IQUrv^lu ^ y>^c^^ >iVVV^ ^7 r ffT- 2^ Webster Family Library of Veterinary Medicine Cummings School of Vetsrinsry Medicine at TuJ-cs University 200 Westbofo Road North Grafton, MA 01536 TUFTS UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES 3 9090 014 538 140 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT r, ,,//>, y I ;Mr .•''%. THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT BY T. F. DALE M.A AUTHOR OF "THE GAME OF POLO " WESTMINSTER ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE AND CO 2 WHITEHALL GARDENS 1899 Sic Butler & Tanner, The selvvood printing Works frome, and london. TO THE MOST NOBLE JOHN SEVENTH DUKE OF RUTLAND K.G without whose sanction it would not have been begun and without whose help it could not have been finished this book in which his name appears but seldom only because the story of his life belongs to the larger pages of the History of our country is inscribed by the Author Contents PAGE PREFACE xi Chapter I THE HOUSE OF MANNERS AND THE CHASE . . . i Chapter II JOHN OF THE RILL 21 Chapter III THE GENEROUS GRANBY 37 Chapter IV THE PATRON OF CRABBE 60 Chapter V THE LONG MINORITY 70 Chapter VI THE BUILDERS OF BELVOIR 84 Chapter VII THE BELVOIR CIRCLE 108 Chapter VIII THE GOOD DUKE 124 Chapter IX THE OLD HUNTSMAN AND THE YOUNG MASTER . . 135 « viii CONTENTS PAGE Chapter X THE GOLDEN AGE. I IS3 Chapter XI THE GOLDEN AGE. U 169 Chapter XII THE SQUIRE OF ASWARBY AND THE GREAT HUNTSMAN 190 Chapter XIII PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS. F. S. S 223 Chapter XIV THE DUKE AS MASTER 249 Chapter XV THE BELVOIR COUNTRY 273 Chapter XVI THE RACE OF BELVOIR 288 Chapter XVII LOYAL GRANTHAM .299 Chapter XVIII THE OLD ORDER CHANGES 312 Chapter XIX YIELDING PLACE TO NEW 33^ JOHN HENRY, 5TH DUKE OF RUTLAND 335 HOUND LIST 337 HOUNDS, OTHER THAN BELVOIR TAN 409 PEDIGREES OF FAMOUS HOUNDS 410 BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT . . . .415 INDEX 417 List of Illustrations PHOTOGRAVURE PLATES John, Seventh Duke of Rutland, K.G Frontispiece South Prospect of Belvoir Castle, circa 1730— Hunting Scene To face page 101 Thomas Goosey and Hounds ...... )> ,, 144 The Melton Hunt Breakfast ,, ,,160 East View of Belvoir Castle 2CX5 Kings FULL-PAGE PLATES A Family Pack in the Olden Time . Belvoir Castle John, Third Duke of Rutland, K.G. 1696-1779 Belvoir Castle ....... John, Marquis of Granby. 1721-1770 Old Belvoir, circa 1730 ..... The South View of Belvoir Castle . Charles, Fourth Duke, K.G. 1 754- 1787 The Duchess Mary Isabella driving her Ponies from town to Dublin ...... Mary Isabella, Wife of Fourth Duke, and Daughter of Charles, Fourth Duke of Beaufort John, Fifth Duke, K.G. 1778-1857 Elizabeth, Wife of Fifth Duke, and Daughter of Earl of Carlisle Belvoir Castle, from the Approach . "Who's for Melton?" Lord Robert Manners. The Duke of Rutland. Charles Manners ..... The Fifth Duke in his Coronation Robes The Kennels in the Park at Belvoir Map of the Various Meets of the Belvoir Hounds, from Nimrod's Hunting Reminiscences .... Fifth Lord 2 16 21 26 37 42 50 60 62 66 70 84 98 108 124 128 132 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS George, Second Lord Forester ...... The Angel Inn at Grantham, ci)-ca 1830 The Lord George Manners ...... Rallywood ......... John Earle Welby, Esq Major Longstaffe ........ Sir Thomas Whichcote and Mr. Broke Tumor Lenton Brook ......... Will Goodall, on "Crop" Old Belvoir, circa 1730 ....... Frederick Sloane Stanley, Esq Favourite Hunters of the Sixth Duke of Rutland, with his Retriever " Bess " ....... The Sixth Duke of Rutland, K.G. 1815-18S8 The Belvoir Hounds The Sixth Duke of Rutland and his Sister, Lady Adeliza Norman . . . . ... The Earl shows "Dizzy" the Belvoir Hounds, 1869 James Cooper ......... Leicestershire Grass ........ The Present Belvoir Huntsman and the Bitch Pack Lincolnshire Plough ........ Dexter .......... Belvoir Hounds, 1864 Belvoir Watchman ........ Group of Belvoir Hounds ....... The Rev. J. Houson ....... The Lord Edward Manners, M.P Frank Gillard . . Gambler .......... A Group of Modern Belvoir Hounds .... Sir Gilbert Greenall, Bart. ...... Ben Capell ......... The Bitch Pack To face page 135 145 153 163 169 179 191 210 211 216 223 231 235 241 250 251 265 273 279 281 289 291 293 297 301 313 317 325 327 332 333 335 A Modern Hunting Map of the Belvoir country, showing all the regular meets and historic runs. Preface "X T /"HILE making the necessary researches for this book, * ~ I found that all unwittingly I was putting together a contribution to the history of the social life of England of the nineteenth century. Much as I have always loved the sport, it was not till I came to look into the history of the Belvoir Hunt, which is in part the story of the rise of fox- hunting as a national sport, that I realised how important a factor in our English life fox-hunting has been during the last hundred years. It will be noticed that up to the end of the last century the interest of the story centred upon the men who ruled the fortunes of the hunt, and after that how in- sensibly the interest shifted from the men to the sport itself, and to its influence on the social life of the country. The Belvoir Hunt has been fortunate in that it has been carried on by so remarkable a succession of able men. During the whole period covered by this book members of the Manners family have guided the fortunes of the hunt, and have exercised a wide social and political influence over the hunt territory. To trace this influence, and to show how the welfare of the hunt was bound up with the life histories of the successive Dukes of Rutland, has been one of the objects I have set before me. xu PREFACE To the many who have so kindly helped me in my task my grateful acknowledgments are rendered. First, to the Duke and Duchess of Rutland — to the former for free access to the records of the hunt, and for many helpful suggestions made to me during my search through the Castle records, and to the latter for kindly sympathy with my work, and for the loan of some valuable books and papers. To the Lady Victoria Manners, who has made the art treasures of the Castle her study, for help in the choice of the pictures to be reproduced, and to Lord Robert Manners, who, not unmindful of some pleasant days we passed together at Gharial, took so much trouble to arrange matters that it might be possible for me to carry out the work. It is not too much to say that without him the book would never have been written. To the Rev. F, V, Knox, the Chaplain of Belvoir, I owe very much, for it was he who, at the expenditure of much time and trouble, took many of the very excellent photographs which are here reproduced. Among others who have assisted me are Mr. John Welby, of Allington Hall, whose long connec- tion with the hunt, and whose literary ability, have made his suggestions peculiarly valuable. Mr. Welby has read the proofs of much of the book, and has liberally granted me the use of his pictures for reproduction, and permitted me to re- print some of the inimitable Lays of Belvoir. To him, there- fore, the book owes a very large part of its interest. Another old member of the hunt, whose counsel and help have been of the greatest service, is Major Longstaffe, of Little Ponton Hall, who has also read parts of the book in proof, and has earned the gratitude of the reader by lending for publication the charming letters of Will Goodall. Another friend who PREFACE XIll has contributed greatly to the interest of the book is Mrs. Cooper, of Carlton Scroop, for whose assistance in the loan of private papers I wish to make very special acknowledgment. During the whole time this work has been in hand I have been in constant communication with Mr. Frederick Sloane Stanley, whose help has been by no means confined to the very interesting chapter of " Personal Recollections " which appears under his name. My thanks are also due to Mr. John Reeve, of Leadenham, for some extracts from the letters and papers of the late General Reeve ; to Mr. R. Millington Knowles, who kindly mounted me on several occasions, and thus enabled me to see some parts of the country to the best advantage ; to Mr, Cuthbert Bradley, whose own book is so well known, for many valuable hints, in addition to the spirited drawings he has made for this book. To Mr, Pinder, of Barrowby, I am indebted for some amusing and characteristic anecdotes of William Goodall, To Mr, Manners Escritt, the proprietor and editor of the Grantham Journal, my thanks are gratefully rendered for information derived from the columns of that paper. In the chapter on " The Race of Bel voir," great assistance has been afforded me by the huntsmen of many famous packs of hounds, in tracing the Belvoir strains of blood in their kennels. The opinions they express, being those of practical men who have given a life-long study to the subject of hound-breeding, are of great value. Nor am I unmindful of the generosity with which, amid the labours and cares of the hunting season, they gave so freely of their time and thought to a brother sportsman. xiv PREFACE I desire more particularly to acknowledge my obligations to Mr. Thomas Firr (late the Quorn), to Mr. Frank Goodall (late Royal Huntsman), to the past and present huntsmen of the Belvoir, Mr. Frank Gillard and Ben Capell, to William Wells (Hertfordshire), who wrote me two most interesting letters, William Dale (late Brocklesby, now of the Badmin- ton), William Shore (Duke of Buccleuch), George Gillson (the Cottesmore), Frank Bartlett (Lord Fitzwilliam), James Cooper (late Warwickshire), F. Cox (Bicester), H. Pacey (Cleveland), William Goodall (South Durham), Harry Bonner (late Meyncll), Arthur Wilson (Essex and Suffolk), William Matthews (Westmeath), Tom Bishopp (the Grafton), T. Whitemore (Shropshire), J. Cokayne (Puckeridge), Tom Clark (Tickham), Ned Farmer (East Essex), Charles Brackley (Mr. Garths), J. Lawrence (Fitzwilliam), B. Champion (Lord Zetland), H. Grant (Badsworth), W. Grant (Lord Middleton), W. Gray (York and Ainsty), W. Burton (Morpeth), Charles Travers (Cotswold), J. Stratton (S. and W. Wilts), John Scott (Albrighton), T. Smith (Bramham Moor), German Shepherd (Earl of Harrington), S. Morgan (Lord Galway), T. Burrows (H. H.), William Barnard (late Monmouthshire). I am also indebted for useful letters and suggestions to the following masters of foxhounds past and present : Colonel Anstruther Thompson, Mr. W. W. Tailby, Mr. W. Wrang- ham, the Earl of Longford, Sir Gilbert Greenall, the Rev. Cecil Legard, and my friend Mr. Scarth Dixon (Ebon), who wrote me letters which were full of suggestions and informa- tion. It would be ungrateful, too, to forget the assistance derived from the works of those who have preceded me in writing of the history of hunting — Mr. A. E. Watson (editor PREFACE XV of the Badminton Library), Mr. W. C. A. Blew (historian of the Quorn), and the late Mr. H. Nevill Fitt and others, whose books are standard works of reference on the sub- ject. I am further indebted to Mr. W. M. Meredith, who dis- covered the plates of Old Belvoir ; to my friend Mr. Tresham Gilbey, who so liberally permitted me to reproduce portraits from the pages of Bailfs Magazine ; to my sister Miss Dale, who gave material assistance in the necessary researches in the library of the British Museum ; and to the librarian and staff of the London Library. Nor can I conclude this preface without a word of thanks to the Rev. the Provost of Queen's College, Oxford, who very kindly answered some questions for an old pupil concerning Michel Maittaire, and lastly to the editor of the Sportswoman's Library, to whose knowledge of sport and literary faculty I owe much in the preparation of this book for the press. So much kindly help and encouragement have made my self-imposed labour a delightful task. E. I. U. S. Club, i6, St. James's Square, S.W. Chapter I THE HOUSE OF MANNERS AND THE CHASE TO write the history of the Bel voir Hunt is to tell the story of the rise of fox-hunting. Not because that hunt is the oldest in England, for others are senior in point of age, nor because it was the first to rise to fame by the goodness of the hounds it could put into the field, for at the time when Lord Granby, soon after the middle of the last century, began to seek relaxation from his cares as com- mander-in-chief in the interest of hound - breeding, Mr. Meynell, Lord Monson, the Duke of Beaufort, and Mr. Noel, of the Cottesmore, and others, already had packs noted for their excellence. The reason is to be found in the fact that from the year 1760 the best blood in England has been grafted on the original Belvoir stock ; until now the Belvoir hound is not merely the best foxhound in the land of fox- hunting, but is the finest achievement of man's power of selection in the breeding of domesticated animals. For the foxhound as he stands in his perfection to-day is a greater triumph of the skill of the breeder even than the racehorse, as in a much smaller frame he combines a speed almost as great, and a power of endurance more lasting, with an intelli- gence infinitely more serviceable. No animal, indeed, used by man is so well adapted for its work as the foxhound, in its combination of strength, beauty, and intelligence, but while we sing its praises we remember that in this, the highest result of our experience and our skill, we have been beaten on almost every point by natural selection. In the quarry of the foxhound, the fox itself, we find a speed and a power of I B THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT endurance greater than any possessed by the grandest hound of this, or indeed of any other day. It was a saying of the fifth Duke of Rutland that, given a fair chance, it was six to four on the fox as against his pursuer. A good fox, with the condition given by some three or four years of a wild life, will indeed, if no unfair advantage be taken of him, beat the best pack of hounds that ever was bred. It might be interesting, if it were possible, to trace the origin of the modern foxhound, and as we are now concerned with the finished article, to show how he has been evolved from the raw material. But for such history no sufficient materials exist. He certainly was not developed out of the old harrier or beagle, neither was he modified from the blood- hound, though crosses from the blood of both may be in his veins. Like the Englishman himself, the English foxhound is an animal of mixed race, though his direct descent I believe to be from the hounds kept by the great territorial families for hunting the stag. In those days, as we shall see later, each of the great families had its own type of hound, which was jealously preserved, even as our immediate fore- fathers prided themselves on their breed of spaniels or their setters. So far have these types been preserved that, even now, a person quite unaccustomed to hounds, if introduced to a collection of drafts from various kennels, would be struck by the different types of hounds from the Brocklesby, the Badminton, the Milton, or the Belvoir kennel. No doubt the sort of hound adopted in each great pack was that best suited to the country round the chief family seat, and in considering the evolution of the Belvoir hound of to-day we must look at the country over which the pack had to hunt. At the time of the rise of fox-hunting the Belvoir land outside the coverts was chiefly open grass, for we know the country was far less enclosed than now, and that it was not brought under the plough to any extent until war prices caused the depasturing of much good turf. Under the old conditions, therefore, the hound that was required for stag or fox at Belvoir was one bred for speed rather than for strength. We find a confirmation of this in a picture which 2 v< H ( i 1 '', i ,/ \ '!;. l- V ■ •;",'' J : ^'l ', A//yw'^^/.//// r n.KfiMu// ijlMli/frr,/ THE BUILDERS OF BEL VOIR severe runs which fell to them about this time. Then as now the Belvoir hounds, though distinguished for their beauty, were kept for use and not for show. The strength and symmetry of the pack were the result of the constant endeavour of a succession of able men and enthusiastic sportsmen to fit them for the work they had to do. This work must always have been severe, though it was in some degree reduced by the existence of kennels at Wilsford, from whence the Lincolnshire side of the country could be more easily reached ; but the arrangement had the disadvantage of obliging hounds to hunt on one side of the hunt territory only, while the other side of the country remained with- out them, or there were long distances to travel to find sport. Now to hunt a country fairly is one of the first prin- ciples of a wise mastership, and in order to do this each week should have its days divided between the different districts. No doubt in the earlier days of hunting the master was not so bound by the force of public opinion as at present, and the balance of power in this, as in most matters connected with the hunt, was in his favour, especially if he was the owner of the hounds. The period on which we have now entered in the annals of the Belvoir Hunt is that which immediately preceded what may be called the golden age of the hunt. Land- owners and farmers had more money and fewer objects on which to spend it than in the present day, for the Corn Laws were still unrepealed. Above all, we do not find any trace of that jealous dislike of amusements in which they do not share which has since marked those who have succeeded, if not to the tenets and the virtues, yet still to the tone of mind of the Puritans of Macaulay's epigram, and who hate sport because it gives pleasure to those who take part in it. It would perhaps be truer to say that the frame of mind which the great Whig historian described so neatly, belongs not so much to those on whom the mantle of Puritanism has fallen, or to the holder of any particular set of opinions, but that it is the spirit which at all times has marked the meaner class of minds among mankind. lOI THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT But such reflections belong rather to an age which specu- lates even on its sports. In those less complicated times men thought only of enjoying the sport of the moment, without troubling themselves with social problems of any kind, and we may now turn back to the simple tale of the hunting field as it was in Goosey's second season, 1 8 16-17. This was a time of bitter winds and poor scent, and consequently of short-running foxes. A good scent makes good foxes, and a fox, like every other wild animal, is unwilling to leave his favourite haunts unless he is forced by stern necessity, in the shape of a swift and clamorous pack, to do so. The season of 1817-18 was just the reverse of the previous one, and is said in the records to have been the best ever known in the Belvoir country up to that date. In January hounds scarcely ever went out without a run, and " for weeks" they " accounted for their foxes." It was on the 19th of that month that Goosey had the first of his great runs. In Rops- ley Rice he cheered his hounds, and a moment or two later the shout of a whipper-in on the Barrowby side answered to the holloa of the hounds in covert. Goosey was always quick out of covert, and a quick huntsman makes quick hounds. Once on the scent, they ran as if tied to their fox, over a line part of which would be impossible now — nearly to Barrowby, then a turn to the left and by Spittlegate Mill into what was then but the outlying district round Grantham, but where now houses have spread on all sides and the railway divides the ground, for in those more fortunate days there was no iron road to mar the face of the country or hinder hounds. The pace was severe, for hounds were running up-wind. The fox must turn or die, so he bore off sharp to the right and only three of the field were with hounds as he did so. Goosey was closely watching the doings of his pack, his fine clear-cut features alight with joy, for was not his own reputa- tion and that of his hounds a-making ? Nearest to him came the Duke, tall, slight and active, and congratulating himself that he had the best pack in England ; and not far off was Mr. Vere Fane. How hounds turn on the line, the steady ones in the centre 102 THE BUILDERS OF BEL VOIR holding it, while the too eager ones flash out at the turn, like spray from a breaking wave, till as the good hounds in the middle throw their tongues, they strain back silently to take their places in the ranks. So they stretch away to Barrowby Thorns with only a subdued clamour. The good-nosed hounds are now coming to the front They have wasted no time in flashing over the line, no strength in recovering their places. If you are near enough to a pack of fox-hounds when they are really running hard, you will note that it is from the middle of the pack comes the chiming music which Bromley Davenport has so aptly called a " modified chorus." As hounds race up to Barrowby Thorns only the master and huntsman are with them, though Mr. Vere Fane is still toiling to keep in touch. When at length the master and his hunts- man stand by the side of their panting horses and the pack clamour round Goosey, as he holds the stiff body of a fairly killed fox over his head, they are in Allington, now, as then, a home of sport. I imagine that the face of this country has not greatly changed, save that perhaps the ploughs are now deeper and the fences stiffer than they once were. But always around Allington hounds must in wet weather travel over a soil deep and holding, though carrying a good scent, and horses must leap the big ditches and stout fences with which the Lincolnshire men, whose motto is Thorough in all matters pertaining to sport and farming, have divided their fields. This was one of the runs that made the fame of the hunt — a run to be talked over and discussed in all its bearings by the hard-riding set at the old club at Melton, and which drew men to hunt with the Belvoir, though it was even then the fashion to look on the Friday country of the Quorn as the best the hunting world had to give. It was not, how- ever, the country so much as the hounds and the huntsman that attracted men, and many too who did not belong to the regular Melton set were drawn by the courteous rule of the Castle to take their pleasure in the hunting field with the Belvoir, instead of with the Quorn. For while the latter hunt is an exotic, the Belvoir may be said truly to be an indigenous plant. The Quorn indeed have only twice had a 103 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT resident squire as a master, and only once has a native of Leicestershire held the position. The gentry, too, of the hunt country have not as a rule been much given to the chase; but year after year, first at Loughborough, then at Leicester, Harborough, and later at Melton, crowds of strangers have come down for the winter months, bringing money, gaiety and bustle, till Melton grew and expanded into an important town, from the insignificant village which it was till fox-hunting became the sport of princes. The rise of Melton has been much influenced by the nearness of Belvoir Castle. The connection of men like Cecil Forester with the Manners family, and the friendship of Alvanley with the fifth Duke, naturally made the short distance between the Castle and Melton an attraction to them when at the latter place ; and when the masters of the Belvoir, fired with emulation of the success of Mr. Meynell, and in a less degree of the Cottesmore, began to breed their hounds for strength and speed, and the huntsman to improve on the quicker system of hunting that had already been introduced, what more could Melton want ? Two days a week the Quorn were away in the unspeakable recesses of Charnwood, and for the Melton man proper to hunt five or six days a week is a necessity. " Let us hunt with the Duke," was the natural solution of the difficulty, and hence the Belvoir field was increased by a hard-riding contingent who lived to hunt. It was Nimrod who first made the discovery that the Leicester- shire hunts and the Leicestershire men were better to write of than others, and he seems to have visited the country in the two best months — when open — January and February. When asked why he had not come earlier in the season, he replied, " A man with five hunters and a hack makes a very respectable appearance in the Provincials, but he has no business in Leicestershire. He would be more than half his time kicking his heels in the town where he was quartered, whilst his friends were enjoying themselves in the field." After this a period of good sport set in. Each year the hounds were improved, for Goosey was a great man for quality, and he had the help and approval of the Duke in his 104 THE BUILDERS OF BELVOIR efforts to bring the pack to perfection. The Belvoir puppies were sent out not merely to the farmers in the country, but to many on the Duke's Derbyshire estates. With such a choice the huntsman was able to put back hounds for minor defects that would not have been regarded in less fortunate establish- ments. This circumstance tended greatly to the superiority of the pack. The Belvoir draft became known for its excellence, and was sought after eagerly by masters and huntsmen of known skill in hound-breeding. In this way Belvoir blood was widely spread, and the home kennel was able to look for an occasional out-cross to other packs in which their own blood existed, and which came back to them sufficiently infused with a foreign strain to prevent loss of bone, substance and tongue by too close in-breeding. It is well known that Mr. Osbaldeston's celebrated Furrier came to him in a draft from Belvoir. This afterwards famous hound had been rejected because he did not come up to the mark in the matter of straightness, and the squire would never let his visitors take a front view of him in consequence. But so excellent was he in his work that his blood was sought for by the Belvoir, and it now runs in the most valu- able strains in that kennel. An eventful season for sport was that of 1821-22. Goosey started with a strong pack of fifty-eight couples. The pack he took out was largely a home-bred one, with a slight in- fusion of Lord Lonsdale's blood, whose hounds were noted for their size and bone and the depth and beauty of their tongues. It was about this time that the Cottesmore hounds are said to have been considered slow by the Meltonians. Nevertheless they showed good sport and had great hunting powers ; but their huntsman, George Slack, noted for his beautiful voice in covert, was probably one of the older and more patient school, as was his master, the first Earl of Lonsdale. As Mr. Forester and Lord Alvanley used to hunt with these hounds, I have no doubt they were followed by many others. The newer style of hunting was adopted with the Cottesmore some years later, when Colonel Lowther, grandfather of the present Earl, the late well-known master 105 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT of the Quorn, took the management of the country, after his father's age prevented him from taking so active a part in the hunt as formerly. To return to the Belvoir, Goosey was a good kennel hunts- man, and he knew full well that exercise and judicious feeding give that stoutness and condition without which hounds cannot kill foxes. All the powers of endurance of the pack were to be tested, for hounds hunted one hundred and twenty days, from August 7th to April 6th. There was only one day of frost, and hounds made an average of four days a week all through the season proper. The weather was of course open and most enjoyable. A remarkable run was with a fox from Aunsby, which ran hard across the heavy plough — corn was worth growing then in Leicestershire — over which there was a good scent, and when the horses were already half-tired with jumping out of the plough over the stiff fences and wide ditches, they got into the country round Folkingham, where there are now, and doubtless were then, some good grass fields, and where the scent, which had before been good, became a burning one. Hounds ran clean away from horses, and by the time they reached Laughton were out of sight, nor were they found again till the next day. A shepherd was the only spectator of the finish, when hounds ran into and killed their fox near Sempringham, on the very borders of the fen country. Though the distance between the two points is little more than four miles, the severity of the country and the pace, account for the loss of the hounds. The following season the pack was in splendid condition and discipline, and for hard work and power of hunting was un- surpassed in the Midlands. This year again, the great run of the season took place on the Lincolnshire side, a fact which in itself is a testimony to the stoutness of the hounds. From Boothby Great Wood over a chain of coverts close to Grantham, hounds ran down to Osgodby, where the fox turned sharp and ran a very direct course to Folkingham and back again to Pickworthy. Here the hunted fox, or another, jumped up in view of hounds, and they coursed him to ground at Osbournby. Only Lord Tweeddale — the father of the 106 THE BUILDERS OF BELVOIR present Marquis and a distinguished soldier — and Goosey were at the finish. The fox was dug out and killed after a ten-mile point, which was very fast if the time is correctly given, for from the start to the time the fox went to ground is said to have been two hours. The following season a mis- fortune befell the pack. An epidemic broke out and the old hounds were scarcely fit by the time the season's work began, and being out of condition they tired before foxes, and went out no less than fifteen times without blood. The following season, 1824-25, was remarked for the badness of the foxes. Belvoir received a great blow in 1825 by the death of the Duchess Elizabeth, a misfortune which was greatly felt in the district. Few women have filled a great position more satis- factorily than she did. She thoroughly appreciated the advantages which Providence had given her, and that she was magnificent in her ideas the pile of Belvoir itself is a witness. But none the less was she a woman with a tender heart and a sympathetic soul, and her death was a great loss to her poorer neighbours, to whom she had ever been a kindly helper. A great position does not excite the envy of the less richly endowed, when those who occupy it are not unworthy to fill it ; but it is when the wearers of the coronets of Great Britain degrade the names and titles which are a part of the history of their race that men will resent the discrepancy, which strikes them almost as a personal affront. Vulgarity — even though it seek to hide itself under the cover of smart- ness — folly and heartlessness in our natural leaders will thus always be resented by the stern critics of a lower social class. But the Duchess Elizabeth not only lived up to the require- ments of her station, but she left behind her sons and daughters worthy to carry on the great traditions of the two noble houses from which they sprang. The eldest son was destined to become one of the most justly popular noblemen and country gentlemen of his day, and the younger to make a name which does not belong to this book, only because its place is in the wider story of the growth and development of our Empire in the nineteenth century. 