THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

JACK PASKINS - WHIPPER-IN AND JACK OF ALL TRADES (1769 - 1836) TO THE SQUIRE

Copyright Valerie Martin 2008

Jack Paskins was said to be the most useful of the Lord of the Manor, Squire William Westbrooke Richardson's servants and was described as "a Jack of all trades".   In his spare time (if he had any from being the Squire's whipper-in)....he was also the Squire's gamekeeper.   He was another gentleman who was highly esteemed by all and when the Squire was absent, he took charge of the hunt.

William Richardson was known to be a sporting character and became the famous hunting squire of Findon. I understand that he built the original Huntsman's House c. 1800.   Extensive flint walled stabling was also constructed at the Manor and he kept a pack of harrier hounds for his own use — the harriers were later upgraded to foxhounds.  In the Squire's absence, Jack Paskins (who had previously been employed by Lieutenant Colonel George Wyndham) took his place with the harriers and portraits of him once hung in Findon Place so he must have been held in great esteem by the Lord of the Manor of the day.  

It is rather interesting to see on the back of the above prints that .....

John Margesson (1794-1866) saw Jack Paskins and his wife on 26th May 1832 and noted that he had been huntsman to the Margesson family as was his father, but that he was then (in 1832) the huntsman to William Richardson of Findon. 

Finally, the end came when Jack broke his neck in 1835.   This was while out hunting hounds one very rough day when his horse stumbled in a rabbit burrow, galloping down the Lambleys just north of nearby Sompting.

Continue if you would like to read about George Champion the Squire's Huntsman (1829-1903)

THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon.