The Western Times of 13th September 1845 reported how:
"A raffle distinguished for its novelty took place at the Old London Inn on Friday last. by 120 members at £1. 1s each, for the fine North Devon Ox, bred by Gubbings Newton, Esq of Bridestow. After an interesting lottery as to who should be the winner, Only 2 tickets remained undrawn, when the holders agreed to divide the prize; and probably, the fine animal would soon have graced the stalls of the "Anatomists," but for the intervention of the owner Mr. William Rookes, who saved him from the fatal axe by re-purchasing him for exhibition at the approaching Barnstaple fair previously to his being fed for consumption at Christmas."
This was the famous, in his time, 'Millaton Ox', At seven years old, five feet high, fifteen feet long and weighing a ton. He was bred by John Gubbins (Gubbings!) Newton, the bachelor owner of Millaton House, Bridestowe, (6 miles beyond Okehampton) which still stands and appears currently to be for sale at a price over £3,000,000.
Anatomists is a fun word for butchers.
The Old London Inn, long gone, was near the East Gate of the city, where the High Street meets Sidwell Street."
Mr. William Rookes: was a philanthropic, gentleman farmer on the Heavitree Road.
The fatal axe: Was that really how one slaughtered an ox?
The two winners, according to the report of the same auction in The Exeter and Plymouth Gazette of the same date, were Mr. Burgoin of Sowton, "hind to Mr. John Garrett Esq." and Mr. Hodge of Plymouth.
Hind: meaning an agricultural servant, looks llike it ought to have gone out of service in the late Middle Ages but it is a word regularly to be found in newspaper reports in Victorian Devon.
The fun is that: "Mr. Burgoin had obtained his ticket in exchange for a dog which proved a more valuable animal than he had anticipated." I like the idea that the triumphant Mr. Burgoin, a farm worker, was one of the 'humblest' of the 120, guinea-paying punters.