107 Chapter VII THE BELVOIR CIRCLE SOMETHING has already been said of the influence of Belvoir on society at Melton. It is necessary that we should try to recall the brilliant circle which at the beginning of the nineteenth century gathered at the Castle, or assembled to meet the hounds at Croxton Park. The society at the Castle was a boon to the neighbourhood. The Duke, like most of his race, and all the best of the great English nobles, was in friendly relation with his tenants, who looked up to their landlord as their leader in sport, their guide in local affairs, and the natural representative of the interests of the country side at the seat of government. Thus, to say that you were hunting with the Duke's hounds was a passport all over the district. The state and splendour of the Castle seemed natural and proper to the neighbour- hood, which felt that the lavish expenditure was a benefit by causing the circulation of money. The Belvoir circle has been sketched for us by the hand of a master ; and after much study of the memoirs of the time, I have failed to find a portrait of the Duke and Duchess in their home circle that better represents them. The period of Coningsby belongs indeed to a later time, yet the characters of the fifth Duke and his Duchess did not so much alter as develop, and if they gained something of seriousness as time went on, the courtesy, the kindliness, and the stately grace of their home life were the same in 1 800-1816 as in the later and more agitated years of reform painted by Disraeli. " Beaumanoir was one of those palladian palaces, vast and ornate, such as the genius of Kent and Campbell delighted in at the beginning of the eighteenth century. Placed on a noble elevation, yet screened from the northern blast, its 108 THE BELVOIR CIRCLE sumptuous front was the boast and pride of the Midland counties. The surrounding gardens, equalling in size the extent of ordinary parks, were crowded with temples dedi- cated to abstract virtues and to departed friends. . . . Be- yond the limits of this pleasance the hart and hind wandered in a wilderness abounding in ferny coverts and green and stately trees. The noble proprietor of this domain had many of the virtues of his class, few of their failings. He had that public spirit that became his station. He was not one of those who avoided the exertions and the sacrifices which should be inseparable from high position by the hollow pre- text of a taste for privacy and a devotion to domestic joys. He was munificent, tender, and bounteous to the poor, and loved a flowing hospitality. A keen sportsman, he was not untinctured by letters, and had, indeed, a cultivated taste for the fine arts. Though an ardent politician, he was tolerant to adverse opinions, and full of amenity to his opponents. A firm supporter of the Corn Laws, he never refused a lease. Notwithstanding, there ran through his whole demeanour and the habit of his mind a vein of native simplicity that was full of charm. His manner was finished. He never offended any one's self-love. His good breeding, indeed, sprang from the only sure source of gentle manners, a kind heart. To have pained others would have pained himself Perhaps, too, this noble sympathy may have been in some degree prompted by the ancient blood in his veins — an accident of lineage rather rare with the English nobility. One could hardly praise him for the strong affections that bound him to his hearth, for fortune had given him the most pleasing family in the world ; but, above all, a peerless wife. The Duchess was one of those women who are the delight of existence. She was sprung from a house not inferior to that with which she had blended, and was gifted with that rare beauty which time ever spares, so that she seemed now only the elder sister of her own beautiful daughters. She, too, was distinguished by that perfect good breeding which is the result of nature and not of education ; for it may be found in a cottage, and may be missed in a palace. 'Tis a genial regard for the feel- 109 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT ings of others that springs from the absence of selfishness. The Duchess, indeed, was in every sense a fine lady ; her manners were refined and full of dignity, but nothing in the world would have induced her to appear bored when another was addressing or attempting to amuse her. She was not one of those vulgar fine ladies who meet you one day with a vacant stare, as if unconscious of your existence, and address you on another in a tone of impertinent familiarity. Her temper, perhaps, was somewhat quick, which made this con- sideration for the feelings of others still more admirable, for it was the result of a strict moral discipline acting on a good heart. Although the best of wives and mothers, she had some charity for her neighbours. Needing herself no indulgence, she could be indulgent, and would by no means favour that strait-laced morality that would constrain the innocent play of the social body. She was accomplished, well read, and had a lively fancy. Add to this that sunbeam of a happy home, a gay and cheerful spirit in its mistress, and one might form some faint idea of this gracious personage." ^ When the family arrived at Belvoir for the winter, the hunt formed a natural centre around which other recreations and occupations revolved. It is unfortunate for us that Nimrod never penetrated into the Belvoir circle, and consequently says but little about the Duke's hunt. In the early part of the century the central figure of Belvoir society was George Brummell, then at the height of his fame and fashion, sur- rounded by all the glamour of the friendship of the Prince of Wales and the adoration of the most fashionable men and women of the day. If we look upon Brummell from the point of view of his contemporaries, we shall see that he presented a not unattractive figure. Young, tall, slight, an ofificer of the most fashionable corps, he was the leader of the most exclusive set of his time. His manners were good and his conversation was charming, or even the Prince's nomina- tion might not have saved him from the fate of a rival ple- beian protege of royalty, who also obtained a commission in the lOth Hussars, and whose father being a tobacconist and ^ Coningsby, by the Earl of Beaconsfield, p. 82. IIO THE BELVOIR CIRCLE snuff-dealer, used to be saluted, whenever he opened his mouth at mess, by a volley of sneezes. But Brummell made no mistakes, and choosing his friends with the same discretion which had made him the most successful hunter of tufts at Oxford, found entrance into many of the great houses whose sons were also in the loth. Among Brummell's brother officers were Lords Charles and Robert Manners, the younger brothers of the Duke. With them his intimacy was close, and it led to invitations to Belvoir and Cheveley. He soon became a welcome guest ; and the Duchess, an otherwise acute woman, seems to have liked him at least as much as did her husband and her brothers. For Brummell had the art of being always interesting. His wit has evaporated with the social gossip of that time, to which it owed its flavour, and we can recover from memoirs nothing of Brummell but his taste in dress and his greediness. Brummell had no heart, and he made heartlessness the fashion of the day, for he could give vogue to anything — a cravat, a coat, or a Prince of Wales. At Belvoir he paid his first visit when the fifth Duke came of age, in January, 1799. " He was one of the distinguished party that assembled there, amongst whom were the Prince of Wales, the late Duke of Argyll, the Marquis of Lome, the present Lord Jersey, etc., and all the neighbouring gentry. The festivities on this occasion lasted for three weeks, and were conducted on a truly ducal scale. The weather being severe, there was, of course, no hunting, so skating was the order of the day ; and Brummell, in going down the hill to the ice, clad in a pelisse of fur, was one morning mistaken by the people, who had assembled in great numbers, for the Prince of Wales, and loudly cheered. This little incident will give some idea of the elegance and dignity of his carriage." ^ Brummell was no sportsman, and very moderate indeed is the head of game to his account in the interesting game book still to be seen in the smoking room at the Castle. But hunting had several advantages in George Brummell's eyes. In the first place, it is a sport in which costume bears 1 Life of Beau Brummell, by Captain Jesse (1844), vol. i., p. 85. Ill THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT no unimportant part ; and in his time, at least, there was an opening for innovations in dress. In this latter respect Brummell was always perfect in taste. Of course he wore the white cravat, which he possessed the art of folding to perfection — an operation which, it is said, the Prince of Wales would spend hours in watching with admiration and respect. Brummell has also the credit of introducing those white tops which the older generation of sportsmen regarded as effemi- nate. Indeed, the old Squire Forester, of Willey, is reported to have held the wearing of brown tops as being the mark of the true sportsman. Brummell was always well mounted, and his groom, Fryatt, turned him out to perfection. This man, who afterwards kept the George at Melton, and made a good deal of money by horse-dealing, was a first-rate stableman and a good judge of hunters. Fryatt bought and sold Brummell's horses without much reference to his master, and it is said that the latter shared in the profits of many a successful deal. Although it is likely that a man who was so self-indulgent as Brummell, and whose courage, moreover, was not above suspicion, did not care greatly for hunting, yet he was a fair horseman. Nimrod says that he could ride respectably, and we have evidence from the records of the Belvoir Hunt that on one occasion, at least, he got to the end of a severe run, being one of four up at the finish. This was among the few good days in a bad season (December 28, 1801). The fox was in Melton Spinney, a covert from which the Belvoir have had so many good runs. Hounds ran over a line of country by no means easy to ride, and if the fences were perhaps neither so numerous nor so strong as they are to-day, the undrained fields were deeper, and it must have needed some horsemanship to get to the end of so long a chase. The line taken was from Melton Spinney to Scalford and past Waltham Pastures. Then hounds turned and ran by Garthorpe and Thisleton into Exton Park, where the pack were stopped. Five men, be- sides Newman the huntsman, were there.^ ^ Messrs. Brummell, Sewell, Yarboro Junior, Douglas and the Duke of Rutland. TI2 THE BELVOIR CIRCLE For Brummell the fates had, as we know, a dire ending in store, and in poverty and squalor he closed a career which had been almost without a redeeming feature. George Brummell was a man who had considerable influence, and invariably used it badly. He never had a friend he did not betray or deceive. A consummate actor, he played the part of walking gentleman on the stage of life, but it was only an assumed character, and he did not redeem the humbleness of his origin by any of the instincts or virtues of gentlehood. He had neither heart, courage, nor honour, and his career was foreshadowed in that early incident of his life when, as a child, he shed bitter tears because he could eat no more damson tart. His own stomach was the only thing on earth the sorrows of which could move him to tears. I have placed Brummell first in the role of names because he was the ruling spirit of his time. Another character who lent dis- tinction to the Belvoir winter gatherings was the Prince of Wales, " the first gentleman in Europe " as he loved to be called, and who by his bad early training and continual self- indulgence had obscured whatever good impulses — and we have the Duke of Wellington's authority that there were some — originally existed in his character. As a sportsman^ however, he stood higher than Brummell, inasmuch as he undoubtedly really loved hunting, though he was too lapped in self-indulgence to undergo the fatigues and hardships of the chase. Moreover, like Brummell, he was doubtless a pleasant and gracious guest to those who looked at him per- force only from the point of view of contemporaries. It is important, when considering any character of the past, that while we cannot help being conscious of the judgment of posterity, we should not read this into the minds of those who were living in such different social surroundings. Death strips not only the body of its beauty, but the soul of its dis- guises, and reputations, vigorous in their own time, crumble into dust with the bones of the men and women who bore them. At Belvoir the Prince was a sportsman and a con- vivial companion. His name, indeed, does not remain in the truthful records of the hunt surrounded by the same glory 113 I THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT as Brummell, for although he enjoyed an excellent run, the reader will note that no special mention is made of any particular distinction as accruing to the Prince. For these records only mention names seldom, and then only when distinction has been honestly earned. *' His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales honouring the hunt with his presence, we went straight to Waltham Pastures, which we tried blank. . . . Drew on to Bescaby Oaks, where we found three or four foxes ; and the hounds dividing, six couples, with many of the gentlemen, went over Croxton Park towards Belvoir ; but taking them off, they returned back to the other part of the pack, which had run a fox to ground in some earths under a wall near Herring's House, Hounds now went back to the Oaks, and finding a fox, ran for one hour and ten minutes, killing their fox in Branston Street. The following day the Prince of Wales came out again. Sport was not very good, and the only notable incident was that a fox found in the Old Park, and run to ground near Draper's Lodge, is said to have been ' the largest fox we had almost ever seen, and even after he had been in the wet drain for above half an hour, he had not lost his size though wet and stiff.' " ^ From the Prince and Brummell to Lord Alvanley is an easy transition, for he was much in their society. Though possibly not much more admirable in character than the others above mentioned, Alvanley was certainly a man of more power than either. He was the son of a law lord, and had ability far above his reputation. Under the frivolities of the dandy, the follies of the wit, and the dissipation of the man about town, he disguised indeed many excellent gifts. Whatever he did, he did well and with all his heart. A hard rider among hard riders at Melton and Belvoir, a dandy among dandies at Watier's, he was the friend and associate of Talleyrand, of whom he used to tell an amusing story of the great diplomatist being moved to tears. The Duke of W^ellington had defended M. de Talleyrand from some attack in the House of Lords. When Alvanley visited him the next ^ Journal of Operations of the Belvoir Hounds., 1801, pp. 24, 25. 114 THE BEL VOIR CIRCLE morningjTalleyrand sobbed out his gratitude,"} 'en suis d'autant plus reconnoissant a M. le Due, que c'est le seul homme d'etat dans le monde qui ait jamais dit du bien de moi." Lord Alvanley, besides being a Meltonian of some shrewdness and foresight, was one of the best heavy-weights that ever crossed Leicestershire. He gave long prices for his horses, and loved to ride them over big places, observing that he saw no use in giving 700 guineas for a horse unless it could do more than other people's horses. He was very fond of larking, in which another heavy-weight, Mr. Maher, was often the leader. This fine rider won the well-known wager for £100 made with Lord Alvanley, " That each did not ride over a brook that measured six yards in the clear without disturbing the water." They both cleared it hand- somely, but a bit of dirt being thrown back by Lord Alvanley's horse after he had landed, he lost the bet. It was on one of these larks home, after a bad day, that Lord Alvanley made the celebrated remark, " What fun we should have if it were not for these d d hounds! " Every one knows that he wore a strange and wonderful pair of boots, of which a picture may be seen in Mr. Birch Reynandson's amusing Sport and Anecdote. No name occurs in contemporary memoirs oftener than that of Alvanley, and the impression these records leave on the mind is that of a clever man who deliberately chose an idle and somewhat self- indulgent life. He had a sufficient fortune, which he wasted, and an assured, though not a great, position. He viewed the drama of life from the stalls, and like other occupants of those comfortable seats, had less inclination to take part in the action of the piece than the spectators in the gallery. From Lord Alvanley to the Duke of York, with whom he was a great favourite, is a natural transition. The Duke of Rutland was more intimate with his Royal Highness than with any other member of the Royal Family, and the Duke of York was a constant and favourite visitor at Belvoir and Cheveley, though he no doubt preferred racing to hunting, and whist to either sport. His jolly face is immortalised in the ceiling of the Elizabeth saloon at the 115 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT Castle in a mythological group, where he appears as Jupiter, a deity with whom he had at least some points in common. He was a kindly, not over-wise prince, much given to wine and gambling, but remarkable in the annals of his family for never deserting or losing a friend. When Berkeley Craven, another leading member of this set, was speaking harshly at Oatlands of Brummell and Alvanley, the Duke administered a reproof to him which has been often quoted. The Duke of Dorset and Mr. Delmd Radcliffe were guests at the Castle at the same time as Brummell and the Princes, and were well known in the sporting world as among the leading gentlemen riders of the day. Though they followed the hounds like the rest of the guests, they rather sought distinction at Bibury or Croxton Park than in the hunting field. The former was noted for his hardness and condition. " A stirring ride [about twelve miles] that we took this morning, Dorset," the Duke of York is reported to have said to him one morning at Brighton. " It was, sir," was the reply ; " but I had ridden from London before I had the honour of attending your Royal Highness in your ride." Another member of the set was " Chig " Chester, one of those useful, all-round men who are always popular at country houses — equally ready to spend the day with hounds or with the gun, to take his share of wine after dinner, or to sit up half the night playing cards with the Duke of York, who never could be induced to go to bed while any one would sit up to remain with him. There was, too, the Rev. Sir John Thoroton, one of the chief advisers of the Duchess Elizabeth in the rebuilding of Belvoir, and in her favourite experiments in landscape gardening, of which many traces may still be seen. Somewhat of a character, too, was the Sir Watkin Wynn of that day. Sir Watkin was a constant visitor at Belvoir, and rode well to hounds in spite of his great weight. His horses were purchased for him by Tom Penn, his one-eyed groom, and the Welsh baronet was always well mounted. He had a good eye to country, but Nimrod, who had been his tutor, gives us the reason of his success — his fine temper ; he was ii6 THE BELVOIR CIRCLE never known to quarrel with his horse. Among other frequent guests were the two Grosvenors and Mr. John Douglas, a young Scotsman, and a very hard man, of whom it is told that, having a good place in a run, and getting a fall under water, he suffered his horse to drag him eight yards (I am not responsible for the distance) rather than lose his hold of him. Another frequent visitor was Mr. Sloane Stanley, the Duke's racing partner. Then there were three men who deserve some notice in a sporting history, for they were among the finest horsemen of their day. Lord Jersey was one of the brightest ornaments of the shires, and noted for his good looks, of which Lord Alvanley used to tell a good story. A certain young foreign lady, being desirous of capturing the hand of a rich English " milord," paid great attention to Lord Alvanley. The interest was more on her side than his, and once when dancing with her at Almack's, he had come to the end of his conversational resources. See- ing Lord Jersey come in, he remarked, for the sake of saying something, " What a handsome man Jersey is ! " to which, with a tender glance, the lady instantly replied, " He shall not be so pretty than you." Lord Jersey later in life took a considerable part in politics and on the turf. Curiously enough, his greatest success was the cause of the death of another well-known member of the Belvoir set. Many years after the time of which I am writing, when Lord Jersey's Bay Middleton won the Derby, Berkeley Craven shot him- self, being unable to meet his engagements. Lord Jersey's most brilliant time as a rider to hounds was when he was Lord Villiers. He was, according to Nimrod,^ one of the hardest, boldest, most judicious riders^ as well as the most elegant. He rode horses always above his weight. Lord Villiers was apt at times to press too hardly on the hounds. We may hope, however, that the exclamation recorded of him is somewhat exaggerated. " Curse these hounds, what a bore they are ! they can't get from under one's horse's feet." Two famous black horses ^ Hunting Reminiscences, p. 209. 117 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT on which Lord Villiers led the field have been spoken of as his best in his early days. That he was very quick to hounds may be inferred from the fact that on one occasion, in Newman's time, when hounds had slipped their field at Holwell Mouth, and only the hunt servants and three farmers had got away with them, Lord Villiers, the Duke of Rutland, and Mr. Charles Meynell were the only three who got to them. After a time he was seldom or never seen in Leicestershire. He would, however, sometimes come out in his home country the Bicester, and when he liked the day, the country and his horse, would go brilliantly as of old ; but, like most men who have tasted the joys of the shires, he never cared so much afterwards for hunting in the provinces. In a history of the Belvoir the name of Forester demands a place only second to that of Manners, and the first Lord Forester, better known at the period about which I am writing as Cecil Forester, the brother-in-law of the Duke, was a very leading man at Belvoir. He was one of the finest horsemen of his day. At Melton, in earlier days, he had been the plague of Mr. Meynell's life, when that gentleman, having introduced a quicker style of hunting hounds, found that he had also attracted into the hunting field a more dashing class of riders, of whom Mr. Childe, of Kinlet, and Cecil Forester were the most prominent. The latter's "splitter- cockation " pace was, according to Mr. Meynell's own account, destructive of his happiness in fox-hunting. Lord Forester was undoubtedly a clever man, for no fool can take a good place in a run and keep it to the end. This requires brains, for though a courageous, thick-headed individual may go fairly well for twenty minutes, he will probably be in a ditch or standing by the side of a beaten horse at the end of this time. For success in riding a run is the result of quickness of apprehension and a power of rapid decision. The slow-witted man, however courageous, will never be i-n the first place in a long run. Though unintelligent reck- lessness may put a man into the first place for a time, it cannot keep him there ; nay, more — mere blind courage will either break its neck or its nerve before many years pass. ii8 THE BEL VOIR CIRCLE In no sense does pluck, pure and simple, serve to make a man a " stayer " in hunting. But of course we cannot do without pluck, and Cecil Forester possessed this together with other qualities, and his reputation has descended to us as one of the foremost of the many hard riders of his day. He was the nephew and heir of that George Forester, of Willey Park, by whom he was brought up. In his fortunate life there were no changes, vicissitudes, or doubts. He was bred up a sportsman, and to fox-hunting he gave his life, thoughts, energies, and means, and could he have escaped the gout he might have hunted for many more years than he did, in the first rank of Leicestershire riders. Lord Forester was a heavy-weight, and, like others of his family, tall and remarkably good-looking. He married in 1800 the Lady Katharine Manners, and from that time was a constant visitor at Belvoir, and became a regular follower of the Duke's hounds. Lord Forester was a good judge, not only of horses, but of hounds and hunting altogether. No doubt he had often been at Belvoir before, but I find that the first mention of him in connection with the hunt was in 1 804, when he writes : — '■'■ Dece^nber 6th, 1804. " The behaviour of your young hounds this day demands my notice, as well as the prospect of our future sport and diversion. The whole of their behaviour might have been viewed by Mr. Meynell or any other judge of hunting ; there was a large field out, and I never saw people more pleased, or Newman so perfectly satisfied with his hounds." ^ He had already a great reputation, and words of praise from him meant much. He was much given to pressing on hounds, but this fault arose rather from jealousy than want of knowledge. A good friend, a most honourable gentleman, and a pleasant companion, he could not bear to see any one in front of him, while his weight made it necessary for him to take every advantage he possibly ^ Memoirs of the Belvoir Hounds, p. 37. 119 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT could. It was his custom to be always " creeping on " — his own expression — in order to poach a start, a trick not un- known in our day, but which spoils as much sport with fox-hounds as anything. He was not raised to the peerage till 1 82 1, but he is so generally spoken of by his title that it is more convenient so to name him. Of him Nimrod remarks : — " All those who knew this intellectual sportsman also knew the natural gaiety of his disposition and how fond he was of a joke, and particularly when he himself had the best of it. . . . On one occasion it is told of him that, having the lead in a quick thing, and no one else on his heels, he came to a park paling which no horse could leap. His quick eye, however, espied a small bridle gate in which the park keeper had left his key ; so popping through it quickly his lordship turned the key after him, put it into his pocket, and * bade the field good-bye.' On another, when in the same enviable situation, i.e. having the lead, he leaped into a deep pit brimful of water. As he was in the act of swimming out of it he observed a man on foot warning those who were following him of their danger. ' Hold your tongue,' roared his lordship ; ' we shall have it full in a minute.' " ^ The point of these two jokes is obvious, but it may be doubted whether Forester's natural gaiety was shared by the rest of the field, and readers of Sponge may not have forgotten how Surtees has borrowed the latter story for that keenest yet most selfish of sportsmen the Earl of Scamper- dale. Nimrod, whose admiration for Lord Forester was unbounded, also mentions that his lordship was much given to quizzing a " slow top." ^ The contemporary definition of a slow top is a man "with a front to his bridle, or with a martingale ; on a country-made saddle, with knobs on his stirrups ; with a saddle cloth ; in a straight-cut coat ; in leather breeches or military spurs." ^ But this is the darker ^ Nimrod's Hunting Reminiscences, p. 164. ^ Nimrod's Hunting Tour, p. 552. 3 Ibid. 120 THE BEL VOIR CIRCLE side of the picture, and some selfishness must be expected from a man who enjoyed almost endless prosperity, only just flavoured with enough gout to enable him to enjoy his health when he had it. He was thoughtful of his horses, and though he would gallop as fast as any one between his fences, he was most careful not to hurry his horses at the leaps and economised their powers. Perhaps the best horse he ever owned was the Bernardo which he has himself immortalised in the verses given above. His favourite style of horse was one not above 15-2, with long, well-placed shoulders, sloping pasterns, and good feet, with of course the necessary strength behind the saddle, powerful quarters, and sound hocks. So good was his judgment that his horses always fetched high prices, and " I bought him of Forester " was a certificate of excellence. His friendly rival, Mr. Cholmondeley, used to say that though he was lighter than Lord Forester by two stone, this gave him no advantage in a run, as the perfect seat and fine hand of the latter more than counterbalanced the difference in weight. Lord Forester and Mr. Tom Smith share between them, in the diaries of the Belvoir Hunt, the glory of being the men who at the end of a long run were most often present and able to help the servants in stopping hounds. Only inferior to Lord Forester as a horseman, and even more popular as a man, was Mr. Cholmondeley, afterwards Lord Delamere. This gentleman was not the least delightful member of the circle at Belvoir. Later in life he retired to Cheshire, and devoted himself to managing his property at Vale Royal and to hunting with his county pack. All through his life he was loved and respected, and his name comes down to us without a shadow to dim its bright- ness. Like Lord Forester he obtained a peerage, and whether the honour was conferred on account of the eminence these two gentlemen had obtained as sportsmen, as one contem- porary writer suggests, it is not for me to say, but no doubt peerages have often been bestowed for less excellent reasons. But to return from the guests to the house of Belvoir itself. Belvoir was not only a palace but a home, and it is 121 mf It THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT remarkable to find how many of the guests seem to have treated it as their headquarters. Brummell always had his own room there, and Mr. Assheton Smith, when not occupy- ing a country as M.F.H., seems to have almost lived there in the hunting season. On this well-known character I am not going to dwell, for his exploits have been so often told and his history is so well known. He is, in fact, far more popular with posterity than a rough and rather overbearing temper permitted him to be with the people of his own day. Of his qualities as a huntsman there are different opinions, but as a rider every one is agreed that no stronger or bolder horseman has ever crossed Leicestershire. His famous saying, that there was no fence in the famous South Quorn country (now Mr. Fernie's) you could not get over with a fall, exactly describes the resolute nature of the man. The preoccupation of most of us when riding over that very delightful and sporting but most difficult country is how to get over without a fall. Both the Duke's brothers. Lord Charles and Lord Robert, had been in the loth Hussars, and the former had served with some distinction in the Peninsula. Lord Robert was a great dandy and a hard rider. Lord Charles was perhaps the keener about hunting of the two younger brothers. Lord Robert " the Dandy " was a prominent figure of the set in London of which Brummell was the leader, and was one of those who had most occasion to regret the fact. It is admissible to wonder how his family relished Lord Forester's allusions in the poem to these troubles. A figure from the past once more moved among the Belvoir circle. The Rev. George Crabbe was now Rector of Muston and Allington, these livings having been pro- cured for him by the Duchess Mary Isabella, and after some wanderings the poet had come back to settle in the Vale of Belvoir. He had been the friend of the late Duke, and he was no less valued by the son, nor had his affectionate loyalty to the family to whom he owed so much wavered in the slightest degree. The poet moved, a strange and some- 122 -H b« •= THE BEL VOIR CIRCLE what incongruous figure, among the fashionable folk. That Crabbe did not find himself out of place may be attributed to the fact that the " barbarians " of that day did not cut themselves off from books with the same resolution as their successors of to-day, and it was still thought the right thing to mingle a little flavour of classical culture and literary taste with your sport and your wine. It was part of the education of a gentleman to know Horace and Virgil and even to quote them at times. Men still wrote books and read them, and there were libraries in the great houses which were valued and even used. A successful author was some- thing of a personage in the early part of the century, and Crabbe was acknowledged to hold a very high place in English poetry, though Byron, Shelley, Coleridge and Words- worth were still unknown to fame. It is, however, a curious illustration of a trait in the poet's character that, as he had been drawn to Robert Thoroton, so he liked Brummell, whom he has distinguished among the guests by favourable notice, and of whom his son and biographer has recorded that "my father was particularly pleased and amused with the conversation of the celebrated Beau Brummell," ^ This may be taken not so much as a testimony in Brum- mell's favour as an indication that Brummell knew how to flatter, and that Crabbe snuffed the fragrant incense with approval. At once parson and poet, how could he do other- wise ? The link that connected all the various elements of this society was the hunt, since after all, hunting is an impulse of human nature of longer descent than any other, and belongs to a stage in our evolution when society and literature were represented by tribal dances and hieroglyphics. Many and various were the groups of distinguished men who succeeded each other in lordly procession through the stately rooms of the Castle, but most of them visited the kennel, attended the meet, and joined in the after-dinner talk on the events and incidents of the hunting field. ^ The Life of George Brummell, by Captain Jesse, vol. i., p. 239. 123 Chapter VIII THE GOOD DUKE 1825-1857 THE death of the Duchess EHzabeth stopped hunting for a month in the early autumn of 1825, and was no doubt the immediate cause of the retirement of the Duke from the management of the hounds some Httle time afterwards, in favour of Lord Forester, who was the son of his sister, the Lady Katharine. The fifth Duke was still a young man, but many duties began to press upon him, and like the other great noblemen of his party, he was stirred by the coming of reform. Although the apprehensions of the Tories were somewhat lulled as time went on, many among them saw clearly enough that with reform the balance of power would pass to a new section of society. Excitement swept through all classes, and whether it was to be attributed to this or not, the period was marked in the Belvoir country by a lessening of interest shown by the Duke in the hounds. He kept the pack up, for he would not have had a single person deprived of their sport, and he was proud of the magnifi- cent establishment which had already won a world-wide fame. But on January 9th, 1829, closes the long series of carefully kept diaries in which from day to day had been recorded the doings of the pack, the conduct of each individual hound, and occasionally the exploits of the riders. The accounts of the runs I have not quoted from very largely, for the narrative would not add anything to our knowledge of the history of the pack. They do indeed tell us of the care that was expended on the hunt, and as we turn over the carefully 124 THE FIFTH DUKE IN HIS CORONATION ROBES. From the Picture by John Sanders in tlie Eliz:ibeth Saloon at nelvoir. THE GOOD DUKE printed and carefully edited volumes, some of which are illus- trated with sketches of hunting incidents in body colour, we see how the aim at perfection in details, which has been a part of the policy of the management of the pack, has brought it to such excellence. I seem, too, to recognise in these carefully prepared materials for the historian a true and large con- ception of the future that lay before the hunt, and a compre- hension of the fact that this pack should represent in history the position and influence of a great national sport in our national life and progress. In our time the days of hunting are, it may be, drawing to a close, for many of those who once supported it are, if not actually hostile, at least so in- different that they habitually use wire for the mending of their fences, regardless of the injury thus inflicted on the sport and the suffering caused by it. It is melancholy to reflect that one of the greatest sportsmen of the day has given it as his opinion that " wire and silence " will be the end of fox-hunting. But to return to the Belvoir. Though the records ceased for a time, the materials for a history are still forthcoming. The pack, as we have already seen, had reached a point of great excellence. Thomas Goosey was one of the best kennel huntsmen in England, for no one understood better the breeding and conditioning of hounds. So well estab- lished was the pack that Belvoir was rather in a position to help other kennels than under the necessity of going abroad for fresh blood. At the beginning of the season of 1826 the only new blood in the kennel was derived from Lord Middleton's hounds, whose Benedict, Damper, Forester, Vanguard and Warrior had been freely used in 1823, and were responsible for a considerable part of the entry. Lord Middleton was at this time hunting the Warwickshire country with great magnificence and success. He was not apparently in much favour with Nimrod, having probably committed the offence of refusing to take that genial writer at his own valuation. But Apperley was after all too good a sportsman not to acknowledge merit when he saw it, and he pays a tribute to the condition of the Warwickshire hounds, 125 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT which he points out was better than that of the hunt horses. At all events Lord Middleton's hounds, which were de- scended from those with which Mr. Corbet had hunted the country during his second mastership, had been brought to a great state of excellence by the attention the master paid to legs, feet and shoulders. Several Melton men saw these hounds about this time, and the praises of them they brought back doubtless prompted the Duke and Goosey to go to that kennel. Either the Belvoir got what they wanted, or, on the other hand, they were not satisfied with the results — there is no evidence to tell us which was the case, for we do not find the Warwickshire again in the list of kennels which helped to build up the Belvoir, unless indeed we may consider that recourse was had to Warwickshire blood when Sir Tatton Sykes's Driver and Barrister appear in the pedigrees, for the foundation of Sir Tatton's pack had been ten couples of the best of Lord Middleton's Warwickshire hounds. A memor- able year in the annals of the Belvoir pack is that of 1825, for then was begun the close connection between Belvoir and Brocklesby which was to be so fortunate for both kennels. The latter is one of the oldest kennels in England, for it dates back to 17 13. The pack had a small beginning, as for some years the hounds were hunted in partnership. The following is the agreement concerning the ownership of the pack : — " It is agreed that the fox-hounds now kept by Sir John Tyrwhitt, and the hounds now kept by the same Mr. Pelham, shall be joined in one pack, and each of them — the said Sir John Tyrwhitt, Robert Vyner, and Charles Pelham — to have an equal share and interest in the said pack." At the end of the five seasons for which this arrangement lasted, the whole of the little pack passed into the hands of Mr. Pelham, in the possession of whose family the hounds have remained ever since. The agreement of 171 3 is not dissimilar to that which I have already noted as existing be- tween Mr. Noel, the Duke of Rutland, and Lord Cardigan, and probably marks one of the first steps towards systematic fox-hunting. In many countries, no doubt, the way in which 126 THE GOOD DUKE this end was obtained was by the squires joining forces to hunt a larger territory than any single member of their body could manage, and for this they had a more effective pack than had hitherto been the case. Then as one squire in the long run would outstay his fellow-masters, many of the old lesser private establishments became united, and succeeded to the territorial rights of all, the limits of the hunting countries, as we have them to-day, thus becoming gradually deter- mined. The earliest huntsman of the Brocklesby was Tom Smith, father of the well-known huntsman who was, as whipper-in and huntsman, in the service of the Pelham family for nearly sixty years. The hounds, when this Thomas Smith had them, owed much to Belvoir blood, which indebtedness was amply repaid during the mastership of Lord Granby, who went largely to the Brocklesby kennels. The Smiths had been long tenants on the Pelham estates, and they were of superior education and ability. Their great love for the chase led them to take service with the Lords of Brocklesby, and for one hundred and fifty years some member of the family held the post of huntsman. If we may judge from a picture by Stubbs of a certain hound named Ringwood, which hangs at Brock- lesby, the pack had by the time the picture was painted (1719) already reached a high standard of excellence. The pedi- grees of this kennel go back to 1746. The particular Smith who came into office in 18 16 was a contemporary of Goosey, at Belvoir, and these two huntsmen were probably the best hound judges of their day. Smith was perhaps the better huntsman of the two in the field, and was a man of more education and refinement than Goosey. We shall see later what the Belvoir was able to do for the Brocklesby, but at this time Goosey, anxious to get the best possible hound, turned to the Brocklesby for help. I am inclined to think that now Goosey had more freedom allowed him than had been the case before. The coming of reform was already casting its shadows, and the Duke of Rutland was one of those who foresaw that it would deal a blow to the country party. He consequently opposed it strenuously, and when 127 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT he found opposition useless, endeavoured to modify or miti- gate the results of what, from his standpoint, was something of a disaster. We know now that he was right, and that reform broke the power of the great landlords, and gave it to the middle classes, who, having no genius for politics, have been in their turn displaced by the working-class voter. Thus other interests and anxieties drew the Duke more into the whirl of politics and away from sport. Small events and great are thus inextricably connected in the infinitely complex web of life, and the Reform Bill in- directly affected the development of the Belvoir pack, as it has since affected the sport itself by the diffusion of wealth among men of very varied birth, but who, being Englishmen, all have the love of sport implanted in them. The Brocklesby cross with the Belvoir was a success, for the former hounds were, so to speak, thoroughbred, and might be trusted to breed true to a type. The Smiths had followed that principle in breeding hounds which was also followed at Belvoir, never to use hounds of the quality of whose blood they were not sure, and showing a preference for those which had originally sprung from their own stock. With but few, if any, exceptions, we find this plan uniformly followed at Belvoir. For it will be noted in the following lists that in most cases the outcross from these kennels is obtained by going to the packs which had already some Belvoir or Brocklesby blood in their veins. The result of this policy has been to raise these two packs to undisputed pre-eminence among the kennels of the United Kingdom; the Belvoir having their unrivalled quality, and the Brocklesby their size, substance, and tongue. In the matter of size, the standard of the Brocklesby dog pack, when I saw Lord Lonsdale hunting them in the Quorn country in 1895-96, was certainly above that of the Belvoir, and to the strong infusion of Brocklesby blood may be attributed the tendency noted by some masters, even in the present day, of the offspring of Belvoir sires to be larger than their parents. Of course, the extraordinary advantages possessed by the Belvoir have enabled them to get the pack 128 THE GOOD DUKE of the size and colour they wish, since with from sixty to one hundred couples of puppies it has been possible to draft down to any extent, and for very small faults. During these years we find the name of Osbaldeston constantly cropping up in the history of the Belvoir. The " squire," as he was called by his friends, was a very careful and thoughtful hound-breeder. His pack both gave to and received blood from the Belvoir, but his original sources of blood for the pack with which he was at this time hunting the Quorn, were the Pytchley, Lord Monson and Lord Vernon's hounds. Thus we imagine that the Belvoir got another infusion of the black-and-tan colour- ing from Mr. Osbaldeston. But one of the greatest glories of Belvoir is that it should have given to the Quorn the celebrated Furrier, who, putting aside the fact that he was not quite straight in front, was as good a fox-hound as ever lived. It is only necessary here to advert in passing to the fact that so fond was Mr. Osbalde- ston of Furrier, that one Kirby Gate Monday he took into the field a pack of twenty couples, all of Furrier blood. The young hounds took after their sire, a very hard-running sort. " He was a very black and white hound, very stout, and a hard runner, but not a great line hunter."^ This famous hound was by Belvoir Saladin, which was used a good deal in Newman's time in the Belvoir kennel. So Tarquin, a plain, ill-tempered hound, was descended from Belvoir Top- per, one of the only two home-bred hounds used in 1 809 ; another being the famous Traveller, the hound that made so great a name for himself on the day when " the Duke fixed at Waltham to meet," of which a record in prose and verse has already been given. Tarquin had a lovely tongue, a quality, as we have seen, not too frequent in Mr. Osbaldeston's kennel, and was a very sure finder. Like Furrier, and many other good hounds before and since, Tarquin entered late. In 1824 the Belvoir sought the assistance of Mr. Osbaldeston's Vaulter to found a family of line hunters. Vaulter was a hound with a wonderful nose, a real huntsman's friend. In fact, there was a continual interchange of blood between Mr. Osbalde- ^ Silk and Scarlet^ p. 359. 129 K THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT ston's kennel and that of the Duke of Rutland, apparently to the advantage of both, while the latter, by their constant recurrence to Brocklesby, were saved from the muteness which was the great fault of the squire's pack, especially after he took his hounds into the Pytchley country. These hounds had the virtue of getting together quickly on the line of their fox when he goes away, which is, as we know, so distinguishing a mark of the Belvoir to-day. On the whole, the connection of the Belvoir with the squire was a fortunate one, for though opinions might differ as to the squire's merits as a huntsman, every one acknowledged that he was the best hound-breeder of his day. With a slight admixture of Grove blood. Goosey preserved the same general principles of breeding, going back again and again to those kennels in which there was a strong in- fusion of Belvoir blood, and striving always to graft on the race of Belvoir the nose of Yarborough. If we look for contemporary opinion on the subject of the hounds we shall have no difficulty in drawing a picture for ourselves of the Belvoir pack. This is what Nimrod says at the close of the season 1824-25. His remarks incidentally tell us what a good kennel hunts- man Goosey was, for the season had been a hard one, and hounds hunted one hundred and twenty-two days, and killed ninety-four foxes. Mr. Apperley met hounds at Stubton, which is still, what it was then, one of the stiffest parts of the Belvoir country. " I was told the day before by a hard-riding Meltonian that I must screw up my nerves if I went into the Stubton country, and I think I never did see one so strongly fenced. If I could have made use of the pencil, I would have brought away a sketch of one of them. It was a blackthorn hedge, about eight inches higher than the top of my hat as I stood on the ground, with growers in it as thick as a man's thigh, plashed at the top, and with a wide ditch on one side. On remarking to Mr. Robert Grosvenor that it was a stiff country, he observed that it was so, to be sure. ' But,' added he, ' a man has nothing to do but to throw his heart over and follow 130 THE GOOD DUKE it.' This is all very well, thought I, but it is not every heart that will leap so high, even when its owner gives the word. ' A man cannot add a cubit to his stature.' " ^ Of the hounds he says : " I found them — as I expected to find them — very clean in their skins ; but I was more par- ticularly struck with the fine length of their frames, and the strongly marked and uniform character of the pack. All this, however, is to be accounted for. For one mile that these hounds travel, Mr. Osbaldeston's travel six ; and the Duke generally breeds from thirty to forty couples of whelps every year, so that if twenty couples of them stand, he can always pick and choose." ^ And of the huntsman and "whip" : " I liked Goosey's (the huntsman) manner with his hounds very much indeed, par- ticularly his getting them away from covert. The Rufus- headed whipper also took my fancy — not for his likeness to the Belvidere Apollo, but for a something about him that looked very much like a hard-riding whipper-in to a good pack of fox-hounds, and he seemed to know his business well. The Duke's hounds hunt only four days a week."^ The same writer notes that when he met the hounds at Croxton Park there were nine hundred people out. So that Leicestershire crowds are by no means an innovation of our own times. As a matter of fact, Leicestershire has always had a big crowd, an alien crowd, and a crowd in a hurry, and the style of hunting there has been modified by the necessi- ties of keeping hounds clear of the field. The liking for blood horses either, is not a fashion peculiar to our time, for some sixty or seventy years ago Nimrod says : " No sooner is a thorough-bred hunter seen in Leicestershire than he is sold, if his owner is disposed to part with him. I rode Sham- rock at Stowe wood, and the following morning he became the property of Mr. Middleton Biddulph — at a premium, of course, as they say on 'Change."^ This horse was an ex-racer, and, contrary to the usual rule in such cases, was also a capital hack, and Mr. Apperley made ^ Nimrod's Hunting Tour. p. 229, ed. 1835. ^ Ibid.^ p. 228. ^ Ibid.^ p. 229. ■* Ibid., p. 506. 131 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT £S'^ by the deal. It was a showy animal, and a good bold fencer, and was quite the modern stamp of Leicestershire horse, save that it was smaller than we care for now. Some years before this, the Duke had bought some of Mr. Heron's famous pack from Cheshire. These hounds were remarkable for the excellence of the sport they showed, and they brought their good qualities into the Belvoir kennel. They also brought in a good deal of the rich colouring which had already become a feature of the Belvoir kennels, though not to the same extent that was afterwards the case when Rallywood from Brocklesby began a new era for the Belvoir. The fifth Duke was a keen sportsman, but he had many other occupations and he loved society, and for that reason he spent a good deal of time at Cheveley and dipped from there into racing. He was a member of the Jockey Club, and he ran a dead heat for the Derby with Cadland in 1828. This success stirred in him a little enthusiasm for the turf, but it soon died out. The Duke's racing interest had indeed been much stimulated by his intimacy with the second Earl of Chatham, the Duke of York and Mr. Sloane Stanley, and when the influence of these friends was lessened or withdrawn, the Duke's liking for racing flickered out ; a horse called Flambeau, which he had bred himself, and with which he had had some success, being his last racer of any note. For a time the Duchess's death was a blow to the gaieties of Belvoir, and the Duke never ceased to feel her loss. Yet the duties of a great landlord and the political excitements of the time could not fail to distract and to employ his mind. But from this date his personal interest in hunting, and his attendance in the hunting field, became less frequent, until in the year 1829 he gave up the entire management of the hounds to Lord Forester. After that year the Duke only appeared in the hunting field occasionally, and then rather in order to meet his tenants and his friends than with a view to riding hard to hounds. In his early youth the Duke could occasionally go well, but he was never at any time a hard rider, though always a good 132 r^ n From Nimrod's Hunting Remhi THE GOOD DUKE sportsman. As time went on he became very fond of shoot- ing, and it was in his time that pheasants began to share with foxes the tenancy of the Belvoir woods, as they do to this day under the fostering care of Mr. Sharpe, the head gamekeeper, who in his younger days was an excellent rider across country. Thus the fifth Duke, not the least splendid of his race, passes away from the chief position in this history, though, as we shall see, Belvoir still remained a delightful meeting-place for hunting guests. The Duke's hospitality was lavish almost to a fault, and his love of society never failed, and although he might no longer take so active a part in the field, the welfare of the pack which had grown up to fame and excellence under his own eye was always dear to him. But few visitors left Belvoir without having seen the kennels, or, if it was the hunting season, without having been present at a meet. The Belvoir Hunt was now the fashion. The " right hand of Melton " one writer calls it. The Croxton Park assemblies were as large then as they are now, and the leading hunting men of the day were to be seen at the covert side in a dress not unlike our present fashion. The horses, too, would remind us of the present day, as many followed the example of that fine horseman. Lord Charles Manners, and rode nothing but blood horses. Lord Charles had found out the value of blood on the day when he had that adven- turous ride in the Peninsula to which he owed his life. " We are all well acquainted," says an old writer, " with the anecdote of the escape of the gallant Lord Charles Man- ners, who, when surprised in Spain by a squadron of French Lancers and desired to surrender, determined upon a struggle for his liberty, replied only by such a start as he would have taken at the sound of ' gone away ' from a gorse covert. Quickly applying spurs to the sides of his charger, a thorough-bred mare — luckily the second which he had mounted after the fatigue of a general action, a mare distinguished in Leicestershire — he led chase, fearlessly steering his course, indifferent to a volley of sacres and threats, accompanied by the display of weapons in his 133 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT rear, straight towards a ravine in front of him, charging it at a point somewhat broader than the full breadth of the Whissendine, and, clearing it, landed in safety on the oppo- site bank, to the infinite amazement of all les messieurs braves des braves, not one of whom could regard it other- wise than as the most unnegotiable ne plus ultra of pursuit." ^ The time, however, had come when the Duke felt the necessity of shifting the burden of responsibility on to younger shoulders. And with the need came the man. In 1830 the Duke handed over the horn and the management of the pack to John George Lord Forester, the son of his old friend and brother-in-law, the first Lord, who had passed away in 1828. There could have been no better choice ; but the story of Lord Forester's mastership belongs to another chapter in the history of the hunt. * Sporting Review, vol. i., 1839, p. 208. 134 t ~^.. GEORGE, SECOND LORD FORESTER. For many years Master of the Belvoir Hounds. By permission of the proprietors of Baiieys Magazine. Chapter IX THE OLD HUNTSMAN AND THE YOUNG MASTER 1830-1842 THE young Lord Forester had every qualification for the post he was to occupy as master of the Belvoir. From his earh'est years an enthusiastic lover of hunting, that enthusiasm did not grow cold with time. Long, indeed, after he was unable to mount his horse without assistance, Lord Forester would go well with hounds, though not, of course, with the brilliance of the earlier days of his mastership. If we want to know what the new master was like in appear- ance, we have but to glance at the reproduction of the famous hunt breakfast picture, by Sir Francis Grant, on the opposite page. The painting from which this print is taken hangs in the smaller dining-room at Belvoir, and differs in some respects from the other well-known picture, which has been often engraved, and which is familiar to most of my readers. The original of the latter picture is, I believe, in the possession of the present Lord Cromer, and is in his town house in Berkeley Street. That from which the present reproduction is made was in the possession of Mr. Gilmour till his death, when it passed by bequest to the sixth Duke of Rutland, who was his inti- mate friend. In this painting Sir Francis Grant introduces two figures, Scotch friends of Mr. Gilmour, which do not appear in the other. Every one knows the curiously for- tunate career of Sir Francis Grant, one of the handsomest men of his time. How he spent his little patrimony 135 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT (i^ 1 0,000) in hunting, how he lived in the best society at Melton, and was a good heavy-weight even in that day of distinguished Welters. How he often pounded the field on horses not always of the best, for he was not a good judge of horseflesh. How, like other people, he had his turn of luck when he bought that wonderful mare from the gipsies, on which he finished the day alone with hounds, when all, even Goodall, were beaten ; and how he sold the mare for a large sum one Croxton Park Wednesday. We know, too, that when the patrimony was expended Sir Francis made a handsome income by painting portraits ; and many of us can remember the time when no Academy Ex- hibition was complete without one or more of the President's exceedingly well-groomed looking portraits of men and horses. The Melton Breakfast is probably his very best work. The scene was familiar, and he threw himself into and touched oiif to the life the likenesses and characters of the various men portrayed. All of them were more or less well-known figures in the Belvoir field, and most of them were among the familiar guests at the Castle. There was Lord Wilton, the finest of horsemen and the very pink of aristocracy, who ruled for many years the society of Melton and was the mainstay of the Quorn Hunt. He was one of the most beautiful horsemen who ever rode over Leicester- shire, riding with the same tact and judgment that marked his whole character. He was never in a hurry, and yet always with hounds. No doubt he was well mounted, for, except for very few men, that is absolutely necessary for any who would cross Leicestershire with credit. He was fastidi- ous as to the country he rode over, as he was careful in his choice of society, to which not even the masters of the Quorn were admitted without a certain probation, this extending, it is said, in one instance, to two seasons. He had a very fine stud of horses, and with his groom, Jem Goodwin, was the terror of the horse-dealers, who could get nothing out of his Lordship but the right value of their horses. Another portrait is that of Mr. Little Gilmour, who was probably the very best heavy-weight that ever crossed 136 THE OLD HUNTSMAN AND THE YOUNG MASTER Leicestershire. He was always mounted on the best of cattle, and was well able to make use of them. Mr. Gil- mour was a great favourite at Belvoir, where he was a constant visitor. In spite of his fourteen stone in the saddle, like another of the group, Sir Frederick John- stone, Mr. Gilmour dearly loved a lark. He was some- what of a jealous rider, according to Christian, who says : — " The finest bit of jealousy I ever see was from Glaston Pasture to Ketton Village — five on 'em. Mr. Gilmour, on Vingt'un, was first again ; there was Colonel Lowther, Sir James, Mr. Maxse, and Captain White ; you could have covered them with a sheet nearly all the time, but they couldn't head him. I was watching them on one of Sir James Boswell's, the year he went to live at Somerby. Mr. Moore was out, but he couldn't keep company. You can't lay it less than seven miles, no check ; they came up by the Welland Meadows." ^ Another figure well known in his day was Count Matusce- witz, who, it was said afterwards, was a Russian spy ; and at all events we know that the only time Raikes mentions Melton is when he sent some information to the Count there. He was a keen, bold rider — " Matuscewitz never was slack" — and was a great friend of that inveterate old gossip Raikes, from whom he probably picked up a good deal in the way of news. He really liked hunting, and possibly he may have found the sport helped him to get information. He died at last in rather bad circumstances in St. Petersburg, having fallen under the displeasure of the Czar. But for us the principal figure in the picture is that of Lord Forester, handsome as were all the Foresters, who is leaning with his back to the fireplace. He began hunting early, his father having kept a pack of harriers for him at Willey as soon as he was able to ride. While at Christ Church he used to hunt with Sir Thomas Mostyn over the Bicester country, and later at Belvoir he began to make his mark among the riders of the day. Nor was it very long ^ Silk and Scarlet^ p. 27. THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT before he showed that he had inherited his father's judgment in horseflesh, being generally well mounted on active, short- legged horses, somewhat lower than was, and is, to the general taste of Leicestershire riders. On these he was never out of "good things." On the death of his father in 1828, Mr. George Forester succeeded to the title, and two years later he took the hounds. Shortly before this he very nearly put an end to his career altogether. " Lord Forester encountered what may be termed an ' awful case ' with the Duke of Rutland's hounds this season. His lordship — a chip of the old block — delights in hounds, and will be with them if it is on the cards. Coming down one day on the Smite, hounds running very hard, he charged it in his line where there happened to be a stake-and-bound fence on the rising side. His horse touched one of the stakes with his knee. The consequence was, the impetus with which he was going, and which would have enabled him to have cleared everything, was checked, and falling with great vio- lence against the opposite bank, his neck, back, three ribs and thigh were broken on the spot. His lordship escaped with only a broken thumb. Lord Forester is now a member of the Old Club at Melton Mowbray." ^ The Sporting Magazine of the day says that the arrange- ment for hunting the country was that the Duke lent the hounds, kennels and stables, and gave ;^ 1,200 (one authority says ;^i,50o)^ a year towards the expenses. From a corre- spondence between Lord Forester and General Reeves, now in the possession of Mr. J. Reeves, of Leadenham House, it appears that Lord Forester also took a subscription of ;^i,ooo a year from the Grantham side of the country, and found the rest of the expenses himself. The same magazine also states that Sir Harry Goodricke shared in the responsibility of taking over the hounds, but I cannot find any other authority for this. It was, of course, after Nimrod had left the magazine, and its sources of information were not so trustworthy. There seems to have been a general idea * Sporting Magazine, old series, vol. clxxiv., p. 51. ^ This was the amount given at first, afterwards reduced to ^1,200. 