A massive Victorian parcel-gilt silver trophy cup & cover commemorating the record successes of Colonel North's greyhound 'Fullerton' in the Waterloo Cup, 1889-1892, William Gibson & John L Langman, London, 1892

the body with a panel embossed with a documentary coursing scene showing the 1892 Waterloo Cup final with Colonel North's Fullerton catching the hare ahead of Mr G.F. Fawcett's dog Fitz Fife, standing in the foreground are Colonel North, the trainer Edward Dent, Mrs North & Miss North, below the panel is the North family coat of arms & motto and the inscription waterloo cup, won by col north's fullerton, above the panel is a medallion portrait bust of Edward Dent, the reverse of the cup with a panel of two seated greyhounds beneath the inscription waterloo cup, won by col. j.t. north's fullerton, beating all previous records by winning four years in succession, set with shields inscribed fullerton by greentick out of bit of fashion; 1889 fullerton, trough end; 1890 fullerton won; 1891 fullerton won; 1892 fullerton won, above a repeat of the family crest & motto & beneath a portrait medallion bust of Colonel North, the cover mounted with a fine model of the greyhound Fullerton

Colonel John Thomas North, and thence by family descent.

The Fullerton Centenary Exhibition, The Waterloo Cup, Great Altcar, 1989

The Waterloo Cup is the premier event in the coursing calendar and known as the 'blue ribbon of the leash'. It was inaugurated in 1836 by Mr William Lynn, proprietor of the Waterloo Hotel in Liverpool's Ranelagh Street. Encouraged by the extra trade generated by the Waterloo Cup, the Liverpool entrepreneur turned his attention to the Turf the following year and organised the first running of the Grand Liverpool Steeplechase, known as the Grand National since 1839.

The first winner of the Waterloo Cup was a bitch named Melanie, owned by Lord Molyneux, the eldest son of the Earl of Sefton on whose land the contest is run on the plains of Altcar. In addition to stakes of £16, Lord Molyneux won a trophy in the form of a silver snuff box. 

The first supreme champion in the sport of coursing was Lord Lurgan's greyhound Master McGrath who won the Waterloo Cup on three occasions, 1868, 1869 & 1871. The dog became a household name in Britain and such was his fame that Queen Victoria commanded his appearance at Windsor Castle. Master McGrath set the standard by which all proceeding greyhounds would be judged. The great Master McGrath's record was finally eclipsed by Colonel North's greyhound Fullerton who recorded four consecutive victories in the Waterloo Cup between 1889 and 1892. It is this magnificent achievement that has been suitably commemorated by the present trophy, commissioned by Colonel North himself in 1892.

Fullerton was a brindled dog by Greentick (Waterloo Cup runner-up, 1884) out of Bit of Fashion (Waterloo Cup divided-stakes winner, 1885). In his puppy year of 1889 there was a division of stakes between Fullerton and his kennel-companion Troughend. This shared victory launched Colonel North into the front ranks of owner/breeders in the sport. The three proceeding outright victories by Fullerton made him the foremost figure in coursing.

With Master McGrath's record on the line, the 1892 Waterloo Cup aroused great public interest. The Cup was postponed through frost before getting under way a few days later than scheduled on 23rd February. Fullerton progressed to the final with defeats of Likeness, Maggie Miller, Rhymes, Patrick Blue & Racecourse. The final course with FitzFife, a scene depicted on the trophy, was a close-run affair but Fullerton defeated his opponent with the kind of mighty effort that had become the trademark of his distinguished career. After his death in 1899, Fullerton's was given to the Natural History Museum for preservation. He can be seen at the Museum at Tring, Hertfordshire, together with the celebrated greyhounds Mick The Miller & Ballyregan Bob.

Colonel North's interest in coursing was through an introduction to the sport by Mr W.J. Hope-Johnstone, who guided the colonel in all aspects of the activity during his noviciate. His first Waterloo Cup greyhound (1888) was Duke Macpherson who finished runner-up to Burnaby. Fullerton was purchased at the dispersal sale of Messrs. Dent and Hibbert's greyhounds. However, Fullerton's breeder Edward Dent, portrayed on the trophy, trained the dog to all his successes. Other notable winners from Colonel North's kennels include Mickleton, Tarset, Blue Green, Huic Holloa, Nuneaton, Not Out, Netheravon & Kate Cuthbert. North's sporting interests also encompassed racing. He had a stud at Eltham in Kent and at one time kept 64 horses in training.

Colonel John Thomas North (1842-1896) was born in Leeds, the son of a coal merchant. With typical Victorian entrepreneurial spirit, North made his fortune in Chile where he exported copious amounts of nitrate to Europe for the fertiliser market. He remains a famous and remembered figure in Chilean commercial history. In North's own words he had "grown from a mechanic to a millionaire in 20 years." Anxious to impress London society with his newly-found wealth, North built a lavish Italiante-style home, Avery Hill, at Eltham in Kent at a cost of £200,000. North was also a great public benefactor for his home town of Leeds, gifting £10,000 to Kirkstall Abbey and £5,000 to the Cathederal.