e Sir
George was called upon to appear at London and answer for the act. When
he appeared in court he was the first and second time summoned to
surrender as the "King of the Peak," but not replying to these, the
third time he was called by his proper title of Sir George Vernon, upon
which he acknowledged his presence, stepping forward and crying "Here am
I." The indictment having been made out against him under the title of
"King of the Peak" it was of no effect, and the worst consequence to Sir
George was that he received an admonition. He died in 1567, the
possessor of thirty Derbyshire manors, and was buried in Bakewell
Church, where his altar tomb remains to this day.

Out of the beaten track of the tourist are the gallows at Melton Ross,
Lincolnshire, with their romantic history going back to the time when
might and not right ruled the land. According to a legend current among
the country folk in the locality long, long ago, some lads were playing
at hanging, and trying who could hang the longest. One of the boys had
suspended himself from a tree when the attention of his mates was
attracted by the appearance on the scene of a three-legged hare (the
devil), which came limping past. The lads tried to catch him, and in
their eager pursuit forgot the critical position of their companion, and
on their return found him dead. The gallows is believed by many to have
been erected in remembrance of this event.

The story has no foundation in fact. A hare crossing is regarded not
only in Lincolnshire, and other parts of England, but in many countries
of the world, as indicating trouble to follow.

[Illustration: THE GALLOWS AT MELTON ROSS.]

In the days of old two notable men held lands in the district, Robert
Tyrwhitt of Kettleby and Sir William Ross of Melton, and between them
was a deadly feud, the outcome, in 1411, of a slight and obscure
question on manorial rights. It was alleged that John Rate, steward of
Sir William Ross, had trespassed on lands at Wrawby belonging to Robert
Tyrwhitt, digged and taken away turves for firing, felled trees, and
cut down brushwood. The dispute was tried by Sir William Gascoigne, but
it would appear that this did not altogether meet the requirements of
Tyrwhitt. He assembled his men in large numbers and a fight took place
with the retainers of Sir William Ross. An action of this kind could not
be tolerated even in a lawless age, and the matter was brought before
parliament. After lon