138 THE OLD HUNTSMAN AND THE YOUNG MASTER that this arrangement was only temporary, and that when Lord Granby came of age (in 1836) he would take the hounds. But this he had no intention of doing, and I infer that the Duke did not wish it either. Lord Forester, when he took over the hounds, retained for a time Goosey as his huntsman. The young master had, so far as appears, no experience with hounds beyond that of his boyish days with the harriers at Willey. But in Goosey he had a good tutor, and he proved himself so apt a pupil that he became one of the soundest judges of a hound in the kingdom, and, as we shall see later on, was referred to constantly on matters of hound-breeding even after he had given up the mastership. On this point I may refer my readers to the letters from Lord Forester to James Cooper, to be found on a later page. I am not able to discover that Lord Forester made any change in the system of breeding. The appearance of Grove sires in 1829 and 1832 may have been due to his influence, as Goosey is said to have had a prejudice against introducing that blood. At all events the main lines on which the pack had been bred were adhered to, and we may take it that the Belvoir were now, and were recognised to be, the representa- tives of the old Meynell blood, which they had from four sources at least — Lord Monson, Mr. Osbaldeston, Mr. Heron, and Sir Tatton Sykes. This blood, with the successful dip- ping, first into Badminton and then into Brocklesby, and grafted on the original stock of the Belvoir, had produced a most perfect pack ; nor did master or huntsman think that this could be improved on. So, too, visitors thought, for Nimrod writes : — " As perfection is said to be denied to men, it is almost too much to allow it to brutes ; but it is universally ad- mitted that, at the present time, nothing is wanting to the Duke of Rutland's hounds. Their speed, that essential in their country, has ever been notorious, and is so now ; but by the good management of Goosey, by his patient discretion — if I may so express myself — he has tempered their speed with the faculty of hunting ; and though they now fly, they 139 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT fly not without scent. . . , From all I heard — and I asked the opinion of a good many judges — the Belvoir ken- nel never before stood anything like so high. In short, it now stands rubrick in the sporting world." ^ The finishing touch to the pack was indeed put afterwards by Will Goodall, who brought to his task what I should be tempted to describe as a touch of genius. But this belongs to a later period. As to the sport enjoyed, it seems to have been good. We have no longer the assistance of the Records, but there lies before me a small, red, old-fashioned pocket- book in which Lord Forester kept a diary of his sport, and from which we are able to judge what kind of runs the hounds had. There is perhaps less need of the Records, in- asmuch as the hounds now occupy a larger place in the minds of the men of Melton and of the sporting magazines, and even Nimrod extends the patronage of his most mag- nificent style to the hunt. Thomas Goosey had now been many years with the Bel- voir, and was established as one of the leading huntsmen of the day. He was still a powerful horseman, and he had a marvellous constitution and a very hard head, for he is said to have been able to drink a bottle of brandy at a sitting, a statement which is somewhat confirmed by a private letter in my possession, which relates how the old huntsman when driving from Belvoir to visit the Cottesmore kennels, on a cold winter's day, took thirteen glasses of hot whisky and water without being apparently in the least affected by it. He was a very polite man with his field, and his severest re- mark seems to have been, " You jumped on that hound, sir, and I beg leave to say that you buried him as well." Lord Forester is said to have insisted almost from the first on a severe rule of drafting. He never would spare a hound that did not come up to the very highest standard in the matter of legs and feet. The condition and management of the pack at this time gave the greatest satisfaction to all who hunted with it. In * sporting Magazine, old series, vol. clxxiv., p. 48. May, 1829. 140 THE OLD HUNTSMAN AND THE YOUNG MASTER 1839, the year of Lord Suffield's mastership of the Quorn, Nimrod came over from his exile at Calais to enjoy a glimpse of his favourite sport. He was by this time a subdued Nim- rod. The exuberances of his style had disappeared, and his description of the hounds, being that of a contemporary of much experience, finds an appropriate place here. " Of the Belvoir hounds, my opinion is expressed in a few- words. Under every advantage of upwards of thirty years' establishment under the eyes of clever men, and with those means in particular so necessary to the end which large pos- sessions by the owners of them can hardly fail to afford, they are allowed to have arrived at perfection in form and like- wise in their work. The style of hound is also described in a few words. Like the thorough-bred horse, he exhibits a frame peculiarly fitted for the work he has to perform, com- bining immense powers, for his size, disguised, if I may be allowed the expression, by the elegance of his form. But, to speak more soberly, in looking over the pack that was this day out, the eye was attracted to the following distinguishing features. First, their extremely placid demeanour while waiting for the time of throwing off It resembled that of what is termed the sluggish thorough-bred horse previously to his being roused into action. Secondly, the sort of family likeness which reigned throughout the pack. Thirdly, the generally perfect and exact symmetry in their form ; and, lastly, the form itself. It has the length necessary to speed and essential to the stride which a roomy and, in parts, highly ridged country requires, with a display of power in certain portions of the frame, as well as in the acting parts, which cannot be too much admired. For example : the combination of strength with depth of rib is remarkable in these hounds, so distinguished for their blood-like appearance; and this combination is again strengthened by their powerful loins and muscular hind legs. The head of the Belvoir fox- hound has long been remarkable for somewhat of a peculiar construction and for being short. This peculiarity, however, did not strike me so forcibly as when I last saw the pack. Their legs and feet appeared straight and good, as a matter 141 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT of course, where such choice of entry is at command and their bone quite equal to their frame. " In their work, the Belvoir hounds are allowed to be eminent for the manner in which they drive a scent when it is ahead, and for the quick and decisive manner in which they turn with it when it is no longer ahead. This excellence is essential to killing a stout fox which runs short, and the absence of it accounts for the frequent loss of such foxes. The general speed of hounds, indeed, in runs of a certain description, entirely depends on the extent to which they possess this quality. Without it, I should say the chances are three to one in favour of the fox on a good scenting day. I wish to observe that the foregoing remarks are the result entirely of my own observation, not having had conversation with any individual on the subject " The general speed of the Belvoir hounds has long been proverbial." ^ Nimrod, however, returns somewhat to his older style when he speaks of the Duke of Rutland, but he tells us that the Duke was out and took the greatest interest in seeing the hounds draw Melton Spinney. He also tells us of some others who were present. " There were several conspicuous characters this day in the field, amongst them two German princes who were on a visit to Belvoir, and a German count, domiciled at Melton, to all of whom, by their own desire, I had the honour to be in- troduced. Neither was the introduction a mere matter of ceremonious form. The two princes — Trautsmandorfif, the head of his family, as I am told, and the only son of the late master of the horse to the Emperor of Austria ; and Rudolph Lichtenstein, a captain of dragoons in the Austrian service — gave me a pressing invitation to visit them at Vienna, which the distance alone prevents my accepting. Neither did their civility end here ; they offered to mount me, if I hunted with Lord Chesterfield in the woodlands, which, unfortunately, it was not in my power to do, and I missed some fine sport. The name of the count is Neidhardt de Gneisenau, a ^ Sporting Review, vol. xi., p. 183, 1839. 142 THE OLD HUNTSMAN AND THE YOUNG MASTER nephew of my much respected friend, Count Veltheim, whose writings on breeding horses were so much prized by the readers of the Old Sporting Magazine in the days of that periodical's prosperity. Having had a taste of the count over the mahogany, I can confirm the character given me by a countryman of his own, namely, that he is a ' jolly good fellow,' which, indeed, his looks very plainly show. This is, I understand, the second year of the presence of these noble- men in Leicestershire, and two of the three are very good Englishmen." ^ Then he passes to discourse of two ladies who were out, and his method of doing so is clearly early Victorian. " There were, likewise, two conspicuous characters this day in the field, appertaining to the softer sex, namely. Miss Manners of Goadby Hall and Miss Charlesworth. Of the latter I saw nothing in the burst, as she did not go my line ; but I heard an anecdote of her that should not go unre- corded, as it shows she ' comes of a good sort,' as Dick Christian says of a horse, and that she herself is not likely to introduce a bad cross. Getting a very bad fall sometime back, and being rather seriously damaged, she was strongly advised to return home. ' Oh, no,' she replied, * I must not do that ; papa would be very angry if I came home before the run was over.' " ^ On the whole the sport of these early years of Lord Forester's mastership was good, though perchance Goosey was not quite so keen or so close to his hounds as he had been when younger. Yet, although he may not have been so quick in the field, he never ceased to be the best of kennel huntsmen. William Goodall spoke in after years of having been careful to keep up the quality of the hounds, and a close examination of the sport recorded during the latter years of Goosey's time as huntsman shows us that they must have been a stout pack. Take, for example, a run in 1832, from Goadby right into the Cottesmore country. Finding in Goadby Gorse, and leaving Melton Spinney on the right, hounds ran almost straight for Stapleford. No ^ Sporting Review^ vol. xi., p. 186. ^ Ibid.^ vol. ii., p. 188. 143 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT railway then interposed to endanger the life of the hounds or to stop the progress of the sportsmen. From Stapleford they ran right on past Whissendine, and crossed the Melton and Oakham road near Alcock's Lodge, then ran to Cold Overton (now the hunting box of Lord Manners), and from there into Orton Park Wood. As they came this distance in fifty minutes, assuming the time to be accurate, the pace must have been tremendous. From Orton Park Wood they 14, Will Goodall, Whip, 13. Mr. Goosev. 15. J. Robinson, First Whip, afterwards afterwards Huntsman. Kennel Huntsman to Sir Richard Sutton, Bart. I. Rally. 5- Careful, 2. Bertram. 6. Captious. 3- Caroline. ?• Governor 4- Comeley. 8. Fencer. g. Clamorous. 10. Nimrod. 11. Speedwell. 12. Fairplay. Hounds all portraits, but some names forgotten. — F. Grant. hunted slowly up by way of Braunston to Prior's Coppice. In Touch Hill Gorse the fox waited for them, and they had a racing twenty minutes, the last part of the way in view. The fox took refuge in a drain, and Rockwood, the leading hound, went in after him and killed him. With such dash did the hound go in, that he had to be dug out. " This was," says Lord Forester, " a seventeen-mile point." As the run was over the best of the Cottesmore (then known as Lord Lonsdale's), hounds were running over some of the best scent- ing ground in the shires. But that hounds could hunt equally well in an entirely different country we gather from the following note belong- ing to the same season : — " In the morning hounds found a fox in Boothby, and ran him for forty-five minutes and killed him. Then found a 144 THE OLD HUNTSMAN AND THE YOUNG MASTER second fox in Ingoldsby Wood, and sent him along to Bulby in twenty-five minutes. When the fox got to Kirkby Wood he ran the rides, but hounds forced him away and killed him^ in Morton Fen just as darkness fell." One more instance may serve to show the head these hounds carried with a good scent. At three o'clock on December the 2ist, 1839, they found a fox in Lawn Hollow, and one hour later, almost to a minute, they killed him near Grimston. The pack ran literally abreast over the fields, and never checked or hovered all the way. It would be tedious and useless to give the outlines of more runs here, but I have put together a few of those which Leicestershire and Lincolnshire men may like to trace on the map in order to compare the lines of former days with those we ride now. It may also serve to disabuse our minds of a certain error, that sport was much better then than it is now, whereas the run of foxes seems much the same, and the pace of hounds and horses not to diflfer greatly. The rail- ways, no doubt, are the great spoil sports, but even they are not nearly so bad as they might be, and the considera- tion for the interests of hunting shown by the companies and their servants is beyond all praise. The officials have all the instincts of sportsmen, and never spoil a chase or run into a pack if they can help it. I remember, when I was spending a winter at Burton Overy, that the station-master at Kibworth (a capital sportsman by the way) told me that his signal-man had often seen a litter of foxes playing on the platform in the early morning, and the old vixen used to lay up her cubs near the goods yard of the station. Another idea, not uncommon among hunting men, is that in former times there was no opposition to. hunting. But this is not so. On the contrary, there has never been a time when hunting has been without its troubles and its enemies. Whatever may be said and written about the benefits of hunting to the farmer — and no doubt they are great in the long run — it must not be forgotten that the advantages are also for the most part indirect, and therefore to many minds imperceptible. 145 L THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT Yet when we consider the importance of the sport to the prosperity of such counties as Leicestershire and Lincoln- shire, we have only to imagine the state of things if hunt- ing were to cease for a single season. Corn and cattle are, it is true, at the present time equally depressed, but what the condition of these counties would be if all the hunting establishments were withdrawn it is difficult to imagine. There have always been Englishmen who are ready to be- lieve they are oppressed, and that their rights as well as their fields are trampled under foot, and such will resist the privileges of sport accordingly. They are open but honest foes, and they do comparatively little injury to hunting — perhaps, indeed, are no real danger to it at all. The real peril and hindrance in the future, as in the past, lie in the selfishness and indifference of a certain class of landowners, who, while professing to be sportsmen, put up miles of barbed wire fencing over their land. No man who is not covertly hostile to hunting would permit such fencing on his property. As an illustration of the difficulties which arose in the early days of the Belvoir, the most, by far, were occasioned by the opposition of the landlords. We have seen how Sir William Manners turned off the Duke's hounds in conse- quence of a political difference with his kinsman, and actually succeeded in keeping them out. Lord Forester, too, had not been long in office before a serious difficulty arose in a very important part of the country. Stapleford Park, though not in the Duke's country, was often run over by the Belvoir. Lord Harborough, however, not only warned hounds off his property, but with the peculiar malignity of a weak and selfish man, lined his coverts with dog spears. In consequence of this, hounds had repeatedly to be stopped when running hard in their very best country, a most vexa- tious and annoying thing for any master or huntsman to have to experience. After a time this cloud passed away from the hunt, and Lady Harborough, after her husband's death, threw open the coverts, while her second husband. Major Claggett, supported 146 THE OLD HUNTSMAN AND THE YOUNG ^MASTER the hunt in every way. The following was a contemporary view of the case : — " We are sorry to say that this latter pack," the Belvoir, " are unable to hunt much in the neighbourhood of Melton, owing to the ill-feelings of Lord Harborough. For several years the hounds have been stopped when approaching the Stapleford preserves ; but now they are not permitted to enter any portion of Lord Harborough's property, so as not to allow that person any pretext for legal proceedings. In order completely to prevent this, Lord Forester has adver- tised in the Leicestershire journals his desire that every per- son hunting with his hounds will be equally particular, and avoid trespassing on all lands belonging to his uncourteous neighbour. That a ' man has a right to do what he likes with his own ' is an undoubted truism sanctioned by ducal authority ; but it is one which, if generally acted up to in a selfish spirit by the great landed proprietors, would not only produce much ill-feeling from their inferiors, but would speedily recoil upon themselves by converting all the middle classes into Chartists." ^ But Goosey's time was drawing to a close, and he received a testimonial which is so often at once a compliment for the past and a suggestion for the future. The followers of the Belvoir Hunt in 1835 presented their huntsman with a handsome silver cup and cover, on which was the follow- ing inscription : " To Thomas Goosey, nearly twenty years huntsman to the Belvoir Hunt. This cup is presented by certain noblemen and gentlemen as a tribute to his true sportsman-like qualities. 8th April, 1835." Shortly before Goosey's retirement we have an account of a visit to the kennels by Mr. John Mills, a critic in sporting subjects somewhat of the Nimrod school. After some lines of description of Belvoir, Mr. Mills goes on : — " Upon my arrival at the Belvoir kennels, I was received by the Lord Chamberlain and the Equerries-in-waiting, or in more intelligible language, Goosey the huntsman and the two whips. Previous to saying anything of the hounds I ^ Sporting Magazine, January, 1841. 147 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT must have a few words about the gallant old huntsman. He may fitly be described as the Duke of Wellington of his order. His years nearly number threescore and ten, thirty- seven of which have been passed in the service of his present master, the Duke of Rutland, and twenty-six in the situation he now so nobly fills. Time has frosted each particular hackle upon his brow, but his eyes are as bright as an eagle's and the florid blood of health blooms in his cheeks and mantles through every vein. The shrill, piping voice of age is not heard when he gives tongue, but one full, round and musical as ever waked a wood nymph from her dewy couch. Of middle height and slender, he is a good figure for a horse and sits one with all the ease and firmness of well- practised men not half his years. The kennel is all that the most fastidious houndsman could desire. There are six spacious courts with running water from fountains, well flagged on the slant and containing a roomy kennel in each. The grass yard, an outlet which must be of essential service in the summer, is a wide open space, and only requires a few broad-leaved trees to make it perfect. There is a large meal house, capable of holding a famous stock, so that age may be given to the meal — an indispensable for the making of good food. The boiling house, the cooling house and feeding house are fitted with every necessary, and indeed not a corner has been left unthought of in the whole establish- ment. " To my question of how many hounds there were. Goosey replied, ' Fifty-seven couples and a half working hounds. This is the pack that is going out to-day, sir,' continued he, unfastening a door and showing me twenty couples of bitches and one hound. After viewing them in the court — and a most brilliant pack they formed — he drew some of the favourites from the class. " ' That's Candid, Captious, Careful, and Curious,' observed Goosey, pointing to two couples of fine black-and-tan hounds. ' They're all from one litter, by Rasselas,' continued he, ' and I hardly knew one of them to make a mistake in their lives. There's nine couples and a half by the same sire and every 148 THE OLD HUNTSMAN AND THE YOUNG MASTER one a clipper,' said the huntsman, with a beam of satisfaction glistening in his eye. " ' And where's Rasselas ? Have you him now ? ' in- quired I. " ' No, sir, no,' he replied, with a shake of the head, as a thought of the crack old favourite flitted in his memory. ' There never was a better,' continued he, ' but he's kennelled now, I beg to say, sir, in another and better world.' Without discussing this charitable anticipation of Rasselas' where- abouts in the spot ordained for the reception of immaterial spirits, we continued our survey of the kennel's denizens. " ' I saw a hound and a couple and a half of bitches in the entrance,' I observed. " ' Aye, that was Chanticleer, one of the best hounds we have,' replied the huntsman ; ' he's going to the Duke of Bedford's.' " ' What ! Can you afford to part with one of the best ? ' I asked. " ' Why, sir, I beg to say we can,' replied he ; ' and so you'll think when you've seen the thirteen couples of hounds of last year's entry.' " ' Then let me see them now.' "The young uns were then drawn, and greater pictures cannot be imagined — all of one size, shape and colour, black- and-tan being the matchless hue. I never derived a greater treat than in witnessing this exhibition. Strong but not heavy, without a grain of coarseness, and yet not an atom too fine, I believe this pack is as near perfection as anything in the shape of hounds can be bred. " ' That's rather a weedy one,' observed Goosey, selecting a bitch that would pass for a spicy hound in many kennels. * But,' continued he, ' I don't like to part with her, because I might lose good blood in being too particular.' " Remember these sage words, ye draftsmen, and mind, at the time you are uprooting the weeds, the flowers are not cut up by the same hoe. After being gratified by a lengthy view of these promising hounds, four couples of stallions were drawn, and a more superb lot a man could not hope to see. 149 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT Conqueror and Roderick, by the defunct Rasselas, were faultless. " There were a couple and a half of Mr. Drake's bitches in the kennel, and a very nice stamp they were. I hope their expected progenies may prove the prototypes of their dams and sires. " ' That hound, Chaser,' observed the huntsman, ' is a de- scendant from Mr. Osbaldeston's celebrated Furrier, and I beg to say, sir, he's no disgrace to his father,' continued he. " Appearances unquestionably were in favour of the truth of the declaration. Upon concluding the particular view of the pack, the whole en masse were taken into the cottage- paddock and exhibited to me. " After bestowing some observations upon the entire dis- play I had been a spectator of, which at least appeared not to displease the veteran, I accepted an offer to enter his snug domain adjoining and taste his nut-brown ale, with divers other tempting and prepared consolables. Among many trophies of the chase, sporting prints and engravings of the present and late Dukes of Rutland, which adorned the walls and tables, stood a massive silver cup with a fox in dead silver upon the top, hounds and various appropriate devices. " Croxton Park was the meet, but the severe frost pre- cluded all hope of any sport. However, as I had sent a hunter there, I determined to accompany the hounds and see the result of the fix. The active master, Lord Forester, was anticipated that morning from London, but the uncongenial weather to my mortification still retained him there. I learned that the Duke (who was also absent) seldom joined his hounds, but his stud is still kept up in all its former excellence. " ' We are coming to five days a week,' said Goosey, as I rode by his side towards the Park ; ' and it won't do to hunt the hounds over such ground as this. I beg to say, sir, that we mustn't lame hounds now at this season of the year.' " ' Then you'll not throw off? ' " ' Why, sir, we'll just hear what the gentlemen say,' he replied. 150 THE OLD HUNTSMAN AND THE YOUNG MASTER " Upon arriving at the Park we found a very spare field, but some of the few urged the propriety of trying the low ground ; and, as is usual in such cases, one suggested a spot ' where there was no frost or snow,' in a direct line to his abode, " ' I am satisfied if we go nowhere,' observed one of the half-dozen in pink, ' for it's worth while to come the distance I have to see such hounds,' continued he, with an unqualified look of admiration at the pack. " Goosey expected to receive some fresh orders of how and where to proceed at the meet, but not doing so he took his own course, and to satisfy those who care nothing for hounds' feet so long as they can go a-hunting, named the covert he would draw. ' It's about four miles from here,' said the huntsman to me, ' and being out of your road for Melton, I beg to say, sir, it's not worth your while to come with us.' " There was an unequivocal meaning in Goosey's voice and look. I took the hint." ' The time of the old huntsman was now coming to an end. Although he could still look over the hounds with a just pride in the pack he had had so large a share in building up, yet he could no longer ride to them as of old. To be huntsman to Lord Forester was indeed no light task for the physical endurance of any man, for we have Will Goodall's authority for saying that his lordship would never leave off as long as he could see the hounds. Of what the hounds were capable in Goosey's last year, the following run may serve to show us. The meet was at Stubton, the same fixture to which Nimrod had gone nine years before. The fences in the neighbourhood have still a reputation for stiff- ness, and it is probably the most difficult country in England to ride over, with the exception of some parts of Mr. Fernie's. From Reeve's Gorse hounds went away with one of the stout wild foxes for which this part of Lincolnshire is noted. Without a check and with scarcely a slackening of speed hounds ran past Ancaster Gorse and Kelby by Heydour into ^ Sporting Magazine, March, 1842. 151 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT the Southings : ten miles nearly straight in one hour and ten minutes, fast enough for any one, too fast for many. In Dembleby Thorns there were two foxes, and hounds went by Aunsby to Newton Wood with a fresh fox and were stopped twenty minutes later. It was the last great run Goosey was to see as huntsman, for at the end of the season he went as kennel huntsman to Sir Richard Sutton, who had just taken over the Cottesmore mastership from Lord Lonsdale. This pack had at different times given and received blood from the Belvoir, and some puppies of Lord Lonsdale's Lasher had been entered in 1841. Goosey came back later to end his days under the shadow of the Castle. He died at Knipton, and in the village churchyard his grave may still be seen. The Dukes of Rutland have at all times been well served, but it is doubtful if they have ever had a better or more faithful servant than Thomas Goosey, for twenty-six years huntsman to their hounds. 