"A flydriver named JAMES FAIRWEATHER, whose appearance indicated that reckless humour which often characterises the knight of the whip, was summoned for abusing Wm. Shipcott, an old hero of Waterloo, with a weather beaten face, white hair, and erect gait, which proclaimed an old soldier.
"The case arose from the following circumstances.The complainant has turned his sword into a wheel-barrow, and his spear into a basket of cherries; the ginger beer bottle has become his musket: he 'seeks the bubble' in its mouth; his hand, familiarised to sharp-shooting discharges the flying cork; and his ear, accustomed to the 'hollow cannon's sullen roar' shrinks not at the sharp clear pop, which immediately precedes the tumultuous release of the excited liquid. His ginger beer is excellent; and he ought not to be molested in dispensing so valuable a blessing to the citizens of Exeter.
"It was on the 18th of June, a day which,since the glorious victory in which our hero took part, has been hallowed in the memory of Englishmen, that he was going along the High-street, proud of his unrivalled ginger-beer, proud of the hard-earned laurels which adorned his button-hole, proud, it may be, of the Iron Duke, whose namesakes yet protecreed his shins - when he was overtaken by Fairweather, and a storm followed. He was insulted and reviled, and made the mockery of a pack of lttle scamps, whose ragged shirts covered not one spark of military or patriotic ardour, and the great hulking fly-man did not distain to lead them on, to hunt the old soldier through the streets clapping their hands, and shouting the words (unexplained but doubtless offensive) - 'Howley tub!'
"Mr. R Spencer, of St. Sidwells, who witnessed the disgraceful affair from his shopdoor, proved the charge; and the Mayor fined Fairweather 5s. remarking on the disorderly conduct of the fly-drivers generally. They are certainly a most obstreperous class, and give the Bench a great deal of trouble It may arise, perhaps, from the desultory nature of their employment, which gives them a great deal of lounging time on their stands, and tempts them to banish ennui by accosting any helpless passenger, especially such a one as, like our friend the soldier, has a little the appearance of a quiz."
William Shipcott was a quiz which is to say a person of an odd or eccentric appearance or character. The packs of little scamps in ragged shirts who scampered up and down Exeter's High-street were always ready to quiz a quiz if they could find one. Especially if encouraged by one of that obstreperous class, (neither The Times nor the mayor were ever slow to generalise), the fly-drivers.
It was the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo in which William had fought and, if we can believe the report, he was wearing laurel leaves in his buttonhole in memory of that most famous battle. Was this a custom that we have forgotten?
I don't believe William was wearing Wellington boots, but maybe! Rubber wellies had not yet been invented. My guess is that, having mentioned Waterloo and the duke, our reporter needed to write something about boots.
William, the report tells us, sold home-made ginger-beer from a barrow and cherries from a basket. He was old and odd and poor but was not going to let a mere knight of the whip get away with insulting an old soldier who had served with the Iron Duke.
Hollow cannons and bubbles: I have written before that I like the way The Times assumes its readers know their Shakespeare.
Pop was specifically ginger-beer at this time, in written form since 1812, but was soon to be applied to all fizzy drinks..
I like to think that this is the first time that 'Howley tub!' has appeared on the internet.
Source: Western Times, 13 July 1844.
