John Peel (13th November 1776? – 13 November 1854) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

huntsman who is the subject of the nineteenth century

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...

" D'ye ken John Peel" - "ken" meaning 'to be aware of' or 'to know' in some dialects of the North of England and Scotland.

Peel's life

Peel was born at Park End, near

Caldbeck Caldbeck is a village in Cumbria, England, historically within Cumberland, it is situated within the Lake District National Park. The village had 714 inhabitants according to the census of 2001. Caldbeck is closely associated with neighbouring ...

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic counties of England, historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th c ...

; his family moved a short time after to the Greenrigg farm. He was baptised on 24 September 1777, but most sources suggest he was born the previous year. Peel married in 1797 to Mary White. Some of the White family's property at Ruthwaite (near Ireby) passed into his hands, which secured Peel a comfortable income. However, he was, as many of his friends admitted, prone to dissipation and he devoted himself primarily to hunting. Peel was a farmer by profession, and kept a pack of fox hounds. Peel hunted

pine marten The European pine marten (''Martes martes''), also known as the pine marten, is a mustelid native to and widespread in most of Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus and parts of Iran, Iraq and Syria. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. ...

s and

hare Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The g ...

s in addition to foxes. By the end of his life (13 November 1854, most likely due to a fall while hunting) he had accrued large debts, which his friends helped him pay off. John Peel did occasionally ride to hounds, his mount being a 14

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dun crossbred gelding named 'Dunny'. 'Dunny' would often be abandoned for hours during the hunt when the going became too rough to ride over, standing patiently waiting for his master to return. Peel's niece Nancy Wilson (who was brought up in the Peel household) was also known to hunt with her Uncle John on horseback, 'mounted on a grey pony and garbed in a green habit', meaning she rode

sidesaddle Sidesaddle riding is a form of equestrianism that uses a type of saddle which allows female riders to sit aside rather than astride an equine. Sitting aside dates back to antiquity and developed in European countries in the Middle Ages as a way f ...

, which was the proper custom for ladies at the time. But Peel did on many occasions follow the old Cumberland custom, known as 'Chasing the Ace', chasing after the hounds on foot. Peel became a moderately well-known figure, owing to the song written about him. Some of the local gentry, after his death, were glad to take on his sons as servants, and the story of Peel romanticized hunting activities for many. He died in 1854 and is buried in the churchyard of St Kentigern's Church, Caldbeck. In 1977 his grave was vandalised by anti-hunting activists. Peel Region, the equivalent of a county in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada may be named after him. It is believed that three inns were named after his hounds, ''Hark to Towler'' at Heywood, ''Hark to Bounty'' at Slaidburn, and the ''Hark to Bellman'' Clitheroe. Residents now passed of the area have always understood that John Peel hunted in the Clitheroe district, later arriving by train to Chatburn station, with hounds and horses, and from there to the Bellman Inn (less than 1/2 mile) for a tot of whisky before going hunting. The railway opened in 1850, and the Bellman Inn was granted its first licence in 1826, but was known as the 'ancient hostelry of the Hark to Bellman' in 1832.Preston Chronicle and Lancashire Advertiser 9 February 1876 There was also a racecourse very near the Bellman hostelry which ran from at least 1811 to 1839. The hound Bellman was also said to be a completely white hound. John Peel has a fact file in Tullie House Carlisle.

"D'ye ken John Peel?"

References

External links

An arrangement of the tuneThe Olde John Peel Inn public house
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Peel, John 1776 births 1854 deaths 19th-century English people Burials in Cumbria English hunters English farmers People from Caldbeck Masters of foxhounds in England