A set of 18th century silver hunting buttons connected to the legendary Cumbrian huntsman John Peel (1776–1854), are up for auction and are expected fetch up to £5,000.
The buttons were gifted by John Peel’s widow Mary Peel, to her housekeeper, Sarah Bean and were then passed down through generations of the Bean family, until they were sold by her Great-Great Grandson in 2003.
John Peel, who is the subject of the famous 19th century song ‘D'ye ken John Peel’, was a farmer from Cumbria.
He was known for his overriding passion and dedication to hunting.
He had a large family of 12 children and a farm to manage, but all of his spare time was devoted to hunting.
Peel hunted in the traditional Lake district manner at the time, which was to ride your horse to the hunting area and dismount, to hunt on foot.
His relationship to his horse is believed to have been extraordinary, with the animal knowing his master’s quirks so well, that at the end of each day's hunt the horse would find its own way to the finishing point, to wait for Peel.
Peel owned a large pack of hounds, which became as renowned as himself, with some featuring in the later verses of the popular song. His names for them were: Lively, Britain, Charmer, Burthwaite, Stormy, Welcome, Dancer, Crafty, Bellman, Towler, Delly, Drunkard, Glory, Lifter, Bowler Lucy, Merry, Lilter, Royal, Lofty, Melody, Leader and Ranter.
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Some of the seven buttons in the set feature names of hounds, such as Rockwood, Thunder, Dashwood, Blossom, Ringwood and Lady and one of them is engraved with a mounted huntsman.
In silver and with maker’s mark believed to read BB, the set will be offered in Chorley’s Hunting Sale, Books & Manuscripts on March 20, and the lot carries an estimate of £3,000-£5,000.
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