We find in tho list of Sheriffs of Wilts that tho Darells filled that office in 1421, 22, 23, 28, 61, 66, 69, 70, 90, Ol, 94, 96, 98,1509,20, when their name disappears. Tho. «arno of Popham occurs as far back as 1435, 13 Henry VI., nnd rc-appears ns " of Littlecot," in 1613, 10th of

James I.

Tho tragic story was eagerly appropriated by Sir Walter Scott, who made it the subject of a ballad, in which Wild Dayrell sends for a Friar of Orders Gray to confess and shrive a lady at tho point of death. - Ho performs his duty, igno-rant of both place and person, and is re-conveyed

home blindfolded.

Next morning all In Uttlocot-liaU Wore, weeping for tlielr dame."

Tho triai and conviction of " Wild Dayrel* ' arc historical facts, nnd Aubrey's version supplie3 a motive to tho murder which undoubtedly took placo. For those who like " curious coincidences," wc may record that tho two Derby favorites, Wild Dayroll and Lord of tho Isles, aro subjects illustrated by the genius of Walter Scott.

DESCRIPTION.-Wild Dayrell is a rich brown horse, standing sixteen bands ono inch high, of immense power; ho has a good blood-like lean head, rather long nrched neck, good shoulders, great depth of girth (69j inches') im-mense ribs and very powerful back; strong mus-cular quarters, immonse arms, gaskins, knees, and hocks, and is very short from knee to tho ground. If anything, ho is a littlo "in" at tho elbows, and turns his toes outwards. He has no white about him; and, " take" him all in all," is ono of the finest specimens of a race horso that has been seen for years.

PEDIGREE.-Wild Dayrell, brod in 1852, by Mr. Popham, is by Ion out of Ellon Middleton, by Bay Middleton out of Myrrha, by Malek, her dam Bossy, by Y. Gouty out of Grandiflora, by Sir Harry Dimsdale, by Pipator.

PERFORMANCES.-In 1854, carrying 8st 71b, won a Sweepstakes, T.Y.C., by two lengths, beating Para, 8st 101b, (including 51b extra), and Hazel, 8st 71b; a dead heat for second.

ENGAGEMENTS.-ls in tho Ebor St. Leger, at York. He has no other engagement.

" MARCHIONESS*-WINNER OF TIIE OAKS.

PEDIGREE.-Marchioness, bred in 1852, by Mr Stanhope Hawke,- is by-Melbourne out of Cinizclli, by Touchstone ont of Brocade, by Pantaloon out of Bombasine, by Thunderbolt.

. PERFORMANCES.-In 18547 carrying 8st 4lb, was beaton by a head for a Sweepstakes, T.Y.C., by Saraband. In I855, .won the Oaks.

ENGAGEMENTS.-In tho Yorkshire Oaks, the Hopeful Stakes, and the Great Yorkshire Stakes, and the Doncaster Stokes, at Doncaster, at York, and the Lancashire Oak's, nt Liverpool.

BLOOMING HEATHER.--We bear that Baron Rothschild hos' purchased Blooming Heather, by Melbourne, out of. Haricot's dam, 3 yrs, of Mr. W. I'Anson, for a stiff price. Our readers will recollect that sho ran second for tho Oaks last week td Mr. " Rudstoh Bead's Marchioness.Sunday Time*, June 3'.