152 THE LORD GEORGE MANNERS. Chapter X THE GOLDEN AGE I 1842-1859 THE years that follow are the most splendid in the his- tory of the hunt. The farmers and the landlords were still prosperous, though observant men could see the clouds gathering. It was however probably the period in our his- tory when trade and agriculture prospered best side by side. Reform had not yet proved to be the prelude to a revolution, and the lords of Belvoir still lived among their people with the traditional and princely splendour of old. The Duke, fond as he was of society, had now a new motive in drawing round him a circle of friends, and Belvoir was, as it has always been, the meeting ground of political and literary distinction with the representatives of royalty and rank. The sons of the house were now grown up. Lord Granby was a keen sportsman and one of the hardest riders of his day. Indeed, his boldness across country was such as to approach the borders of recklessness. Lord John Manners was already in Parliament as the colleague of Mr. Gladstone at Newark, when that great man was the rising hope of the Tory party, and the future leader of the Tories was still struggling with the prejudices he had raised against him- self Lord George was a gay young Horse Guardsman. Distinguished visitors succeeded one another in rapid pro- cession through the rooms at Belvoir. Of the royal family the Duke's old friends had all passed away, with the excep- tion of the late Duke of Cambridge, who is said during one of his visits to the Castle to have stuck in a very muddy ditch in his eagerness to obtain the brush. The Duke of 153 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT Wellington rode in his gallant manner after the hounds, and is reported to have been so well mounted by his old A.D.C, Lord Tweeddale, that he remarked that Leicestershire was not so much more difficult a country to cross than Hamp- shire. The magnificent hospitality of the Castle is described by Charles Greville, the keenest of chroniclers, if the least genial, and surely the most melancholy figure in all his own portrait gallery. The man who had too much conscience to allow him to enjoy a life of low aims and not too innocent pleasures, too weak a will to alter the course of his existence, or break the Liliputian chains of a thousand habits of self- indulgence, he rails at fate and sneers at his fellow-men and has come down to later days stripped by his own hand of all the sound grace which in his time he must have shown. It is a comfort to think that, like other cynics, he enjoyed him- self more than he was willing to allow even to himself. " Belvoir Castle, January 7th. " After many years of delay, I am here since the 3rd, to assist at the celebration of the Duke of Rutland's birthday. The party is very large, and sufficiently dull : the Duke of Wellington, Esterhazy, Matuscewitz, Rokeby, Miss d'Este (afterwards Lady Truro), and the rest a rabble of fine people, without beauty or wit among them. The place is certainly very magnificent and the position of the Castle unrivalled, though the interior is full of enormous faults, which are wholly irretrievable. This results from the management of the alter- ations having been entrusted to the Duchess and Sir John Thurston (the former of whom had some taste but no know- ledge), and they have consequently made a sad mess of it. There is immense space wasted, and with great splendour and some comfort the Castle has been tumbled about until they have contrived to render it a very indifferent house ; no rooms communicating, nor even (except the drawing-room and din- ing-room, the former of which is seldom or never inhabited) contiguous. The gallery, though unfinished, is a delightful apartment, and one of the most comfortable I ever saw. The outside of the Castle is faulty, but very grand — so grand 154 THE GOLDEN AGE as to sink criticism in admiration ; and altogether, with its terraces and towers, its woods and hills, and its boundless prospect over a rich and fertile country, it is a very noble possession. The Duke lives here for three or four months, from the end of October till the end of February or March, on and off, and the establishment is kept up with extra- ordinary splendour. In the morning we are roused by the strains of martial music, and the band (of his regiment of militia) marches round the terrace awakening or quickening the guests with lively airs. All the men hunt or shoot. At dinner there is a different display of plate every day, and in the evening some play at whist or amuse themselves as they please, and some walk about the staircases and corridors to hear the band, which plays the whole evening in the hall. On the Duke's birthday there was a great feast in the Castle ; two hundred people dined in the servants' hall alone, without counting the other tables. We were about forty at dinner. When the cloth was removed, Esterhazy proposed his Grace's health, who has always a speech prepared in which he returns thanks. This time it was more simple than usual, and not at all bad. To-night there is a ball for the servants, which could not take place on the real birthday, as it fell on a Saturday. . . . " BelvOIR, January Wi. "There was a ball for all the servants and tenants on Monday, which the Duke of Rutland opened with Lady Georgina Fane, and the Duke of Wellington followed with Lady Brownlow. Yesterday half the people went to Belton ; it was nearly impossible to get any talk with the Duke. . . . To-day I have been all over this Castle ; the arrangements are admirable, and the order and cleanliness of every part of the offices and the magnitude of the establishment are very remarkable, and such as I have never seen elsewhere." ^ But all these splendid people were of small consequence in that happy society, which found the healthiest of pleasures in the hunting field. When Goosey left. Lord Forester chose ^ Greville Memoirs^ 2nd edition, vol. iii., pp. 46, 47, 48. 155 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT as his successor William Goodall, who had been second whipper-in, and thus began a combination of master and huntsman which, added to the excellence and the renown of the pack, entitles this period to the name of the golden age. Goodall was something more than an ordinary huntsman, for he had a character, even a touch of genius, which removed him altogether from the ordinary run of men. I do not know whether it is necessary to apologise for using such language of a huntsman, but if it is, it would be because men forget that it is not so much a man's occupation as his character which entitles him to his real place among his fellows. In the history of a hunt we may be permitted to speak highly of the most remarkable character it produced — a man who succeeded in everything he undertook, and left behind him a reputation which will not be forgotten as long as hunting is delighted in above all other sports by Englishmen. I have a letter by me from Colonel Anstruther Thomson, in which he places Goodall first of all the huntsmen he has known in the kennel, and second only to James Walker of the Fife in the field, and to Tom Firr, late of the Quorn, in the saddle. William Goodall was the grandson of old Stephen Goodall, the heaviest professional huntsman who ever sat on a horse. Even old Raymond, his favourite horse, on which the old huntsman is painted, would lie down at odd moments to relieve himself of the tremendous weight of his rider. But Stephen was, no doubt, a fine kennel huntsman, and he had hunted with Mr. Corbet, of Sundorne, and could remember old Trojan, for so long a toast with Warwickshire huntsmen. His kennel discipline was somewhat severe, as we gather by the well-known story of the buck rabbit which used to be turned into the kennels, while the whippers-in checked even so much as the winking of an eyelid towards it. One of Stephen's whippers-in at last represented to the huntsman the unfairness of thus bringing temptation to the hounds instead of waiting for them to go to it, and the feeder ate the rabbit and put an end to the system. Young William Goodall began life, as so many good huntsmen have done, in the stables. Mr. Drake, his first master, was member for 156 THE GOLDEN AGE Amersham, and Will spent many weary hours outside the House of Commons while the great debates on the Reform Bill of 1832 were going on. But his heart was always in the kennel rather than the stable, though he did some good work as second horseman, a training which has often been of the greatest value to future huntsmen, giving them an eye to country, and teaching them to take care of a horse. Will's career was nearly brought to an end at Shardeloes ; Florence, a mare of much note afterwards, getting him down and dragging him across the stable-yard while he was school- ing her. However, this early stable experience no doubt helped to make Will the horseman he afterwards became ; for, although I have written of him above as second to Tom Firr in the saddle, yet that is to place him very high indeed in the ranks of the gallant band of horsemen who have crossed Leicestershire and Lincolnshire in the past. When Will was still but a lad he was promoted to be second whipper-in under Tom Wingfield, the celebrated one- eyed huntsman, who had himself begun life with Mr, Meynell at ten years old, and who in later years was kennel huntsman to Mr. Assheton Smith, when that great rider was master of the Quorn. Tom had a liking for moderate-sized hounds, which he probably communicated to his young second whipper-in, who was noted for his bold riding, his high spirits, and his sense of humour. But the lad must have learned much in Mr. Drake's kennels, and, among other things, the mischief wrought to sport by a mute pack ; for Lady, the favourite of Sir Thomas Mostyn, the former owner of the pack, to which she gave the shape and style her portrait tells us she possessed, transmitted her muteness also to her de- scendants. Her blood came into the Belvoir kennel through the famous Lexicon, but the muteness was not allowed to descend, since both Tom Goosey and Will Goodall turned at once on any sign of this great failing to Brocklesby or Badminton to correct it. Goodall's first great model in the hunting world was Jem Hills, who was at the Hey- throp at the same time as young Will was with the Bicester. We are told that the latter wished to be under 157 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT Hills, but perhaps it was as well that this dream was never fulfilled, for the brilliant style of that famous huntsman was not suited for imitation, and least of all by a young beginner in the art His father,^ with perhaps a better idea of what would be best for the lad, wrote to Goosey, whom Goodall senior had known when he was in the stables at the foot of the Castle hill. No answer came to the letter, and it was a chance remark made in the hearing of Lord Forester's brother that led to Will being employed at Belvoir as second whipper-in. It is evident, though details are scarce and the materials for history are made up of hints and allusions, that William Goodall had already attracted atten- tion. Wherever he went the natural sweetness of his disposition and his good character won him friends, many and faithful, of all classes, from his fellow-servants and the farm labourers, up to Sir Thomas Whichcote and " my kind Lord Duke " in after years. At all events, William Goodall was engaged in the year 1837, which was his first season with the Belvoir hounds. Goosey was already drawing near the close of his time, and he was an old man and somewhat testy with his whippers-in. The Druid tells us that his greeting to young Goodall was, " You must not mind if I give you a good blowing-up in the field ; I am as likely to do so if you are right as wrong " ; and we know from other sources that Will had something to bear from the old huntsman, and that he bore it well. On the other hand, he was from the first a favourite with Lord Forester, whose own enthusiasm for the sport made him a ready sympathiser with the keenness of his young servant. On Goosey's retirement, the path was marked out for Will's promotion ; his readiness in the kennel, his excellent judgment of a hound, and last, but not least, his bold riding across a difficult country, on horses which were not always of the very best, had attracted general attention. In addition to this, Tom Flint, the first whipper-in, was out of the question for the post. An excellent servant, a good sportsman, and a favourite with the field, poor Flint suffered with the same ' Stud groom to Mr. Drake. 158 THE GOLDEN AGE failing which destroyed Tom Moody, and has hindered the career of many a good hunt-servant. Of his own weakness he was thoroughly conscious, and he was quite willing, and indeed anxious, to serve under Goodall when William was promoted from second whipper-in to huntsman over his head. But the Duke and Lord Forester both thought it would be hardly fair to place their young huntsman in so difficult a position, and the arrangement was not sanctioned. This was more particularly the case as for several seasons before Goosey's final retirement Flint had done most of the work in the field. The Duke, always full of kindness, and with the tenderness for an old and faithful servant which was not so much a personal trait as a characteristic of his family, was unwilling to relegate the old man to a retirement which he would feel deeply. Yet, when the time came, no one felt more keenly than Tom Flint himself that his promotion was out of the question, and so he passes out of the history of the Belvoir Hunt. As soon as Goodall was fairly established in the post of huntsman, he turned his attention to the improvement of the pack. High as the standard already was, Lord Forester and Goodall were anxious to make it even better. They aimed not merely at a pack which should work hard and kill foxes, but at one which should be of unapproachable excellence, both in work and appearance. Two such judges as Mr. Lambton and Sir Richard Sutton had declared that they always felt discontented with their own hounds after a visit to Goosey and his kennel at Belvoir, and Sir Richard, during the time he was at Cottesmore, was known to have sworn by Belvoir blood. The aim of Goodall was to preserve the rare quality of the pack, but to reduce the standard and increase the bone. His first entry, in 1843, consisted of twenty-two couples, all home-bred. In the following year he went to Brocklesby, and in 1845 to Sir Richard Sutton, which was merely another phase of Belvoir, and to his old master, Mr. Drake, whose hounds were Sir Thomas Mostyn's, only greatly improved. For Mr. Drake had gone to Brocklesby for tongue, and was diligently breed- 159 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT ing out the muteness from a pack which is well known to have attained the greatest excellence, the estimation in which these hounds were held being shown by the fact that, at Mr. Drake's sale, four couples fetched two hundred and twenty guineas. A kennel against which Goosey is said to have had a prejudice was the Grove, though why is not recorded, since from the facts which Mr. Foljambe collects in the following letter we should infer that his kennel was chiefly made up of strains of blood of which the origin was one of the tap roots of the Belvoir kennel, by Lord Monson's, through Mr. Osbaldeston's kennels. I give the letter in full :— " OSBERTON, April I \th, 1841. " My dear Sir, — " In answer to your inquiries about the descent of my hounds, I beg to inform you that I purchased the pack of Richard, sixth Earl of Scarbrough, in 1822, when, by reason of his advancing years and infirmities, he found himself no longer able to devote his attention to the management of his hounds. At the time of the transfer of the pack to me they were kept at Sandbeck Park, and hunted the same country that is now in my occupation ; but previous to Lord Scar- brough's succeeding to his title he had, as Mr. Lumley Savile, kept his hounds at Rufford Abbey, in Notts, and hunted what is called the Rufford country, which lies to the south and immediately joins this. But upon the death of his elder brother (the fifth Earl) he was obliged to give up Rufford and its accompanying estates to his next brother, the Honourable and Reverend John Lumley, and withdrew his pack to Sandbeck, having, previous to 181 1, kept his hounds at Rufford many years ; and I believe the pack were previously in the possession both of his father and of Sir George Savile (his maternal uncle). Upon Richard, Lord Scarbrough, removing his pack to Sandbeck, the successor to Rufford (his next brother above mentioned) established a pack at Rufford, which he also continued both as the Honourable and Rever- end John Lumley Savile and afterwards as seventh Earl Scarbrough^ when it was decided by law that he had a right to 160 THE GOLDEN AGE keep possession of the Savile estates (contrary to the express intention of the will of his maternal uncle, the late Sir George Savile). Upon the decease of the said John, the seventh Earl, in 1835, his hounds were kept successively by Lord Henry Bentinck and Lord Galway, and were sold by the latter to Sir Matthew W. Ridley, in 1837. I have been obliged to enter into these particulars to prevent the con- fusion which might naturally arise from the circumstance of there having been two Lord Scarbroughs and two Mr. Lum- ley Saviles, who respectively and separately kept two distinct packs in adjoining counties. I believe the pack I now possess were originally bred more from the old Monson pack,^ and are in consequence, at this time, more closely and fully related to Mr. Osbaldeston's than any pack of hounds in England, a relationship which I think so highly of that I have returned to the Osbaldeston kennel, and crossed deeply with them during the last ten years, both with Ranter, and through the Duke of Rutland's kennel with the Chorister sort. Ranter, by the way, is as much of the Duke's blood as Osbaldeston's, being a son of Furrier, who was bred at Bel- voir. " Believe me, yours truly, "O. S. FOLJAMBE. " To Robert T. Vyner, Esq., " 17, North Audley Street, London." But the great hit of Goodall's career was made, as all the world knows, when he introduced Rallywood into the kennels from Brocklesby. In an appendix I have given the complete pedigree of this hound, as the influence he has had on the Belvoir kennel and through the Duke of Rutland's pack on nearly every kennel in England is incalculable. There are very few first-rate packs of hounds which have not some of ^ The third Lord Monson, born in 1753, hunted what is now the Bur- ton country till his death in 1806. He hunted the country for about twenty years, and was succeeded by his son. Mr. Osbaldeston gave 800 guineas for the pack on taking the Burton in 1810. Noiitia Venaiica, ed. 1892, pp. 41-43. 161 M THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT Rallywood's descendants in them through his famous son, the Belvoir Rally wood. If in any pack the observant man notes a hard-working hound probably of a rich black, tan and white, with a fine voice, and if further he sees the same hound trotting back to kennel at night with his stern up after a long day, it will be a fair guess to put him down as belonging to the first fox-hound family in the world. The story of the coming of this hound to Belvoir is an oft-told tale, yet must it once more be repeated here, nor can I improve on the story as the Druid tells it. " Yarborough Rallywood, who has virtually made the Bel- voir kennel what it now is, never ran to head, but always got to the end of great runs. He was very long and low, the exact image of the Ringwood that Stubbs painted for Brocklesby, and with somewhat round quarters, which made him rather a harrier, and although good twenty-three, he was mean to those who like a big hound. In fact, he was quite a multum in parvo, and Will thus summed up his merits in the last sentence of the last letter he ever wrote us : ' He was the lowest dog I ever saw in my life, with the largest fore rib, combined with a beautiful neck and shoulders, and a pleasing, intelligent countenance.' Old Will Smith wanted the Belvoir Grappler, and said, ' /'// give you anything in the kennel for himl and Will selected Rallywood, in spite of his broken thigh. This exchange was never made, owing to Smith's untimely death, and Grappler died at Belvoir ; but the nego- tiations were renewed with young Will Smith, and he sent Rallywood, by whom he had at one time about fourteen couples of working hounds, and got Trouncer in exchange, and then Raglan by Rustic, whom he liked no better. Will was so fond of his prize, when he at last got hold of it, that fifty- three couples of his puppies, from ten couples of ' the very best stuff' in the kennel, were sent out in the second season. He came to Belvoir in 185 1, at nine years old, and was worked a whole season, and when he died in 1853, he found a fitting necropolis in the centre of a flower plot in Will's garden, and a red-currant tree now blooms over his remains." ^ ' Silk and Scarlet^ pp. y]},^ 374. 162 ^ -r, o THE GOLDEN AGE Those of my readers who will look back over the pedigree will see that Rallywood's goes back to Mr. Osbaldeston's Furrier, the famous hound which the squire got in a draft from Belvoir, so that we have yet another instance of the close and intimate relationship of these two most famous packs. Moreover, Will Smith had, when Rallywood started on his southward way, several couples of his descendants, which remained behind to carry on the family honours, and to bind more closely the tie between the two kennels. If the reader glances at the stud book reprinted in the appendix, he will see two hounds, Clinker and Clasher (1851), which evidently found much favour with Will Goodall and the master. They had immense pace, which they inherited from a very remarkable mother, Caroline (1850), which goes back to the Belvoir Abelard (181 3), and thence to Jerker (1790). She undoubtedly had in her veins a strain of the original Belvoir blood of the old racing grey-hound sort, and from which the speed of the pack is derived. Caroline is said to have found a fox by herself, and to have forced him away. Closely following her came the pack, but the pace was so quick that the fox could not turn, nor could the other hounds reach it before Caroline had caught and killed it alone. The Belvoir Rallywood (1853) was the delight of Will's heart. No hound could beat him for pace in a morning scurry when the best of Melton were racing behind the pack, no hound could hunt more stoutly for an afternoon fox. His pluck and his constitution were wonderful. He was twenty-three inches in height, and his colour was a rich black, tan, and white. His head was a marvel of intelligence and character ; like the Chancellor Thurlow, no one could be quite as wise as he looked. His neck was clean, and well set on good shoulders. Not even Lord Forester could find that he was not straight, and his back and loins were magnificent in their grace and strength. His thighs looked like galloping, and he stood on perfect feet. Nor must we forget his mother Speedwell (1849), by the Grove Singer, and going back through him to the lines of Osbaldeston, Monson, and old Belvoir. So that we see this great hound combined in himself all the best 163 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT working lines of fox-hound blood, the Bel voir, Badminton, Brocklesby, Monson, Osbaldeston, and the Grove being all united in him, and he illustrates in a remarkable way the transmission of mental as well as physical qualities. In 1863 there were fourteen and a half couples of his de- scendants in the kennel. He transmitted his power and his substance as well to his daughters as to his sons, and two of the former are noted by a contemporary judge for their sub- stance as well as their quality. There were also Render and Roman (1859), the sons of Rallywood ; Destitute, the dam, being by Sir R. Sutton's Dryden, which brought, says Will Goodall, his rare intelligence into the kennel. We have all read in hunting history how Mr. Corbet, having taken a fancy to one line, spoilt his pack by adhering to it too closely, but Goodall, while the lines of Duster (Drake's) and Furrier were always the roots on which he grafted, was careful not to fall into this error, for Singer (1855) for example, another rich tan hound, did much service, and on his mother's side he went back to the same family as Rallywood. Then, again, I have already spoken of Lord Yarborough's Rallywood's sons, Chaser and Clinker, and traced back their descent on the maternal side through Caroline to the earliest days of the kennel. Chaser, in his turn, had a son Chanticleer (1857) by a bitch called Needless (1854), which goes back to a hound of the Duke of Grafton, and thence on the maternal side right back to a hound called Amadis (1792). Chanticleer's son Wonder (1864) was destined in after years to be chosen to restore to the pack the tongue, of which they were growing short, and we see how this could be done without departing so far from the Belvoir blood as to lose the characteristic type and family likeness of the breed. And though I anticipate somewhat, I may point out that this line is a marvellous result of judicious and thoughtful care in breeding. The line runs thus : Yar- borough Rallywood, Chaser, Chanticleer, Wonder, Warrior (1870), and then the great Weathergage (1876), a name the praise of which is in every kennel in the land for the invalu- able stoutness and working power of his descendants. 164 THE GOLDEN AGE Thus, in ten years after he had come to be huntsman, Will Goodall had gathered up the various lines, with certain lead- ing hounds combining the perfections of many races, and thus laid the foundation on which his successors were able to build. It was Goodall's insight and judgment which thus gave the final touch to the distinction of the pack, and made the task of those who followed him easy. The most valuable strains in the kennel for appearance and working qualities were suffi- ciently far removed in relationship to permit of their being combined sufficiently to establish the characteristic type. The pack we see to-day, the sons and daughters of Nominal, of Gordon, of Donovan, of Dexter, is the result of the ability of William Goodall and Lord Forester. It is the combination of Lord Forester's fastidious selection of make and shape, and Will Goodall's instinctive perception of the qualities of boldness, perseverance, and stoutness, so much needed in Leicestershire and Lincolnshire, a combina- tion so fortunate as to be wonderful in this somewhat contrary world, that made the Belvoir pack what it is to-day. But we have been looking forward, and must now turn back to see what sport the master and huntsman were able to show with their hounds. " Good runs," says one who shared in the sport of those days, " were innumerable " ; and Major Long- staffe, who has hunted with the Belvoir for very many years, has remarked to me that there never was a better master than Lord Forester, while I have already quoted Colonel Anstru- ther Thomson's words to the effect that there never was a better huntsman than Goodall. The latter was a most useful and painstaking man, and satisfied even so exacting a critic as the late Lord Henry Bentinck by his method of hunting hounds. We see in Goodall's treatment of his hounds not only the judicious huntsman, but also a man of insight and sympathy, and we can understand the affection he won from all classes, from the labourers who reckoned " this 'untsman was the best feller that had ever been at Belvoir," to the sixth Duke of Rutland and Sir Thomas Whichcote, who watched over his dying bed with the grief born of a life-long friend- ship. There is no doubt a personal charm based on sym- 165 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT pathy, insight and character, which levels all distinction of class, because it is in itself the greatest distinction of all by its very rarity. Perhaps indeed the best illustration of this is to be found in Belvoir at that time, when the two men who had the gift to the greatest extent were the Duke who was born at Belvoir, and the huntsman who was trained in the stable. Wherever charm is found, human nature will value it above what are sometimes called more solid qualities, because it brings more happiness to mankind in its train. But apart from the charm which can be felt but not described, Goodall was a man who took infinite pains in his vocation, and he gave himself the trouble to think. At Belvoir Castle among the most interesting of the books placed at my dis- posal by the Duke of Rutland was an oblong green volume containing Will Goodall's diaries, written when the great huntsman was at the height of his fame and popularity. From the very first moment he handled the horn Goodall showed great sport. He had served in a good school in his youth, and for four years he had been with Goosey and Tom Flint. The first run worthy of record was one from Colston Bassett, on December the 8th, still a home of sport and of foxes, where Mr. R. M. Knowles and his son support with equal liberality the South Notts, the Quorn, and the Belvoir, at the meeting point of which hunts the Hall is situated. In Burton Sleigh Woods the Belvoir clashed with Sir R. Sutton's hounds (the Cottesmore), and hounds ran well together, pack- ing as hounds of different kennels but similar race will often do, for two hours and forty minutes. The joint pack drew Burton Long Wood. They changed foxes often, but it was not till dark that they were stopped and each huntsman trotted away with his own pack. There were, however, at this time some clouds over the prosperity of the hunt. The following is interesting, not only as telling us of this, but as giving a key to the cost of hunting a first-rate country, and also as showing that Lord Forester hunted five days a week, and giving us his views as to the number of hunting days required to do justice to the country. I66 THE GOLDEN AGE July 1st, 1842. — Letter from Lord Forester to General Reeve, threatening his resignation for the following reasons : Lord Willoughby having withdrawn his subscription, and the Duke of Rutland having reduced his from ^1,500 to £1,200. "The Duke proposes that I shall reduce the estab- lishment, and drop one day a week. I am now only bound to hunt four days, having hunted the fifth as a volunteer, because I considered a fifth day necessary for the sport. " This would reduce the hunting days from four to three days a week. This course I am not inclined to take, being firmly convinced that it would give satisfaction to no one — neither to those who have hitherto so kindly supported me, nor to myself. I do not feel prepared to increase my own expenditure. " When I first took the hounds, I was told that the estab- lishment would cost me ;^ 1,000 a year in addition to the subscription. It has, however, never cost me less than i^2,ooo a year, besides my own private stud. I have with the Duke's subscription and that of other kind subscribers received ;£'2,50o. This will now be reduced to £2,100. Under these circumstances I fear I must resign next first of January, after twelve years, unless some different arrangements are made with regard to finance. I am sorry to say this." July \oth, 1842. — General Reeve's answer to the above letter :— " I have received your letter conveying to me the very un- pleasant news of your contemplated resignation. I agree with you, I do not at present see any prospect of raising funds to make up a loss so unexpected. I would suggest that Manners should call a meeting, and will call on him to-morrow and ask him to do so." Willey, October 20th, 1842. — Letter from Lord Forester to General Reeve : — " I have been in correspondence with the Duke and shall endeavour to go on, if the gentlemen of the hunt will kindly continue what they promised. I shall hunt four days a 167 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT week after Christmas. M)' own affairs not being in a very flourishing condition, I cannot spend more money on the hounds." ^ A meeting was held, and for the time being the danger was averted. ^ Mr. J. Sherard Reeve's Papers. 