Fred Marriot

Jack Curtis looks back in time to one of..

BRITAIN'S GREATEST - EVER FANCIERS - LEGENDARY FRED MARRIOTT.

KNOWN AND REVERED AS ''THE BIRMINGHAM WIZARD"

EVENTS through articles in the weekly press have prompted one or two of my keenest readers and supporters to write to me concerning articles on the great families of pigeons from the past, not having read these articles I cannot comment upon them, but my friends have, assuring me that there is quite a lot of my research in them. For most of my work tracing bloodlines back over the years I have used the work of the late W.D. Lea Raynor, old sale lists, personal records, as with Tom Kilner or the late John Hall, or 'The Bairn' and help from Bill Roberts of Falkirk for the RABBIE STODDART article. However, the bulk is through diligent digging and sifting, sitting here in my study at home, the dissection of the pedigrees is almost second nature to me now, line-breeding, inbreeding, outcrossing, or what ever are all easily recognisable to me now. All fanciers, whether knowing it or not, are trying to resurrect the past, by that I mean they are trying to breed back to this or that special pigeon.

The technique used by Janssen Brothers of Arendonk is no different to Fred Marriott, or Tom Kilner, or Rabbie Stoddart. Anyone mating a half-brother to a half-sister is automatically doing this, as with Aunt to Nephew, Uncle to Niece, Grand Sire to Grand Daughter, etc., etc. Opinions will differ as to the merit of this strain or that, but of one thing you can rest assured, the best of the Marriotts have no Peers anywhere in the realms of the Fancy for Fred did what the Janssens didn't do, he raced his family out to 624 miles as regular as clockwork with absolutely brilliant results. He also won the short and middle-distance races with the same birds and earned his title of 'THE BIRMINGHAM WIZARD' the hard way, by the sheer numbers of his wins over the whole race programme. For the benefit of new fanciers, Fred Marriott started racing in 1899 and flew both the North Road and the South Road, in the NFC Grand National Races he was Ist Open in both the 1924 and 1925 races with 'Triumph' and 'Repetition,' 2nd Open 1929 with 'Nap,' 6th 1907, 11th 1936, 15th 1937, 1st Open Penzance 1940 ('Premier'), 5th 1948, plus a host of other positions over the years. Add 1st Open Lerwick with the NRCC 1920, also 4th & 5th same race, 1st, 3rd & 25th in 1921, 3rd 1922, 10th 1923, 2nd 1934, 6th & 7th 1953. 1st Midland Counties Combine Marennes 1911 and premier prize winner in the same Combine 1912, plus 1st Central Counties F.C Libourne 1934 and you begin to see the picture. These wins are just the tip of the iceberg for in Clubs and Federations he was quite devastating, year after year.

His entire Clearance Sale took place at the Jamaica Row Sale Room in Birmingham on January 28th, 1956, at 2 p.m. and this autobiography of the Great Fancier is based upon the facts it presented to the discerning fancier of the day. Undoubted base pigeon of the Marriott loft was a cock name 'Dreadnought,' bred in 1908 and rung BSF.08.2889, 2889 was from 8044 x 431, 8044 from 307 x 354, 431 from Marriott's old 'Bordeaux Cock' x a hen from a full sister to Toft's 707, winner of 1st NFC Bordeaux 1899. 'The Bordeaux Cock' from an unnamed Belgian import x a full sister to 'Jumbo' who flew Granville, Rennes and Marennes three years on the trot, winning at every stage, then 6th Open NFC San Sebastian, 634 Mlles, in 1907. The pair, 307 and 354, owned by W.C. Moore, 307 from 100 x BCH bred by Moore descending from Barker's 'Marcia' with Gits, Debue and Plentinckx lines. 100 bred by Moore from the Blue La Rochelle winner of 8th Nantes and 9th La Rochelle in the big Manchester Flying Club x Moore's top stock hen, the Dam of 'Neptune' and many other big winners. 354 from 311 x hen flown 600 miles, 311 from 2376 x 'The Crooked Egg Hen,' 2376 from a son of 87 x 180, both bred in 1897. 'The Crooked Egg Hen' bred in 1890 from a cock via Mrs. Coalville of her F14 and Grooter's strain and a Grand Daughter of Git's famous 'Donkeren.' 87G bred by Gits from his one-eyed Soffle Cock, Sire of several top winning National Birds whilst 180 was from his Red Cheq Cock, winner of four successive years of National racing. The Dam of 2376, a full sister to the Rev McKenzie's 1st Open Lerwick, 'Blue Belle,' a direct daughter of A.H. Osman's Champion Cock, 'Old Billy.' 'Dreadnought' won prizes and pools from Ventnor, Granville, Rennes and Marennes, without being very spectacular, but Fred must have seen his potential as a breeder and retired him for stock.

Now if you dissect his pedigree you will see that he is just an assembly of the best pigeons available to Fred at that time, in the breeding is 'Red Prince,' winner of 1st MFC Cherbourg who sired two sons to cross the Channel 22 times, a half-brother to Gits' winner of 1st National, a sister to 1st Open Lerwick, a sister to Toft's lst NFC Bordeaux, 'Jumbo,' 6th Open in 1907, plus other good winners.