Page:A History of Horncastle from the Earliest Period to the Present Time.djvu/178

Rh having evaporated, he was granted a residence in the Whelpton Almshouses, where he continued to employ his pen, in comfort, until his death in 1890.

The late Mr. Thomas Baker has already been referred to, but is worthy of a fuller account. He was not a native of Horncastle, but lived in the town more than 60 years, and became so identified with its interests, in many ways, that he may well be regarded as one of its "worthies." Born in 1814, at Braintree, in Essex, he was the son of a veterinary surgeon in that town, his family having previously there owned the once well-known coaching house, named The Horn Inn; although earlier members of his family had occupied a higher position; one of them, named Thorowgood, having founded the Grammar School at Oxford.

Before coming to Horncastle, in 1841, Mr. Baker was known on more than one county cricket ground, and had distinguished himself on the University ground at Cambridge, "Parker's Piece." On coming to Horncastle he immediately made his mark in cricket as a round-hand bowler; and the leading young men of the neighbourhood became his pupils. One of his feats was, in a match between an 11 of All England and 22 gentlemen of the county; when he bowled out, with his first ball, Iddison, Captain of the All England team. The great matches in which he took part for many years were too many to tell. Among other things he had the distinction of being employed by Sir Evelyn Wood to train a village club in his parish.

Besides his cricketing skill he was remarkable for his ventriloquial powers; and the story was told, that, while sitting in conversation with two strangers, at the Bull Hotel, he threw his voice under the table. The two sprang up to catch the supposed eavesdropper, when he at once calmed them by throwing his voice in another direction, and then letting them into the secret. He was also, in his way, a fair actor; and, with the late Mr. John Brown, the Horncastle Laureate, and others, he helped to amuse considerable audiences, in town and neighbourhood. In comedy he could take all the parts himself, rapidly changing his dress, and at one moment adopting the high falsetto tones of an old crone, and the next moment speaking in the deeper accents of a strong man. It is greatly to his credit that, only having for many years a small shop, famed chiefly for his two specialites, "bull eyes" and "Grantham ginger-bread," he brought up a large family, who have taken good positions in various parts of the country. He was a staunch conservative and churchman.

In his later years he was often visited by strangers, who were entertained by his fund of anecdote and cricketing reminiscences. Among these we may name the novelist. Miss Marie Corelli, who, while staying at Woodhall Spa, sought his acquaintance, as being one of the "characters" of the neighbourhood, and to his delight she gave him her autograph. Mr. J. J. Hissey, the author of A Driving Tour in Lincolnshire also visited him at his house in Horncastle, and says of him "although wearing a shabby garb, he struck me with his perfect self-possession, and superior manners. ... I have met many characters, but Mr. Baker struck me as being the most remarkable." He died Feb. 12th, 1903, aged 88; and in his last illness letters poured in upon him from old friends and pupils, expressing their sympathy and their pleasant recollections of his company.