1 68 JOIIX EARI.E WELBY, ESQ. From the Portrait by C. Lutyens at AUington Hal Chapter XI THE GOLDEN AGE II 1842-1859 THE next season, 1843-44, was an extraordinary one for sport, but the centre of interest changes from the kennel to the Castle, where the Duke with his usual magni- ficent hospitality was entertaining the Queen and the Prince Consort. This event reminds us that the period was not without its troubles for all classes, and the much-hated income tax was but the precursor of many other imposts, which have each had the effect of lessening and even crippling the spend- ing power of the great noblemen. A still darker cloud was gathering over the landowners and farmers, for the Corn Laws were even now looked on as doomed. The Duke and Lord Granby both saw clearly the injury the repeal of these laws would do to the farming interests, of which they were the natural leaders, and we know that Lord Granby, after- wards the sixth Duke, never swerved in his opinion of the mischief that free trade in corn would do to English farming. Probably neither he nor his father foresaw the utter ruin and the national danger involved in the depths of agricultural depression. On this point I express no opinion, but the history of the Belvoir Hunt was destined to be greatly affected by these changes, which have in our time issued in the partial separation of the hunt from the house of Manners. The country too was unsettled, and Chartism was one result of the disappointment felt at the failure of reform to bring about the prosperity which some of its advocates had so 169 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT rashly promised. But we know that the social condition of the towns and the manufacturing districts was terribly bad, and that Lord Ashley had begun his great work, and that the burning social questions of the day had excited the interest and the sympathies of the younger men of all parties. The present (seventh) Duke, then Lord John Manners, was vividly sketched by Disraeli in Coningsby, as Lord Henry Sydney, and those who have met him will not fail to recognise the truth of the portrait. Just in the prime of life. Lord John was carrying on the family traditions of service, though at this time he was but on the threshold of his career as a statesman. Lord John loved hunting, and went well, when he could spare time for it ; but his life was to be one of hard work and long service to a country which has not been ungrateful. The members of the Belvoir Hunt mustered in great num- ber when it was announced that the Prince Consort would hunt with the hounds at Croxton Park on the 5th of Decem- ber, 1843. There seems to have been a kind of idea that the Prince, being a man of scholarly tastes, would not care for hunting, but as a matter of fact he was a fair horseman, and so far as we can pierce the veil that, even after reading Sir T. Martin's five volumes, hangs over the Prince's real tastes in these matters, he liked hunting with the stag-hounds and his own harriers. Probably the Prince enjoyed the sport, but disliked the bustle and crowd which the presence of Royalty at a meet always brings. The Prince had Lord Wilton as a pilot, and this is enough to tell us that he would see all that was to be seen. No man ever saw more sport than Lord Wilton, or made so little fuss about it. " Oh dear, oh dear, where do they find these terrible places ? I never come across them," he is reported to have said after patiently listening to a party of Meltonians, fighting their battles over again across the mahogany, and living twice in the pleasure of hunting by recording their own " heroical " deeds. The Prince went well, though not we may be sure clearing " five- barred gates with utter indifference as to what might be on the other side," as a contemporary chronicler puts it. We 170 THE GOLDEN AGE may hope the rest of the book from which this is taken displays more thought than is suggested by the fact that the writer evidently imagines five-barred gates to have yawning chasms beside them, as traps for the unwary. The fact is, the historian is in such a hurry to show that the Prince's hunting at all was a concession from lofty heights of intellec- tual and moral eminence, that like many other superior per- sons he forgets to be accurate or even to use his common sense. The Prince was much too good and wise a man to regard with scorn aught that interested the men of his time. Besides, not even the element of over-precision imported into his education by Stockmar could extinguish altogether the sporting instincts transmitted to him by his ancestors. As to the incidents of the day, let a less magnificent but better instructed historian, who was an eye-witness, tell us. " The fixture on the fifth having been announced for Crox- ton Park, and a general opinion prevailing that her Majesty and the Queen Dowager would be present to see the hounds throw off, and that the Prince Consort would join the hunt, an immense concourse of gentry and yeomen assembled at the Castle, the hounds being under the command of Lord Forester. At eleven, her Majesty, Queen Adelaide, Prince Albert, and the Duke of Rutland entered a carriage- and-four, escorted by outriders in his Grace's livery, mounted on thorough-breds, and, followed by the ladies- in-waiting in another carriage-and-four, proceeded by the public road, the bulk of the equestrians taking the noble Duke's private road. As the cavalcade passed along the route, which was lined for nearly a quarter of a mile with carriages of every description, numerous horse- men joined it, and by the time Croxton Park was within sight, there were full three hundred persons present, which every moment increased, and by the time it reached the park, had swelled to eight hundred, including nearly all the mem- bers of the Melton Hunt, in hunting costume, and several ladies, among whom were Miss Manners, of Goadby Hall, a relative of the Rutland family ; and Miss Charlesworth and Miss Doyle, both well known in Leicestershire. The crowd 171 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT of horsemen and the thousands on foot gave three cheers for the two Queens of England, which * made the welkin ring.' On arriving at the park, Prince Albert left the carriage and mounted his favourite hunter (Emancipation), as did the Duke of Wellington, when the ' view-halloo ' was given to these illustrious personages in true fox-hunting style. The Royal carriage moved on through Waltham village, keeping the road to the south of Melton, and took their station on the high ground opposite the Melton spinnies. Lord Forester brought the hounds to the window of the Royal carriage for her Majesty's inspection, and they were shortly after thrown into the spinnies, and immediately gave tongue. Three foxes were a-foot, and on settling to one, he went off to Clawson Thorns, where, being headed by some foot people, he turned back towards the spinnies, and was run in to within one field of the covert. Tried Freeby Wood, but did not find. Trotted on to Waltham pasture, and found imme- diately, but he was run to ground in three fields. Found a third in Newman's Gorse, near Waltham, and went away merrily for Sproxton Thorns ; a gallant run of three-quarters of an hour, during the greater part of which the pace was very fast. Most of the horses were dead beat, and not more than a dozen up at the finish, among the foremost of whom was the Prince. Both equerries in attendance on his Royal Highness, Colonel Bouverie and Mr. G. E. Anson, had falis which produced some good-humoured jokes at their expense." ^ We need not infer from the above that the Prince and the Duke both rode the same horse. The allusion to the fox reminds me of an incident to be found in a note in Mr. Vyner's Notitia Venatica, when the Duke of Cambridge was hunting with the hounds in 1842 : the fox, having fallen into the canal at Redmile, was fished out, muzzled, and brought to the Royal carriages for the inspection of the ladies. The Prince himself, in a letter to his mentor Stockmar,^ tells of his visit to Belvoir, and his appearance in the hunting field. " At Belvoir," he says, " there was a large brilliant ^ Sporting Magazine^ January, 1844. ' Life of the Prince Consort^ by Theodore Martin, 3rd ed., vol. i., p. 196. 172 THE GOLDEN AGE assemblage of the fashionable hunting men of Melton and Leicester, Here I took part in a regular fox-hunt, had a capital run, and moreover distinguished myself by keeping well up with the hounds all through. Anson and Bouverie both fell on my left and right, whilst I came off with a whole skin." To this the good baron rejoined: "Your Royal High- ness's rehabilitation in the good opinion of the fox-hunters is a thing to be viewed quite as you view it, and yet it is not without practical value so long as fox-hunting continues to be an English national pursuit." The Queen when writing to King Leopold refers to the same subject, with evident amuse- ment at the respect shown for the Prince's performances across country. " One can scarcely credit the absurdity of people, but Albert's riding so boldly has made such a sensa- tion that it has been written all over the country, and they make much more of it than if he had done some great act ! " To return, however, to the Castle. The Prince won golden opinions at Belvoir, not only by his riding in the field, but by the knowledge of and interest in agricultural matters which he displayed, and which we know was one of the many interests of his busy and useful life. To the too short life work to which he devoted himself, the benefits of which we still feel, the Prince returned, and he, too, passes from our history. The departure of the Royal party caused no cessation in the sport at Belvoir. I find nothing of note to record except the death of the celebrated black fox from Clawson Thorns — probably a descendant of those turned down by the third Duke — which would not even then have fallen a victim to the hounds had he not been headed by some boys at Melton Lodge, when hounds caught him at Holwell Mouth. On February 2nd Lord Forester and Mr. John Woods were the only men with hounds in a great run from Freeby Wood into the Cottes- more country. " Found at Freeby Wood, ran to Melton Spinny, back by Freeby to Stapleford Park, and by Wymondham to Wood- well Head ; here most of the horses were dead beat. They 173 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT went away from Woodwell Head again, where, only one having been with hounds for three miles. Lord Forester, assisted by Mr. John Woods, stopped them at half-past five. Horses were left out in all parts." ^ These hounds always had more than their share of sport, and the foxes were stout. One old fox on November 28th, 1847, beat hounds from Boothby to Grimsthorpe, after an hour and ten minutes, of which fifty minutes were at top speed. In 1847 difficulties of finance increased, for we have a letter, dated March i6th, 1847, from Lord Forester to General Reeve, in which the former again threatens resignation, as the " subscription had fallen below low-water mark." On the following day there is a letter from General Reeve in answer to Lord Forester, expressing his regret, and saying that, as he, the General, is now getting old and infirm, Lord Forester should make his intention known " to some younger members of the hunt." In 1847 we have a letter from T. Manners to General Reeve, enclosing subscription-list, which is as follows : — Earl of Brownlow ... ;£ioo Rev. Basil Beridge .. .^25 Thos. Gosling 25 A. Peacocke .. 25 Sir E. E. Welby ... 50 Sir T. Whichcote . 100 R. A. Christopher ... 50 W. F. Norton ... . ..- 50 Major-General Reeve 80 Sir J. Thorold ... . .. 50 John Litchford 50 Sir M. Cholmeley .. 50 Christopher Tumor ... 50 Colonel Fane's famil> 50 Once again, however, the danger was averted, and things went on as before, good sport characterising the successive seasons as they passed. In the season of 1849-50, on January 2 1st, hunting having been stopped by snow, the fifty-eight couples were out exercising when they viewed three foxes, one of which they ran and killed, a pleasant little inter- lude to the winter of their discontent. On February the 27th, the same year, when the frost had broken, they had a remark- able run. " Found at Staunton ; by Long Bennington, Shelton, to * Memoirs of the Belvoir Hounds, p. 88. ^ Reeve Papers. 174 THE GOLDEN AGE Gotham Thorns, thence straight to the River Trent at Farn- don ; here the hounds crossed the Newark branch of the Trent, and came to a long check. The huntsman at last got to them, and carried them over Muskham Bridge ; they regained the scent, but the fox was too far ahead to be regained, and they gave up at Worney Wood, in the Rufford country ; an eleven-mile point. This was the first time the Belvoir hounds ever crossed the Trent." ^ The following year, January the 15th, 1851, there was a most remarkable run. " Found in Melton Spinny, crossed the Grantham Road beyond Thorpe pasture, went between Stonesby Gorse and Stonesby, and over Croxton Park, to the grove of large trees on the Belvoir side of the park ; here the hounds stopped and bayed at the foot of a large oak tree. After some time the fox was discovered fifty or sixty feet up in the tree, endeavouring to conceal himself; he would not move till the whipper-in climbed the tree and poked him from behind, when he came away leisurely down the stem, which grew in a slanting direction, and away he went. The hounds, which had been taken to a short distance off, set off within one hundred and fifty yards of him, and ran him at nose-end through Bescaby Oaks, away at the Saltby corner, and bear- ing to the right past Stonesby, left Sproxton Thorns to the left, and went by Saxby to Stapleford Park. This was six miles as the crow flies, up wind, and with the fox for the last mile and a half in the same field as the hounds ; he here turned to the right, and coming out of the park, the hounds ran him at a decreased pace to Melton Spinny, whence they went away with a fresh fox, and this gallant fellow saved his life. Great distress among the horses. Sir T. Whichcote had about the best of it. The above scene of the fox in the tree was some years after modelled in silver, with equestrian figures of the present Duke of Rutland, Sir T. Whichcote, Mr. Litchford Goodall, and two hounds, and presented to Lord Forester by the gentlemen of the Belvoir Hunt on his marriage." ^ ^ Memoirs of the Belvoir Hounds, P- 95- ^ Ibid., p. 97. 175 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT In 1852 the great speed of these hounds was shown by a marvellously straight and fast run, on February 8th. " Found a second fox in the Rectory covert, ran by Redmile to Musson Gorse, Sedgebrook, and Barrowby to the left, and killed half a mile from Grantham, after a most terrific burst of exactly forty minutes ; eight miles as the crow flies. The hounds beat the horses all the way, and appeared, when in sight, to fly every fence like a flock of pigeons." ^ Of the early days of Will Goodall, and of the sport enjoyed, some delightful reminiscences will be found in a charming little book, Random Recollections of the Belvoir Hunt, by Mr. Finder, of Barrowby, so long known to hunt- ing men by his 710m de guerre of " Phantom " in the Field. This gentleman speaks as an eye-witness, and recalls many interesting traits of Goodall's keen sportsmanship and cheery, joke-loving nature. On one occasion when Goodall was coming back from hunting, the sight of the meat on the boards of a butcher's shop was too much for the hungry hounds, and in a moment a raid was made and the plunder eaten up. The butcher's wife, though liberal payment was made for the theft, was very abusive, which called forth the remark from Goodall, " What a pify such a good-looking woman should have such a riotous tongue." The same amusing writer tells of a favourite horse of Goodall's named Crop, from his ears. " The partial loss of these gave the horse a somewhat wicked and sullen appearance, although he had a handsome head, and was supposed to be thorough- bred. From what I recollect, the reason of the horse's ears being rounded was on account of one of them having been torn by another horse whilst out at grass, but whether the attack was delivered in play or savagely I was unable to learn. After the jagged strips of the lacerated ear had been trimmed off, it gave the animal such a singular appearance that it was determined to shape the other to match. Not- withstanding this you could not fail to detect his high breeding, beautiful quality, and light action, which, combined ' Memoirs of the Belvoir Hounds, p. 98. 176 THE GOLDEN AGE with a great turn of speed, made him one of Goodall's special favourites." ^ We often have evidence that Goodall's interests were not confined within the walls of the kennel, for from time to time he makes allusion to passing events. We see that the Crimean war stirred him as it did most Englishmen at the time. War is after all the first and greatest of athletic sports. For this the others are but the preparation, and of it they are the image. How much simpler those days were than are ours may be gathered from the fact that few people thought much of the justice or the wisdom of the war ; they simply felt that England had been at peace a long time and wanted a fight. Goodall was touched with the patriotic enthusiasm of the time, and the earlier pages of his diary are covered with the songs which appeared in every paper, from the mighty Times down to the smallest local journal. The war was brought home to the huntsman by the absence from the hunting field of many familiar faces, some of which were not again to be seen. But so far the glory was more apparent than the danger. "Glory or Death" is the cry as war begins, " Death or Glory " the motto of the regiment that had seen much service in 1854. The diary of the year tells us that Goodall had George Shepherd and James Cooper, of whom we shall hear much more hereafter, as his whippers-in, while Thomas Thurlby was stud groom at Croxton Park, where Lord Forester'^s horses were kept. In this year Goodall began cub-hunting in August, and he had a horse called The Nob, which was of a very stout sort, for he had him out with hounds on August i8th, 19th, 23rd, 28th, and September 2nd. There was a drought in this year — such as had not been known for twenty-two years, the diary tells us — but the Belvoir managed to get their cub-hunting all the same, with such work as gave the hounds the education and conditioning which caimot be dispensed with. Luckily there was some rain towards the end of September. As soon as the cubbing season was over the hounds were drafted, and how carefully this was done may be seen by the fact that ^ Random Recollections of the Belvoir Hunt, p. 49. 177 N THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT often fifty couples would come in from their walk, while only some fourteen and a half couples would be considered worthy of the Belvoir benches. Accordingly we find that Goodall adopted a system of marking hounds according to their performances. The first day of the season 1854-55 was at Caythorpe, on the Lincolnshire side, and on the borders of the present Blankney country, then under the mastership of Lord Henry Bentinck, one of the very best and soundest judges of hounds or hunting that ever lived. ''Friday, November 24.thy 1854. — Caythorpe. Find in General Reeve's Gorse ; pointed for Wellingore ; by the little covert in the bottom he turned short away to the left toward Brant, between Broughton and Brandon ; bore to right as if for Bruton Bottom covert, still to the left, leaving Beckingham on his right, to Stapleford ; ran rides from end to end without stopping ; away once more for a quarter of an hour as hard as they could drive him ; ran him into the open at Norton Disney after a most magnificent run of an hour and twenty minutes. This was a bitter cold morning with a north- east wind and rising glass, and heavy snowstorms falling very close upon each other all the morning ; a most capital scent all through. I never followed a stouter fox ; it's a fox Lord Henry Bentinck's hounds have found these last five years, but he always beat us. I rode Greathead all through ; he carried me splendid. Hounds out [with Will Goodall's marks] : Solitude (xxx), Comus (did not get away). Fugleman (xx), Fortune, Falstaff (xx), Gamer, Gaylass, Destiny (xx), Dainty, Guider (xxx), Nabob (xxx), Notary (xxxx), Solon, Tuneful (x). Boaster (x). Blameless (x). Bachelor (x), Foiler (x), Lucifer (xxx), Lictor (xxxxxxxx). Bloomer (xxxxxx), Charity (x), Grappler (xx), Gambler (xx). Sultan (xxxx), Sepoy (xxxxxx). Sparkler, Factor (xxxx). Freeman, Nigel (x), Nathan (x). Needless (xxxxxx), Trimbush, Trusty (x)." 1 If we take the names with the most marks we shall note a bitch. Needless, of that year's entry. This hound joined the ranks of the kennel matrons both on account of her pedigree and her performances. She goes right back to * Goodall's Diary. 178 M AJ O R LON ( ; ST A I-" F E , Of Little Ponton Hall. THE GOLDEN AGE Limner (1829), whose brothers Lexicon and Lucifer were of equal renown in 1825, and Layman by Leader, also a noted hound. Leader was by the Duke of Grafton's Labyrinth, and on his mother's side goes right back to Actor (1792), one of the older Belvoir sort. In due time Needless became, by alliance with the Yarborough Rallywood, mother of Chaser, from which we get the hound Wonder, and so to Weather- gage. Another hound that distinguished itself in this run was Lictor, which has two more marks against his name than Needless. He was noted for his early love of hunting when he was at walk at Clawson, and would hunt with the Belvoir, the Cottesmore and the Quorn on his own account as the fancy took him. The Quorn once found a fox at Holwell Mouth and killed him at Belvoir. Near Clawson hounds were checked by some dry, dusty plough, and out dashed a black-and-tan hound with the Belvoir brand, and carrying the line right over the difficulty, set the pack going. This hound was Lictor. When Jack Morgan, then Sir Richard's huntsman, came to Belvoir, Will, with just pride, pointed him out. " There, my lad, that's the dog that killed your fox for you, but you won't get him. I'll keep him to show me the road into some of your country." A run into the Quorn country was always the desire of Will's heart. This was a bad season for sport, we learn from the diary, and hounds were stopped for no less than fifty-one days by frost and snow. On January the i6th the frost set in with terrible severity, and hounds did not go out again till Feb- ruary the 28th. It was this year that the Thames was frozen over. Weary of the inaction, Lord Forester took out hounds in the snow. This winter belongs to history as the terrible one spent by our army in the Crimea, and the magnificent patience and courage with which our men bore their hard- ships spoke volumes for the training given them by English sports. It is not only the physical endurance taught by these sports, but the whole tradition of manly courage, which spreads throughout the whole of English society. We are not as a nation braver, cleverer or better than others, but we have the advantage that hunting, shooting, 179 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT cricket, and other pastimes give us a Spartan tradition to begin with, whereas the associations of the Latin races predispose them to luxury. An Italian diplomatist who was returning from Abyssinia once said to me, after he had been conducted round Aden, and had seen our officers playing polo and cricket : " Ah, I see, our officer in hot climate, he sit in the caf(6, and he smoke cigarettes, and drink the absinth, and he die ; your officer, he play polo and cricket, and he live" But to return to Will Goodall and the Belvoir. On April the nth he had a holiday, and he employed it as huntsmen generally do, in going to see how another of his craft worked in the field. Mr. Burrows had succeeded Mr. Henley Greaves, and had left rather suddenly, so Lord Fitzwilliam's hounds were invited to meet at Coles Lodge, in a wild and hilly but very beautiful hunting country, in the best of the Cottesmore Tuesday district, now probably the most fashionable in Eng- land. Goodall, speaking of this, says : — ^* Tuesday, April nth. — Lord Fitzwilliam's hounds met at Coles Lodge in the Cottesmore country, Mr. Burrows having given up the country. Mr. Sebright, the huntsman, was as fresh as ever ; he brought a capital pack of hounds, which hunted beautifully and gave great satisfaction, but the wind was so high they could not do much. There was supposed to be one thousand people out. George Carter whipped in." ^ Sebright's career was then drawing to its close. He had been the intimate friend of Goosey, and tradition has it that the two hard-headed old huntsmen had many a bout in the evening, when " they puzzled out the sort " together. At all events, Belvoir had some puppies by Shiner, a beautiful hound with the long Fitzwilliam head, one of the handsomest to be seen in a modern fox-hound. According to Goodall, Tom Sebright, as he called him, had not a very good day, and we can imagine the exclamation of " Od, rabbit it altogether " and the invocation of " Rags and garters " the old man would indulge in. Will Goodall seems, as I think the study of his pedigrees will show, to have subscribed to ' Goodall's Diary. 1 80 THE GOLDEN AGE Sebright's kennel maxim, " The dam is the secret." The result of his observations of the FitzwilHam on this occasion, led him to use Harbinger and Singer the next year, for three hounds were put on of this parentage, though I cannot find that these young hounds found especial favour in Will's eye. At the close of the season he remarks, " This has been one of the most remarkable seasons." He also calls it the "most excellent on record. Out of the whole hundred and thirteen times out I have never had occasion to change my linen from getting wet through." In 1855 the staff was unchanged, but in the middle of the season died one of the first sportsmen of his day, Sir Richard Sutton, who was a constant visitor at Belvoir Castle. This was a remarkable event in the history of the Quorn Hunt, as it was the last season of the undivided country. It was also a year to be recollected since it brought Mr. W. W. Tailby into the ranks of masters who have won fame, and gave an opportunity of distinction to another member of the Goodall family. Frank Goodall, Mr. Tailby writes, was much respected as a huntsman, and that he showed excellent sport the columns of the Field are a lasting witness. The Belvoir Hunt had lost in Sir Richard a friend and sportsman, one who was eager and interested in kennel lore as in that of the field. With less striking qualities than Mr. Assheton Smith, he came near to him as a horseman, and was a far better judge of a hound and a superior huntsman. Sir Richard loved nothing better than to take out ten couples of hounds and join with Will Goodall. " You shall be huntsman, Will, and I will whip-in to you," he would say. Goodall watched the sale of Sir Richard's pack with interest, for they were practically the same blood as the Belvoir. The pack brought ;^ 1,800, says the diary, and the horses went for enormous prices, Lord Euston buying Shang- ton for three hundred and sixty guineas, and Freeny and Freemason going to Mr. Richard Sutton for three hundred and forty guineas each. There was an interregnum in the 181 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT Quorn country after Sir Richard Sutton's death, and Lord Forester was invited to take his hounds there. Naturally such an event was recorded by Goodall, The diary runs as follows : " Wednesday, January 9th, was one of the finest days' sport I ever saw. Met at Old Dalby Wood ; found the first fox in Monday's [sic] Gorse ; went away very fast for Thrussington, bore away to the right between Burton and Walton Thorns, and away to Willoughby Gorse, which they reached after a tremendous burst of thirty-five minutes ; then away again by Willoughby as hard as they could scream for eighty minutes longer, and they ran into him most handsomely in the open, a field before any horseman. Found the second fox in Lord Ailesford's [sic] Gorse, and went away by Schoby Scholes to the left very fast, by Ash- fordby away between Welby fish-ponds and Goodricke's Gorse, away to the left, leaving Wartnaby and Kettleby on the right, Schoby on the right, and they ran into him most handsomely one field over the brook, after a splendid run of one hour and five minutes ; a very old dog fox. I rode my good old horse Catch-me-who-can first. A cold, raw morning, west-north-west ; falling glass, snow at intervals and country very deep and heavy. Layman, Charlotte, Sylvia, Phillis, Lenity, Redrose, Graceful all got good marks." In the same year there is a very characteristic account of a run in the Lincolnshire country : — "Friday, February Zth, 1855. — We met at Newton toll- bar ; found the first fox in Newton Gorse ; went away by Osbournby, taking a ring all round Aswarby and Swarby up to Tally-ho Gorse, and killed him after running fifty-five minutes. Second fox in Newton Wood ; went away slowly close by Aunsby over the plough, crossing the road between Culversthorpe and Swarby and straight away over Tindall's farm to Broad Water ; here we were holloaed to a fresh fox, which the hounds set to with a determined manner away through Rauceby Plantation, Bully Wells, over Sleaford Carr, and away close by Quarrington, pointing for Aswarby Thorns, close past Willoughby and away pointing straight 182 THE GOLDEN AGE for Dembleby, but when in the valley he bore away to Patman's Wood, where he ran the rides ; away again running the bridle road nearly to Heydour Hill, he turned away to the right over the Kelby fields straight away to the Ancaster Hills, Holes Plantation, where hounds gave him one turn, and away over the gorse, where he crept into a rabbit hole after a tremendous run of two hours and forty- five minutes, one hour and twenty minutes to change ; the first forty-five minutes without more than a momentary check, the latter the same. We dug him out and killed him. A tremendous large old dog fox. A real out and out good day's sport. George the first whipper-in's horse died, and so did Mr. Bellamy's, of Sleaford. Banker, Layman, Barbara (twelve good marks). Scornful, Sailor, Sempstress, Phillis, and Charlotte all distinguished themselves. " A most beautiful hunting morning, west-south-west and a rising glass. I rode