He will therefore complete his hundredth year on the 14th of next March. He was born in a house near Bradshaw Chapel, which has long since been removed. He was about twenty-seven years old when an uncle left him a small estate in Harwood, called Hill End; and soon after he married, we believe in 1773, and by that marriage had eight children. William, the son of James and Margaret Horrocks, was born February 21, 1776; Margaret, March 31, 1778; John, August 11, 1781; Simon, Dec. 23, 1783; Matty, June 28, 1786; James, Jan. 13, 1789; Sarah, Sept. 22, 1791; and Betty, Jan. 8, 1794. Of these, the only survivors are Margaret, aged sixty-five, the wife of John Haslam, with whom the old man now resides; and Betty, the youngest, aged forty-nine, who is married, and has four children. The old man was only eleven years old when his father died, and has no recollection of hearing him mention any remarkable event occurring in his lifetime. On asking the old man how he came into possession of the portraits of his father and mother, he stated, that, some years ago, he saw in the newspapers a sale advertised of the property at Castleton Hall, and went there before the day to inquire after the portraits, with the view of purchasing them before the sale. The servants at the hall admitted him, and he found they were not there. He then went to the house of the steward, and found he was not at home; he, however, left a message, desiring that the steward would send him word if there was any probability of his being able to purchase the portraits. Accordingly, the steward sent him word that they had been removed, with the family portraits, to the residence of a lady near Manchester, where he might have the satisfaction of seeing them. The old man cannot remember either the name or the address of the lady. However, he went to the place, in company with a friend, and saw the lady, who treated him with the greatest kindness. She showed him the portraits, and was so much pleased with the desire he manifested to purchase them, that she said, if she could be certain that he was the heir, she would make him a present of them, as his filial affection did him great honour. His friend assured her that he was the only child of his mother by William Horrocks, and she then gave them to him, although she parted with them with regret, as she had no other paintings that attracted so much attention. His recollection of the circumstances are so perfect, that he remembers offering a gratuity to the servants for packing the portraits, which the lady would not allow them to receive.