ABSTRACT
Edward Thring (1821–87) inherited a love of the open air. 1 His father, John Gale Thring, was an energetic squarson, rector of the parish of Alford in Somerset and squire of the estate of Alford Manor. It was written of him: ‘He had the fondness of the English country gentleman for outdoor life, and was known as the best and boldest rider in the county of Somerset.’ 2 Boldness and pleasure in physical action were qualities Thring himself displayed in time. Denied the extensive acres of Alford (he was a younger son) and the leisure of the wealthy rural churchman and possessed of a teaching vocation, Thring transformed indulgence into virtue and riding to hounds into the educational pursuit of leather balls on games fields.