my good old horse Catch-me-who-can first. Prince second. " Those who rode well to the hounds at the finish were Sir Thomas Whichcote, who had three horses out, Mr. Welby, of Allington, Lord Granby, who pulled through on one horse, Mr. Newcome, Mr. Houson, Colonel Reeve, Mr. Litchford, of Boothby, having attained his seventy-second year this day and as cheery as a youth. Mr. Young, of Wilsford, also was there, myself, with Jem and George, my whips, and Mr. Garner, of Willoughby Heath Farm. " I never saw hounds work more beautiful and struggle through the ploughs, which were for them knee deep all day ; every hound struggled through very stout in- deed." This was a season of good sport, for on February the i8th hounds " got away from everybody except Lord Forester and Mr. Hardy, the banker ; the fox was eaten before any one else could get there. Thus ended, on April the 24th, the best season's sport I ever saw in my life. The most good runs with kills at the finish " — Will thought nothing of a run unless his whipper-in brought home the mask at his saddle — " and performed in the most scientific manner 183 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT by hounds." The blood of Rallywood and the descendants of Amadis were beginning to tell. Of the keenness and stoutness of the hounds at this time there are many instances. Let one merely be given. The death of old Clamorous (1848), a celebrated bitch, is at once pathetic, and it might almost be said noble. She had been taken out for a treat after the days of her hunting were over, and it so chanced thai hounds had a most se- vere run from Cottam Thorns, in the middle of the Vale country. No hound worked harder than old Clamorous, and so fast was the pace that the Duke and Will Goodall were alone with hounds when they killed in the dusk. The old bitch trotted home with her stern up, but the next morning was found stiff and stark on the benches. Clamorous (1848) was by Craftsman — Promise, and goes back on her dam's side through Pedlar to Mr. Lambton's celebrated pack, which was largely infused with Belvoir blood. At this time the Belvoir Hunt was at its very best, the sport was good, foxes plentiful, and the kennel full of Rallywood blood. Lord Forester was extraordinarily keen, and would often go on so late as to draw from Will a hint as to the state of the horses. The only possible suggestion of a fault I can find is that Lord Forester and his men were somewhat underhorsed. But the ideas of those days were not so magnificent as ours, and horses were expected to do a good deal more than they are now, and they did it. I am inclined to think, too, that for sport and safety underhorsing, strange as it may seem at first sight, is better than overhorsing. From the time of Mr. Perceval, when hounds and horses were worked so hard that the former had, according to Fryatt, Beau Brummell's stud groom, to be whipped off their benches to go out hunting, the Belvoir has always been a hard-working pack, nor was it till Gillard's time that the hound van was brought into use, which in its turn has been displaced by the present master's (Sir Gilbert Greenall) well-known hunting special. Hounds have so thoroughly entered into the spirit of modern luxury that if lost or left behind in the course of the day's hunting 184 THE GOLDEN AGE they will now make their way back to the train. Unfor- tunately they have not yet learned that the railroad, though the most direct, is not the safest way to reach the station, and some valuable hounds have been run over and killed in consequence. But in Lord Forester's day all this was un- thought of, and second horses were by no means so universal as now, though they are no doubt an economy rather than otherwise. It says something for Lord Forester's powers of endurance that in his undergraduate days he has, after hunting all day with the Bicester and dining at Swift's house with Sir Thomas Mostyn, been known to ride back to Christ Church ere Tom had struck loi, in time to save his gates. Having taken his degree with the Bicester and at Christ Church, which were equally necessary to the " Tufts " of the period, it was natural Lord Forester should go to Melton. He thus finished his riding education in a hard school, for Maher, Moore, Maxse and Musgrave were riding against each other, and the world-renowned Assheton Smith was then at his best, and the young sportsman must often have met the latter at Belvoir, for Smith was a constant visitor at the Castle. Lord Plymouth, too, was then buying expensive horses he could not ride, and Dick Christian was going over the " stitchers " with Captain White, and Sir John Musgrave shouting behind him to "hearten him on." I think the reader of old hunting lore cannot fail to have noted how often " George Forester," and his father before him, were with hounds at the end of a long run. " Mr. Cecil Forester stopped the hounds," " Lord Forester was alone with them, and stopped them," are phrases which occur frequently ; and which indicate not only that the two riders were well mounted, but that they must have had fine gifts of patience, horse- manship and judgment. For though it is possible to go for twenty minutes or so brilliantly on a good horse, if you will only sit still and leave matters to your partner in the chase, yet to reach the end of a long hunt without overtasking your horse, and to see what hounds are doing, means a very high level of horsemanship indeed. 185 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT Lord Forester, we know, from the letters quoted above, hunted five days a week, which is not one too many for the Belvoir country. For the work sixty couples of hounds were kept in kennel. This might seem to have been a little short, had they not been the Belvoir, and gifted with the extra- ordinary stoutness of which already so many striking in- stances have been given. Will Goodall used to tell how he had jumped over the moon (reflected in the Melton brook), and was wont to declare that he never carried a watch, as *' my Lord always drew till it was dark." Under this regime men, horses and hounds were as hard as possible, though the tax on Goodall's strength proved to be greater than his con- stitution could stand, and, in addition to a bad habit he had of never taking any food with him out hunting, undoubtedly shortened his life, as it did that of his successor, the brilliant Jem Cooper. But Goodall would never have allowed that hunting could hurt any one, and was always ready to draw on as long as he thought his horses and hounds would stand it. Of course. Lord Forester and Will must have had long distances to ride home at night. The kennels at Ropsley relieved hounds somewhat, as they were sent there the day before they hunted in that country. If they left off on the western side of Grantham they went home, if not then they went back to Ropsley ; but the men appear to have returned to Belvoir, as the following anecdote shows : " One cold night in December, as Will and his whips set out for Belvoir, it came on very dark, and on striking into the Bridge-end road, near Ropsley Rise, they espied a baker with lamps on his cart jogging along in front. Thinking to make use of his lights, they gave two or three sharp cracks with their whips in order to crave companionship, upon which the ter- rified driver, concluding that shots had been fired by high- waymen secreted in the wood which ran alongside the road, and that it was a demand upon him to * bale up ' with his loaves and money, frantically applying his whip, drove as hard as the tit could lay legs to the ground into Grantham and told his doleful story to the police. Needless to say the unfortunate wight got unmercifully chaffed by his companions 1 86 THE GOLDEN AGE of the craft, nobody enjoying the nocturnal hunt more than Goodall himself." 1 Blank days were few,^ though the sport had its ups and downs there as elsewhere. Will, however, was of the same opinion as Mr. Meynell, when, after a smart twenty minutes with hare, the great master blandly remarked that " there are days when high-bred hounds will hunt anything." So Will is reported to have said when, after a bad day, hounds changed from a scentless fox to a hare, " Well, it is about time we ran something^ Lord Forester was a very popular man with the landowners and farmers. The latter admired his boldness as a horseman, and his handsome face and figure ; and they respected his excellent judgment of live stock, for Lord Forester was a born judge, not only of horses and hounds, but of stock of all kinds. He had that natural eye for form which, when culti- vated, makes a man a judge of power and speed in horse or hound, and which probably cannot altogether be acquired. But with the closing of the fifties, the golden age was draw- ing to an end. Lord Forester married in 1856; and this event, and the presentation of a splendid testimonial, fore- shadowed his approaching retirement. He had been master for twenty-eight seasons, and had made the very most of them. It was natural that men's minds should now turn to the Marquis of Granby, one of the hardest riders in a hard- riding age. When the good old Duke, full of years and honours, passed away, it was felt that the time had come for a Duke of Rutland once more to be master of his own hounds. That Lord Forester felt this himself we know by the following letter, which he wrote to General Reeve : — "Knipton Lodge, March 22, 1857. " I write to you thinking that you might expect from me some communication about the lamented death of the Duke of Rutland, and also thinking that if a change be made in * Random Recollections of the Belvoir Hunt, p. 28. ^ Mr. John Welby writes, " In fifty years' hunting with the Belvoir I never saw a blank day." 187 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT the management, now would be the time. I wrote to the present Duke immediately after the funeral. He replied that he would rather I should give him a little time to consider the matter ; at all events, until his return to Belvoir. He also asked me, as a kindness, to continue the management until he had time to look about him, after settling matters of any pressing importance. I at once acceded to his request, but now write to you to know yours and others' views on the matter, and whether or not you are willing to continue your support." ^ Thus the golden age passed away, though men did not know it. For though the succession of the sixth Duke to the mastership seemed to promise a glorious time — and had his health been spared no doubt this would have been the case — there never could be again a combination of circum- stances such as raised the Belvoir Hunt to the height of fashion and indirectly affected the whole sport of fox-hunting between the years 1830-55. The fifth Duke himself was a remarkable figure, the very type of our English nobleman. Splendid but not vulgarly lavish, friendly and kind but not familiar, he was a good landlord : a man of cultivated tastes, who loved society greatly, and took advantage of his power to have the best. The life of this Duke was singularly fortunate in the period it covered. He had felt the strange sense of promise an opening century brings with it ; and the ward of Pitt, he had detached himself from the Whig principles of his family, and been one of the creators of the present Conservative party. He had seen the Peninsular War, and the long peace closed by the Crimean campaign. But more important still, from the point of view of this book, he had lived through the greatest changes in social life. Can any contrast be imagined greater than those which the Castle he himself built has seen ? There Brummell smiled and bowed, with his hand where his heart ought to have been ; there George IV. smirked and snivelled in the gallery called by his name ; there the elabo- rate manners of the best of the old dandies — of Lord Robert * Reeve Papers. 188 THE GOLDEN AGE Manners, of Lord Alvanley, Lord Jersey, Chig Chester, and the rest of that gay throng — only served as a background to a keen wit ; for in the early part of the nineteenth century conversation had not yet descended to the level of altercation. There never would be again such a combination as Lord Forester, William Goodall, and James Cooper (the last-named one of the best and hardest of riders), at a time when the race of Belvoir and the nose of Yarborough had culminated in a pack which contained such hounds as Clinker, Chaser, Caroline, Rallywood, Singer, Trimmer, and others, whose notes made the Belvoir woods ring with their melody. With the close of the Duke's busy and interesting life there came to an end the golden age of the Belvoir Hunt. 189 Chapter XII THE SQUIRE OF ASWARBY AND THE GREAT HUNTSMAN AMONG those who followed the Belvoir hounds there was no more prominent or characteristic figure than Sir Thomas Whichcote. For half a century he saw all the sport which could be seen by a man who had know- ledge of hunting and a fine aptitude for horsemanship to help him. Unlike some good riders, he had no liking for a bad horse, and he invariably rode the best that money could buy or judgment select. Round the walls of the dining-room at Aswarby Hall are a series of portraits by Ferneley of Sir Thomas's favourite hunters. A very grand lot of horses they must have been. Indeed, as I looked round the pictures in the waning light of a November afternoon I was tempted to wonder if any man had ever been so fortunate in his horses. Certainly no one ever made better use of them. Sir Thomas Whichcote was the seventh baronet, and was born on May 23rd, 1 81 3, at Stapleford Park. His mother was Lady Sophia, third daughter of the fifth Earl of Harborough, and the sixth and last earl, of whom I have already had occasion to make mention, was his uncle. Sir Thomas was educated at Eton, and when he left school obtained a commission in the Grenadier Guards. After five years' soldiering he left the service, and settled down to a country gentleman's life on his estates at Aswarby, near Folkingham. He was an excellent landlord — so good that he never had a farm vacant even in the worst years of depression — a firm friend, a helpful neighbour, and his life was a useful and a happy 190 THE SQUIRE OF ASWARBY one. Sir Thomas Whichcote always seems to me to have been the embodiment of the kindly spirit of the Belvoir Hunt. It was this spirit of courtesy, mingled with the desire to give pleasure to others, which caused the Dukes of Rutland to struggle hard to keep on the hounds long after they them- selves could hope to obtain but little pleasure from the pack other than that which the knowledge of the enjoyment felt by others gave them. This spirit was spread among their neighbours, and gave a kindly charm to the society of the country-side, to be traced in the records of the hunt and of the families which have made their homes in " the Duke's " country. Aswarby Park is the picture of a comfortable and un- pretentious English country gentleman's home. It had, however, one fault in the eyes of its owner — it lay some- what wide of the best country of the hunt. Indeed, on one side of Aswarby stretches away the Lincolnshire fen-land, a country not without its own beauty, as of the sea, but in no way suited for horse and hound. Sir Thomas generally kept some of his horses at Grantham, and if the distance he had to go were long he generally had three horses out. The Squire of Aswarby always wished to be, and very often was, at the top of the hunt. So great was his fame as a rider that men would journey from Melton to the wilds of Lincolnshire to take on the famous owner of King Charming and other celebrated horses over that stiff country. But such a horseman and such cattle were hard to beat. Each year he set apart a sum to be devoted to keeping up his stud to the high standard he had set before him. This was necessarily a high one, for the Belvoir requires a good horse everywhere to carry a man at the top of the hunt, and that was where Sir Thomas loved to be. For many years when hounds ran hard Sir Thomas Whichcote, on one of his priceless horses. King Charming or another, could be seen riding well up to the motto, " Be with them I will." From Dick Christian we know that Sir Thomas's riding excited his warmest admiration, and that the hard-riding 191 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT baronet " pounded " Jem Mason when riding Kegworth, a horse that had come from Sir Richard Sutton's stables. Sir Thomas himself, when speaking of Kegworth, is reported by the same authority to have said, " Precious hard if 320 guineas can't pound somebody."^ Nor was he merely a hard rider ; he understood hounds, and cared to see them work out the line. It is not therefore surprising that there grew up between Sir Thomas and Will Goodall, the great huntsman, a feeling of respect which eventually ripened into affection. Each kept to his own place with the ease of those days when people were not in such desperate fear of com- promising a position which they never had as they do now, and it was just this that made such friendships possible, as the following letters show. Goodall was, of course, a very uncommon character, and he rose to be great as a huntsman as he would have come to the front in any other calling. His education had not been of books, for after the manner of his class he began life early, and was but eleven years old when he discussed politics and horses outside the House of Commons in the stirring times of 1832 with the other lads, some of whom became huntsmen, too, in their time. But he had undoubtedly the gift of expression and a keen sense of beauty, and his letters are full of genuine enthusiasm for his work, mingled with kindly and tender feeling. It was evidently his practice to consult with Sir Thomas Whichcote on almost every difficulty that arose in his life. The latter, indeed, from his connection with the country and his know- ledge of its affairs and people, was well able to advise in the delicate questions of coverts and foxes, and Goodall drew largely and with perfect confidence on him for guidance and help. Dates are occasionally absent from the letters that passed between the two, but all, I think, belong to the latter part of Will Goodall's career. The letters which follow are very rich in characteristic expressions, and are marked by Goodall's kindly endeavour to tell Sir Thomas of the sport which that keen sportsman was unable for one reason or another to share at the time. * Silk and Scarlet, p. i r. 192 THE SQUIRE OF ASWARBY The runs mentioned in the following must have taken place in the season 1856-57. Although the first letter is not dated, it must have been before November 27th, as from that date to December 6th hounds were stopped by frost. VI 1 "Belvoir Kennels, '■'•Monday Morning, "Honoured Sir, — [n.d.] " I am very sorry I did not get your letter early enough yesterday to answer it by return of post. " Our run from Sproxton Thorns was really very first rate, just what you would have enjoyed, hounds going out of the field as horses were going in, notwithstanding a large field bestrided with fast men. I do think myself if Mr. Thursby had been there he would have been alone in his glory : it's really wonderful to see a body of old fox-hunters, when hounds start off with their heads up and sterns down, telling them over the very first field that there's no time to lose to see them following one another over a weak place to avoid a rasper, and thereby losing that portion of precious time which is gone for ever, thus verifying the old proverb that time and fox-hounds wait for no man. My Lord would tell you how unpolite the pack was in eating their fox be- fore I could get near them, the only piece left being his nose. We had a very hard woodland day on Friday, stop- ping the hounds in Brown Wood between six and seven o'clock. Such a good day's sport, killing a fox in Ponton Park Wood in twenty-five minutes. Second we found in Boothby Great Wood, where, after two or three rings, we raced him over to Ponton Park and killed him ; third from Harlaxton, which gave us an hour's most beautiful hunting, and we stopped them at the railroad near Stoke Park Wood. " My Lord would tell you of our very good day from Wiverton last Wednesday, killing at Plumtree, near Not- tingham. * The numbers refer to the order of the correspondence as placed in my hands. 193 O THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT "Thursday we meet at Croxton Park; Friday, Byard's Leap. " I beg to remain, " Honoured Sir, " Your most humble and obedient servant, "Wm. Goodall." After this came the spell of frost, but Goodall's mind is full of the hounds. In this year he went back to Badminton for an outcross, and the Rufus of which he speaks was evi- dently a favourite with him. Five couple out of an entry of thirteen and a half couple of young Rufuses were put for- ward. VII Belvoir Kennels, " Saturday Morning. [N.D.] " Honoured Sir, — " As hunting appears to be quite out of the question this morning, I am devoting a small portion of my time to the study of fox-hounds ; and, whilst doing so, I enclose you a book of the Belvoir hounds, with a few remarks therein which, in this slack hunting weather, will, I think, be as amusing to you to look over as it is to me in sending. "You will therein see a goodly number of well-bred and good-looking dogs which have been used by many of our neighbouring and distant packs. Our young team, which chiefly consist of Beaufort Rufuses and Guiders, are doing remarkably well. I have been watching them very closely this late trying, bad scenting weather, and, although they have not been able to do any good, I have been much grati- fied with the sensible and quiet manner in which they have conducted themselves, and which some days I have thought would have been a good lesson for me ; but really that un- ruly member will never crowd the storehouse of the mind, and, had I been a hound, would have drafted me long since to the fountains of intelligence to learn the words of wisdom. " I hope and trust, however, that this beautiful frost will clear and purify the atmosphere and improve the scents, 194 THE SQUIRE OF ASWARBY cheering on the small portion of time allotted to us inhabi- tants of the earth. " I beg to remain, " Honoured Sir, " Your most humble and obedient servant, "Wm. Goodall." The young Rufuses and Guiders entered were of a most exemplary character, which did not fail to extract a moral from Will's pen. The next letter of the series is dated from Ropsley Kennels, to which hounds were taken for the fox- hunts east of Grantham, and contains a spirited account of cub-hunting prospects. vni "Ropsley Kennels, " Thursday Morning. [N.D.] " Honoured Sir, — " Thinking you will like to hear a little of our proceed- ings, I take the liberty of sending you a short account of them. You will be glad to hear we have had, so far, a very satisfactory season, though the foxes, since our first visitation, and the daily noise of the nutters and acorn getters have made them get into some more quiet abode ; for yesterday I could not get up to a fox either in Dunsby, Kirkby, or Aslackby Woods, although there were lines through each of them, and I have been once to each before, and found a litter of cubs in each ; after heavy mornings, with moderate luck, succeeded in killing one out of each. After drawing through these woods yesterday, we got up to two or three foxes directly in Keisby Wood ; they settled beautifully to one, running him through Aslackby and Bulby Hall, a ring round by Kirkby, through Aslackby Wood again, and pulled him down at the Keisby end after a splitting twenty-five minutes — ' a cubb.' " On Tuesday I was much disappointed not seeing you out. I went to Newton Gorse to oblige Mr. Turnor, and found directly, but there was an earth open, and they soon got to 195 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT ground. One fox, ' a cubb,' went away, which we did not follow ; we then went to the Nightingale Gorse and the Southerns, where we found a good [one], and after stopping the hounds twice off of old foxes (one of which came direct for you), we got settled to two or three cubs in Dembleby Thorns, in which they ran hard for an hour, and killed one. We have no cubs in Sapperton or Newton, but I hope there will be some good old foxes get there before we commence public hunting. " Ponton Park Wood, Boothby, Humby, Ingoldsby, Ropsley Rise have had these usual guests, and we found in each a good litter, and have taken a brace out of each, bar Boothby, where we only killed one, after good work indeed for hounds. Belvoir, as usual, has been surrounded with foxes, and we have had there wonderful sport, and killed from them ten brace. " In Leadenham Hill plantations we found a good litter last week and killed a brace ; Sparrow Gorse also we found a famous litter in, and, after running in the gorse an hour without one single fox making an attempt to move away, we killed one ; on to Byard's Leap, where we found nothing but old foxes, which we stopped the hounds from. In Ancaster Gorse the next day we found, I think, two litters, and, after running in the covert for an hour, we went away with a brace to the quarrys, where the hounds divided, one racing back and into a cub near . . . ^ the other ringing round Welby Hazles, and back for the gorse, where the other hounds, un- fortunately, in coming to the cry, met the fox, and killed him. There are, however, an abundance of foxes here — the best show I have seen for years. I have now cub-hunted all this side that requires it : unless you have anything at Aswarby you would like disturbing before I return home to Belvoir, where we have lots of work wants doing. On Saturday I have fixed to be at Humby Wood at 9.30, and shall take the hounds home afterwards. I shall still have a pack here for Monday, which I will leave open till I hear from you. If you have any cubs you would like to have disturbed, I will be with you any hour you please to fix on Monday. * This name illegible. J 96 THE SQUIRE OF ASWARBY " You will be pleased to hear Sir John Trollope has got a very good lot of hounds together, and will, I think, show more sport in the Woodlands than has been for some years. I have had one good satisfactory day with him, although very much the reverse as regards finding plenty. Irnham Park Wood, I am sorry to say, they drew blank, and only found one fox in Osgodby Coppice, which is a terrible state of affairs, as I fear many of our old foxes have paid their last debt here. " Stoke Park Wood, Burton Slate, and Long Wood with Easton Wood, are all, too, without cubs again ; but I intend going to these places next week to see what there are. Our open country and south of the Grantham road abounds with foxes, which I hope will be disturbed the next fortnight. " I am truly very sorry to hear through Mr. Turnor of Lady Whichcote being so poorly, but who, I sincerely hope, will soon be restored to health again. Hoping you are quite well, and with a good stud of horses to enjoy the pleasures of the chase, which I hope the ensuing season will prove to be as cheering and animating as in days of yore, " I beg to remain, " Honoured Sir, " Your most humble and obedient servant, "Wm. Goodall." The next letter is of great interest. It was written in the cub-hunting season of 1854, and describes the drought which marked the close of a hot and dry summer. There is also a reference to Will's habit of not taking out food into the hunting field, a custom which, with the long hours of a Bel- voir hunting day, and the weary homeward rides, would have taxed severely even a stronger constitution. Will goes on to tell of a remarkable run, nor does he forget his friends in the Crimea. There is also a pleasant touch about the playfulness of the young hounds, which is an illustration of Will's method with them. This was to make every use of a hound's natural intelligence, high spirit, and affection to improve him in his work. 197 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT IX "Belvoir Kennels, " November '^^rd, 1854. " Honoured Sir, — " Thank you very much for your note of this morning's post, and right glad I am to find you are safely landed in old England again,^ and I sincerely hope in good health and strength for the ensuing season, which at present is not very inviting. Mother Earth does not receive us in the soft, kind, and welcome manner she ought to do in the fox-hunting season, but bounces us up again, leaving us at least a fort- night to suffer for her reproof She has broken two of George's ribs (but he is better), and has given me some severe shakings ; neither is there any chance of becoming at all friendly with her till rain falls to soften her hard heart. According to what I hear, I think there has been more rain everywhere else than in this country. But I won't repine, for I never had the pack better, and, on the whole, we have had a real good cubbing season, and, with the exception of about thirty hours' violent constipation of the bowels, which nearly cost me my life, I never was better myself, brought on entirely by my own foolishness going too long without food, and taking too strong exercise at the same time ; but, thank God ! I am quite well now, and ready for as much hunting as ever we can get, "You would hear at Willey of the blazing forty-five minutes we had from Ropsley Rise last Wednesday, a half-moon ring round by Welby, Oasby, Southerns, Newton ; then the middle Sapperton Wood, and pulled him down going away for the village, the most tremendous burst I ever saw. At Leaden- ham we also had a most extraordinary twenty-five minutes, which perhaps can't be found in the annals of fox-hunting. We found in the becks in the park, and went away in view with a brace of foxes, and, after running the above time, each ^ This refers to Sir Thomas's visit to the Crimea in his yacht the Enchantress, of which some interesting details may be found in the Hon. Sir Henry Keppel's Diary, pubhshed while this book was going through the press. 198 THE SQUIRE OF ASWARBY party killed their fox within ten yards of each other. I en- close you a sketch of the run. " I was delighted to hear from General Reeve that they had that morning heard from the Colonel/ and that he was much better. I have also taken the liberty of writing to him, giving him a little of our fox-hunting proceedings. I shall indeed be well pleased to hear of his return, but not before the battle's won, for it's a most glorious fight ; it seems to blunt everything else in the papers. But to return to sport. I have for the ensuing week made the following fixtures : — " Monday, Croxton Park ; " Tuesday, Barkston in the Willows ; " Thursday, Keisby Village ; and I shall, if agreeable to you, be pleased to rouse your cubs the following week, but not unless you are there, or you wish it. Should you not be at home, we have plenty of other places to go to as yet undisturbed. If no more rain falls, I think it will be almost impossible to come, as we can't stop at Ropsley for want of water. I shall be obliged to go home after hunting at Keisby, which cuts the hounds all to pieces trailing home so far after a hard day. " Our young hounds please me very much, full of mischief in Charley's absence, but particularly attentive to that gentle- man when at home. " Trusting we may get some moisture before long, " I beg to remain, " Honoured Sir, " Your most humble and obedient servant, "Wm. Goodall." The letter referred to above was preserved and valued through the Crimean campaign by Colonel Reeve, and is now at Leadenham House. It runs as follows : — " Satisfactory cubbing, considering very dry season ; oldest man can't remember so long drought. Country hard as iron, and full of immense cracks. Can't get to ^ Then in the Crimea. 