forth as I can learn), was one Mr. William Slingesby, a Gentleman
of many good parts, of an ancient and worthy Family neere thereby:
who having travelled in his younger time, was throughly acquainted
with the taste, use, and faculties of the two Spaw fountaines. In
his latter time, about 55 yeeres agoe it was his good fortune to
live for a little while at a grange house very neare to this
fountaine, and afterwards in Bilton Parke all his life long."

From this it appears that the discovery was made by Mr. William Slingsby
in his later years, about the year 1571, but if the Mr. William Slingsby
here referred to was Sir William Slingsby he would have been a youth of
some 8 or 9 years in 1571. Secondly, one would judge from the text that
the Mr. William Slingsby referred to by the writer was dead at the time
that he wrote, namely 1626, whereas, as a matter of fact, Sir William
Slingsby was alive until the year 1634. Thirdly, it is impossible to
conceive that Edmund Deane would refer to Sir William Slingsby as Mr.
William Slingsby, seeing that the former was knighted in 1603, or 23
years prior to the publication of Deane's work. It is therefore
abundantly clear that Sir William Slingsby--a very gallant
gentleman--has no claim to the fame which history has insisted upon
according him.

The fact is that the Mr. William Slingsby referred to[11] was the fourth
son of Thomas Slingsby of Scriven, who married Joan, daughter of Sir
John Mallory of Studley, and who had a family of six sons and four
daughters. The name of the eldest son was Francis, and, as just
mentioned, William was the fourth son. Sir William Slingsby was the
seventh son of Francis and the nephew therefore of Mr. William Slingsby.
Mr. William Slingsby was buried at Knaresborough on the 8th of Oct.,
1606, but the date of his birth does not seem to have been recorded. His