Ten Thousand Wonderful Things: Comprising whatever is marvellous and rare, curious, eccentric and extraordinary in all ages and nations
History
Ten Thousand Wonderful Things: Comprising whatever is marvellous and rare, curious, eccentric and extraordinary in all ages and nations
Curiosities and wonders; Encyclopedias and dictionaries; Folklore
Buried at Disley, Cheshire, June 2nd, 1753, Mr. Joseph Watson, in the
105th year of his age. He was born at Moseley Common, in the parish of
Leigh, in the county of Lancaster; and married his wife from Etchells,
near Manchester, in the said county. They were an happy couple 72
years. She died in the 94th year of her age. He was park-keeper to
the late Peter Leigh, Esq., of Lime, and his father used to drive and
show red deer to most of the nobility and gentry in that part of the
kingdom, to the general satisfaction of all who ever saw them; for he
could have driven and commanded them at his pleasure, as if they had
been common horned-cattle. In the reign of Queen Anne, Squire Leigh was
at Macclesfield, in Cheshire, in company with a number of gentlemen,
amongst whom was Sir Roger Mason, who was then one of the members for
the said county; they being merry and free, Squire Leigh said his
keeper should drive 12 brace of stags to the Forest of Windsor, a
present to the Queen. Sir Roger opposed it with a wager of 500 guineas,
saying that neither his keeper, nor any other person, could drive 12
brace of red deer from Lime Park to Windsor Forest on any account. So
Squire Leigh accepted the wager from Sir Roger, and immediately sent
a messenger to Lime for his keeper, who directly came to his master,
who told him he must immediately prepare himself to drive 12 brace
of stags to Windsor Forest, for a wager of 500 guineas. He gave the
Squire, his master, this answer, that he would, at his command, drive
him 12 brace of stags to Windsor Forest, or to any part of the kingdom
by his worship's direction, or he would lose his life and fortune. He
undertook, and accomplished this most astonishing performance, which
is not to be equalled in the annals of the most ancient history. He
was a man of low stature, not bulky, of a fresh complexion, pleasant
countenance, and he believed he had drank a gallon of malt liquor a
day, one day with another, for above sixty years of his time.
ECCENTRIC WILL.
The following will, as an exhibition of strange eccentricity, is not
inappropriate to our pages. Mr. Tuke, of Wath, near Rotherham, who died
in 1810, bequeathed one penny to every child that attended his funeral
(there came from 600 to 700); 1s. to every poor woman in Wath; 10s.
6d. to the ringers to ring one peal of grand bobs, which was to strike
off while they were putting him into the grave. To seven of the oldest
navigators, one guinea for puddling him up in his grave. To his natural
daughter, L4 4s. per annum. To his old and faithful servant, Joseph
Pitt, L21 per annum. To an old woman who had for eleven years tucked
him up in bed, L1 1s. only. Forty dozen penny loaves to be thrown from
the church leads at twelve o'clock on Christmas day for ever. Two
handsome brass chandeliers for the church, and L20 for a set of new
chimes.
EXTRAORDINARY FROST.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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