John Peel (1776? ? 13 November 1854), English huntsman and the subject of the nineteenth century song D'ye ken John Peel - "ken" meaning 'to be aware of' or 'to know' in some dialects of the North of England. Peel became a moderately well-known figure, owing to the song written about him. Some of the local gentry, after his death, were glad to take on his sons as servants, and the story of Peel romanticized hunting activities for many. He died in 1854 and is buried in the churchyard of St Kentigern's Church, Caldbeck. In 1977 his grave was vandalised by anti-hunting activists.