199 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT Ropsley with hounds till rain falls. Been out thirty-two times, and killed thirty-six foxes, which are, as usual, very plentiful. September 22, from Denton Park, twenty-five minutes, and killed Woolsthorpe Cliff. October 17, another clipper from Belvoir, twenty-three minutes, and killed Den- ton Park. October 24, best forty-five minutes from Ropsley Rise I ever remember. I hope you are able to cheer on your men with the same energy and spirit as I've seen you do the hounds at the close of a real good and glorious run. . . . Indeed, in spite of all hardships, I often wish I was with you myself Killed brace in Casthorpe Hill on the day of the Alma, the brush of which I shall keep in remembrance of that memorable day. I hope Captain Allix is well." The next letter of this series carries us on two years, though we would fain have told the whole story in Good- all's own bright and homely style. This letter, dated 1856, was written at the close of Lord Forester's mastership, and when Goodall's own career was drawing to an end. It tells of cubbing operations, and ends with a most characteristic touch in the mention of a " screaming volley" which preceded the death of the fox. XI "Belvoir Kennels, " October 2,rd, 1856. •' Honoured Sir, — " I beg to thank you very much for your note and game, though I regret exceedingly not being able to give you a day this week, as I have just arranged with his Lordship the Marquis of Granby to hunt (after to-morrow, Tuesday) a week within reach of Belvoir ; consequently, shall take the hounds all home to-morrow and Wednesday for that purpose. I will, however, if possible, get as near to Aswarby on Monday next as I can ; and, if I can, have a pack at Ropsley again for Aswarby at the end of the week. I am delighted to hear of your good sport. I hope my old friend Harrison is leaving plenty of his own stock behind, for he is a real good sort. 200 ^i-.i ^v:- -S N.T ^'^ J^5 ' uj ^r, ~^ >. THE SQUIRE OF ASWARBY " We have had a most delightful week's sport in the Dunsby, Kirkby, Aslackby Woodlands ; I think I never enjoyed a whole week's sport so much. On Monday last we went to Aslackby Wood, where we found a very great show of foxes, and, although raining in torrents the whole day, they ran as if they were tied to those foxes, and killed a brace after running three hours. " On Tuesday I went to Dunsby, which we drew blank, owing to a great party of nutters daily frequenting the wood. On to Kirkby, where we found as many as we knew how to deal with. We soon had a division of hounds, one lot going to Aslackby, the other running in Kirkby, running in this way hard for an hour and a half, passing each other several times as they returned. We, however, got all together at last, and suc- ceeded in killing a cub most handsomely in the Bulby corner of Kirkby Wood, after two hours and a half hard running. " On Friday we went to Kirkby Wood again, where we found after drawing a short time. Away we were directly over to Aslackby Wood, back again at Kirkby, where we were running hard with two or three foxes for some time. They, however, broke away at the Grimsthorpe end, away over Bulby Park, through Bulby Hall Wood, back again over the grass fields by Aslackby, and they pulled him down at the corner of Kirkby Wood, after a most brilliant morning's sport of three hours and ten minutes' hard running. " On Saturday we went to Aslackby Wood, where we found a beautiful fine old fox with a stiff knee, which they killed in ten minutes. On to Kirkby Wood, where we soon got on a stale scent, which we hunted over to Elsthorpe Springs, where we immediately got up to a real good one, which seemed so much disgusted with my impertinent visit without an invitation that he started off up wind, leaving Bourne Wood on his left, over the Bourne road nearly to Dunsby Wood. Here he unfortunately ran into a field full of ploughmen, which turned him short back down one field as the hounds were going at the other ; back again nearly as fast, leaving Grimsthorpe Park all to the left at the Edenham Bottoms, into Elsthorpe Springs again, where 201 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT they poured into him a regular screaming volley once round it, and killed him most handsomely. " I beg to remain, Honoured Sir, " Your most humble and obedient servant, " Wm. Goodall." The next letter tells its own story. XII " Belvoir Kennels, '' April 20th, 1857. "Honoured Sir. — " Having got a very decent entry of young dog-hounds, and being obliged to pull down our old pack to a certain number, I think I shall be able to select a very good dog- hound as a stallion for Mr. Errington, who, I am delighted to hear, is again about establishing a pack of fox-hounds. May he do so, and quickly, and a good one is my sincere wish, and may they rouse up the old blood which flowed through his veins some twenty years ago, employing all the muscles and nerves both in heart and head, which so soon become inanimate when retiring from fox-hunting, making our lives (in this most beautiful world Providence has placed us in) a burthen to us. Depend there is nothing like fox-hunting for health and strength when rightly carried out — cheering with- out inebriating. There we all meet together, high and low, rich and poor, all English hearts throbbing like a maiden's at the letter for the sound gone away. But I must stop, or I shall be gone too, and to business. I need not tell you I shall be very happy indeed to show you our pack any day next week most convenient to yourself to come, and I think Mr. Litch- ford, who has not seen them, would have great pleasure in meeting you here if you will please give me one line to say what day and what hour, and I will be in readiness for you, and shall have great pleasure in having a chop for you, too, at two o'clock. " I beg to remain. Honoured Sir, " Your most humble and obedient servant, " Wm. Goodall." 202 THE SQUIRE OF ASWARBY The Mr. Errington referred to was master of the Quorn from 1835-38, and his portrait will be found in the Melton Hunt breakfast picture. Then comes one of the most charming of the whole series. Sir Richard Sutton was one of the best sportsmen who ever lived, and a firm believer in the Belvoir huntsman and the Belvoir blood. xni " Belvoir Kennels, ''July %th, 1857. "Honoured Sir, — " I beg to thank you very much for your kind letter of this morning's post, reminding me of many, many good men and true who have left the field since we first met there ; to return, alas ! no more. In casting a retrospective glance upon the past, how many names I find struck off our true fox-hunters' list, our late good Duke for one, but whose age we could not expect would allow him to remain any longer. But then come the names of Halford and Sutton, just in their prime, and real supporters of the noble science — heavy losses these, which is already beginning to tell, with many others that are gone, when we live to see that beautiful old Cottesmore country deserted. Oh, that they were all de- posited in our churchyard, that we might, in these beautiful, though solitary summer evenings, meditate among their tombs. Thankful shall I feel when I hear the joyful cheer from the peasantry proclaiming harvest home. Then will I, too, most heartily shout and proclaim the first hunting morn- ing, which I hope and trust will be followed up as in days of yore ; for there is no sport so conducive to health, so bracing to the nerves, and that gives such good tone to the stomach, as fox-hunting ; and I think, if nothing unforeseen occurs, I shall have sixty couples for the first of November, that will tune up our hearts and fill us as full of joy and gladness as they used to do to our forefathers some fifty years ago 'in the Belvoir Hunt.' " I am very pleased to hear of the capture of the two New- 203 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT ton Gorse gentry, who no doubt was there for the first living creature that presented itself. " I am very sorry to hear that poor old Aswarby Thorns is not this year entertaining its usual Royal guests, which I know is very annoying to the owner ; but that villain that last left you give the land such a draining that it will be some time before the pride of the ark will rest there again. " I am very happy indeed to hear of the forthcoming event, which is to take place between the house of Leadenham and Denton. Most sincerely do I hope that years of health, hap- piness, and prosperity is before them, and as a husband and father I trust he will stick more to the line than I have seen him occasionally do when you and I have been riding side by side after a severe fifty minutes. But he is a capital sportsman withal, and I am truly happy to hear of the excel- lent choice he has made. " I am very thankful indeed to say our hounds and myself are all quite well, and I am looking forward with much pleasure and anxiety for the ensuing season. " Sincerely hoping you are seeming well, with your honour- able lady, and that we may be permitted to meet for many years yet to come, to enjoy the pleasures of the chase, cheer- ing without inebriating. ' Forward's the cry ' ; the world's all our own when we are after the hounds. " I beg to remain, " Honoured Sir, " Your most humble and faithful servant, " Wm. Goodall. " N.B. — I beg to thank you very much for the offer of the book called The Post and the Paddock, which I have already got ; it was sent to me by the author, who I do not know. The very flattering and honourable mention he has made of my name through my career in my life calls to mind many pleasing recollections of the past. When I read of Dick Christian riding a bull, I could tell him of a much greater feat I once did (though perfectly innocent) at thirteen years of age. I once took Mr. Dorrien's horse to meet the Hey- throp Hounds at Yackby ; when there he said, ' Bill, should 204 THE SQUIRE OF ASWARBY you like to see them find ? ' Of course I said yes. Old Jim Hill, knowing me, said, ' Come along with me,' and I did. They found a fox, and had twenty-five minutes nearly, in view all the way, and killed him. I got either seven or eight regular spinners, and got up nearly as soon as any of them, much to Mr. Dorrien's horror, when he came up and saw me covered in dirt, and told me the horse was stone-blind, and I ought to have gone home immediately they found. The same year I rode a mare called Flirt over the moony while she was resting in the brook of Grendon, and stopped the hounds myself as they was rising Pounden Hill at eight o'clock at night, every horse dead beat. I was riding second horse for Ben Foot, and a precious good blowing up I got." In the letter dated January 2 1st, 1858, Goodall condoles with Sir Thomas Whichcote on a nasty fall which had laid him by, a fate which must sometimes befall those who ride as straight and as hard as did the Squire of Aswarby. XIV "Belvoir Kennels, ^^ January 21^/, 1858. " Honoured Sir, — " I beg to return you my warmest thanks for your very kind letter, couched in terms so expressive of your heart, when you lay with your broken bone in the grass field near Folkingham, and which will for ever be remembered with gratitude by me. I only wish I could have placed another individual in your melancholy situation at the time, I don't remember exactly when it was ; I only go by losing you all at once, when they set to racing for Walcot. " Fox-hunting, as you very truly say, is very vexatious ; and so is every other amusement, if we do give way to our tempers. I often wish I could conquer mine ; it would indeed be a victory. It often causes me much pain when I reflect how the beautiful day hath been passed. But when rightly carried out, there is no sport or pastime so conducive to health, nor gives more tone to both body and soul, and al- though you have been denied the pleasures of the chase so 205 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT long, it must be a very pleasing sensation to you to feel your spirit continually hovering over the Belvoir pack in full cry, and where I sincerely hope the body will soon be, too, for many, many years to come. " On December the 26th I wish with all my heart you could have joined me and Thomas up to the Southerns ; had the hounds gone on there it would have been a dead heat with us two. There are, however, a real good lot of foxes left in our woodlands, to give us, I hope, many such days, when I trust you will be there. We have not had anything very first-rate since the frost, though the hounds have killed a few foxes through difficulties and bad scents handsomely. We had a good day's sport yesterday, with a bad scent, ' but no kill ' ; found him in the school plots, and went away through Ponton Park Wood and Boothby Great Wood, and away straight to Westby, which he left on his left, and away to Burton Lawn Wood ; here he turned short to the right, leaving Basingthorpe on his left, and we lost him going to Boothby Great Wood again : a terrible windy, bad day, and it was quite wonderful the hounds got as far as they did. I fear snow will put in his appearance before morning, and prevent us hunting at Caythorpe Common. " Hoping soon to see you again in the hunting field, " I beg to remain, " Honoured Sir, " Your very faithful and obedient servant, "Wm. Goodall." In the same year Goodall wrote to General Reeve, " We have had capital sport indeed, killing ONE fox each morn- ing, after real good work," showing that the huntsman was not one of those who advocate by example or precept the indiscriminate murder of the innocents in the autumn. In another letter Sir Thomas is congratulated on the birth of a son, and this gives occasion to Goodall to express that anxiety which his own large family made him feel. The postscript overleaf tells that the old feud between foxes and pheasants, huntsman and keeper, broke out from time to time 206 THE SQUIRE OF ASWARBY even in such a favoured country as the Belvoir in its golden age. Then we have a most spirited account of cub-hunting, for the benefit of Sir Thomas Whichcote, whose house lay somewhat wide for the early morning hunting. XVI "Belvoir Kennels, '' October 2>th, 1858. "Honoured Sir,— " As I flatter myself you will be pleased to hear from me, to know a little of our proceedings this cubbing season of 1858, I have much pleasure in sending you a short account of our operations. This has indeed been a long summer, and it seems years since we met in the field ; and yet, alas ! how fast the time flies, and how fast the seasons pass away ! But to hunting, the good old sport of our ancestors, which gives us health to enjoy the pleasures of this world and helpeth the seasons to pass joyfully away, without being forgetful from whence those blessings flow. "We commenced our cubbing operations on the 19th of August under most favourable auspices, finding a great show of foxes in Woolsthorpe Clifif, and killing a brace after an hour's good work. '^August 2.0th. — We went to Croxton Lings and Croxton Park, where we found a good litter, and killed a cub after an hour and five minutes' good work, " August 2T^rd. — We found a litter of cubs in Belvoir Planta- tion, and killed a brace after an hour and a quarter hard running. '■'August 24th. — We went to Barkstone Wood and found cubs, and killed one after a tremendous hour and thirty-five minutes. " P.S. — Sir John Trollope found one old fox in Osgodby Coppice ; give him two or three rings round Irnham Park Wood and then went away to the Moor Woods, where they got into cubs, and killed one. Five times out, and five heads. 207 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT A scratch pack ; but he has about twenty couple which has been given him by friends (not drafts), very good hounds. " If you do not want any cubs disturbing I shall go to Irn- ham on Monday, as I think that will tell Mr. Woodhouse his keepers are not so trustworthy as he gives them credit for. He (Mr. Woodhouse) told me in the summer he was deter- mined to have foxes or no keepers, but at this time it is the very reverse." As a horseman Goodall was, possibly, not equal to his im- mediate successors, Cooper and Gillard, for I have been told by good judges that Jem Cooper at his best was one of the finest as well as one of the boldest horsemen who ever came to Lincolnshire. Goodall was not very well mounted, though he made the best of his horses, as of everything else, with that courageous spirit of his. He was bold as a lion, fearing no- thing, and though when coming over a big fence he might not always land in an orthodox position, he generally got to the far side and was seldom far from his hounds. Indeed he had that tact and judgment which enables a huntsman to be always near the hounds without appearing actually to lead the field, and enables him to save his horse. Goodall had this gift of making the most of his horse, and a very great one it is. In his early school, as second horseman to Mr. T. Drake and Ben Foot, he had learned to get across country with the least possible exertion to the horse, yet at times he was very bold. Once the field came up to a very stiff gate, hounds were on the other side. Will's place was with them, so wheeling his horse round he flew the gate and was alone with the pack for twenty minutes. " Will Goodall was a wonderful sportsman," writes Mr. Finder, of Barrowby, than whom few men know more about the Belvoir hounds and country, and to whose delightful little book I have more than once referred. " Will Goodall's heart and soul were in his work, and it was seldom that a tired fox escaped him. When the quarry was sinking it frequently happened that some of those who were near enough would vociferate, ' There he goes, dead beaten,' upon which Will would exclaim, ' For goodness' sake hold 208 THE SQUIRE OF ASWARBY your tongue and let hounds kill him.' He had for second horseman a quaint character in Tom Chambers, a man with dried-up skin, looking like leather, and immobile countenance, whom Will used jocosely to designate as the Egyptian mummy. Tom had very slender legs, oi. the same thickness from knee to ankle and guiltless of calves. On one occasion when hounds were breaking up their fox,/];om had dismounted and was holding both horses whilst Goodall performed the obsequies. During the struggle, hounds ran against Tom, nearly knocking him off his pins, on which a bystander exclaimed, * Take care, Tom, or they'll be tasting your calves,' upon which Tom quietly muttered, 'Humph, they'll have a job to find 'em, I think.' Goodall had the saving gift of a sense of humour, and was full of keen ob- servation of the incidents and characters of the hunting field. There was in his day a fashion of having the throat latch of the bridle very loose. On one occasion a well-known Mel- tonian, who had come to take down the numbers of the Belvoir men in their own country, rode up with his throat bridle as loose as fashion prescribed. Hounds started in due course to run from Colman Hill, so did the visitor. Very early in the run one of the big fences caused his horse to peck, and the rider flew over his head holding on to the bridle in accordance with Assheton Smith's precept. But when he gained his feet, though he held the reins, his horse was galloping off homeward, whither the disappointed, sports- man had to follow on foot." The same writer tells of a man who created some amuse- ment by appearing in boots and breeches mounted on a donkey. However, this sportsman had the best of the joke, for to every one's surprise when hounds began to run there were rider and Neddy cantering gaily in their wake, and not only that, but feeling their way through the fences so cleverly that many of the laughers were pounded. Another of Mr. Finder's good stories is that of the fox which attended the meet, and which that gentleman must be allowed to tell in his own words : — " Again surprise was manifested one day when hounds met 209 P THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT at Croxton Park on seeing two young fellows looking like butchers, seated in a high trap, unconcernedly drive up with a fine fox seated between them. The trio appeared all of one mind — interested in the scene, reynard not in the least discon- certed, but rather blinking one eye as he sat on the safe perch between his friends." But no incident amused Goodall more than the story of the hare and the quarryman at Slight's Gorse, the recital of which, like the more celebrated " grouse in the gun-room," never failed to bring back the laughter it caused when it happened. Mr. Finder again shall tell the story : — " A ludicrous incident happened whilst Lord Forester was master, at Slight's Gorse. Whilst hounds were drawing the furze, a number of men from the neighbouring quarries as- sembled in a field close by, and as one of them spied a be- wildered hare running down a furrow towards him he dropped on one knee with his hands out ready for a capture. And singularly enough, just as the hare reached him, with an eye back upon the hounds, she made a sudden spring into his arms, and he succeeded in catching hold of one of the hind legs. The hare screamed and struggled frantically, her cap- tor tumbling over backwards with puss scoring his face sadly with the loose claw until it was streaming with blood. But the hewer of stone never let go, and at length, catching hold of the hare by the neck, the struggle was soon over, with anticipation of the enjoyment of ' matching her agin' a bit o' bacon,' as he called it. The effect was so ridiculous that the field roared with laughter, Lord Forester tipping the quarry- man with the price of a few gallons of October wherewith to celebrate the occasion with his comrades at the Fox's Brush in the evening. It was this joyous, laughter-loving nature that made Will so popular with the farmers and with his brother huntsmen, who loved to spend a day or two with him and share the hospitality he was always ready to give. By this time any slight jealousy of the Belvoir huntsman had died away, and he was recognised as one of the heads of his profession in the kennel. But of this I have already 210 WILL GOODALL, ON "CROP." From the Picture at Belvoir Castle by J. E. Fenieley. THE SQUIRE OF ASWARBY spoken, and I must draw now to the close of the happy and beautiful life, which came so quickly and so suddenly one bright May morning, in 1859. In his recollections of Goodall, the Druid tells us how, in the Exhibition year, he started to see the great show of which every one was talking, but he visited sixteen kennels of hounds and never got to the Crystal Palace at all. He had a great love of his beautiful little home at Belvoir, and of those sturdy boys of his with whom he loved to play cricket, although he confessed that anxiety as to their future was such that it would make him " sweat in an ice house." He watched, too, with great interest his colony of bees. His diary, like his letters, is full of character, as the Druid, a friendly soul who loved the kindly Will, and whose reminis- cences of Goodall have an accent of regretful tenderness, points out : — " His phraseology was very unique and expressive ; and ' screamed over the fallows,' ' raced into him and eat him,' ' a blazing hour,' ' blew him up in the open,' etc., were great expressions with him, and very characteristic of the ceaseless energy of the man." His diary, which will, we trust, be printed, is a very remark- able work — quite as much for the little comments on man, horse, and hound throughout it as for its vivid description of the sport itself. Passing events are interspersed here and there. We find the death of " my much-respected friend John Ashbourn " chronicled near Mr. Assheton Smith's ; and the marriage of a first-flight Meltonian is not forgotten. He never failed to see what every hound was doing, and at night a little cross was put above each of their names for every good hit they had made. When it was something out of the common they had a note as well. For instance, " Lucy made a famous hit at Wilsford, and won her fox " ; " Bell showed great superiority of nose, and caught the fox." Wishful, however, catches it herself in a widely different sense from his pen that self-same season, and we find against her in black and white that she " and Willing behaved very ill, run- ning hare most obstinately in Easton Wood." There is also 211 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT a word of condolence for poor old Trusty, which " never got away from Irnham Wood and missed it altogether." He tells, too, how on one occasion he "had eleven and a half couple of stallions out " ; how " George and Jem both got into Lenton Brook " ; how " Knipton gave me a terrible fall, jumping into a blind grip (no fault of his) " ; and how he had to whip off at night, " leaving him to give us another good run, and die, I hope, honourably in the open." ^ For some time before his death Will showed signs of the coming trouble. He had a chronic cold, and his voice be- came strained and hoarse. Some of his later seasons were good, and, though quoted before, I cannot resist giving the characteristic extracts from his diary relating to the sport, among the last he was ever to see. To the end he was cheery, as he had been in the days when he used to take no more notice of old Goosey's querulous nagging than "nothing at all." With the same courage he never relaxed his energy or his enthusiasm in the field. Twice in 1857 he killed his fox in frost. Once, as an ardent sportsman relates, to show how his hounds trusted him, he stopped them just as they were running hackles up into a wood, took them through at full gallop and laid them on the far side — the fox had gone right through — and killed his fox. No doubt he remembered the sage remark of his old master, Goosey, " I beg leave to say, sir, that a fox is a toddling animal." In 1857 he declared he had never had a cub-hunting season more to his wishes, nor enjoyed one more. In 1858 an incident as interesting as it is remarkable occurred, and is related in the Sporting Magazine : — " The second fox gave them twenty minutes to ground in a drain, racing pace all the way. A couple of bitches were missing at this point — Clara, a daughter of Comus, and Care- ful, a daughter of Chaser — and a whip was sent back while Will went on to draw for another fox, which gave him a capital fifty minutes over a very severe country to ground again. The whip reached home without either of the bitches, but Will was so sure they were there that the boiler was ' Si'/i and Scarlet, p. 379. • 212 THE SQUIRE OF ASWARBY despatched next morning, and after digging a long time he found them both on their backs in sludge and dirt, and un- able to move. He got them out alive at the end of twenty- six hours, but the fox had bolted. Will had once a black- hole business of this kind on a more extended scale. The first year he was huntsman he sent his whip to stop a large head of earths in Woolsthorpe Cliff Wood. He took a pet terrier with him, which got into the earth unseen by him. After stopping all up he went home, thinking the terrier had gone too. No notice was taken till next day, when Will had the holes opened, and so on for several days, but no terrier forthcoming they were all well stopped up again. After three weeks and three days the terrier was seen scratching and squeezing himself out of one of them, which he suc- ceeded in doing, and staggered away home and scratched at the door for admittance. When Mrs. Robinson (the whip's wife) let him in, he was nothing but skin and bones, such a spectacle as a man has never beheld. However, he took no harm and was quite well in a week. There was no doubt a very bountiful larder in the earths in the shape of bones, which he lived on all the time. Less luck befell two of the best and handsomest fox-terriers that ever graced the Belvoir kennels, so good that they might have been easily sold for their weight in silver. Will took them out one day in October (a very wet one), when they had an extraordinary run of at least sixteen miles, point to point, and of course the two terriers were absent, although he saw them within a short distance of the finish. The poor creatures were out five very wet days after that, and came home both together. They looked quite pitifully up in his face and then died both together in less than half an hour from sheer exhaustion." ^ The following extract was evidently inspired by Will Goodall himself, and showed that his last season, though a bad one, as indeed we have evidence from the Memoirs of the Belvoir Hounds and other contemporary sources, had some redeeming points : — "Two runs on February 15th and 21st of his last season ^ Sporting Magazine, December, 1858, p. 380. 213 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT pleased him, so he wrote us, more than any he had ever known. In the first they were holloaed forward to a fresh fox, when their old one had crept in somewhere near Culver- thorpe after 'one hour fifty minutes of regular blazing.' ' From Dembleby Thorns,' he adds, ' they went away like pigeons in flight, the horses and even many of our good men melting away like snow in summer. They ran from scent to view, and killed him by themselves (with the exception of fifteen minutes from Culverthorpe), as hard as ever they could split for three hours twenty-two minutes. I was first into the last field, and the only person who saw them course him, and his Grace was in the field when they caught him. We were the only two, but Mr. Frank Gordon, Mr. Hardy of Grantham, and Mr. Houson, Mr. Bruxner, and Jem, came up to see them eat him. Sir Thomas Whichcote's horse stood stock still, one field away.' We have no further particulars of the run of the 2ist than, 'We had a regular trimmer! Oh! such a trimmer I which few men lived to see. The hounds did not get home till one o'clock the next morning. With their first fox they had two hours and ten minutes to ground nearly in view, and with their second one hour fifty minutes. They tired every one out and ran into him by themselves charm- ingly ; it was all over our best country with both foxes.' " ^ In the Sporting Magazine we read : — " The following is our final report of the Belvoir, whose entry is said to be superb. With a west wind which has been prevailing nearly the whole of the blessed season, we have never had a week's good scenting weather, consequently we are a few foxes below our average number, owing to some parts of our country, which used to abound with foxes, being so very scarce of that animal that they could not afford to kill so many in the cubbing season as we generally do. They hunted. Will Goodall tells me, only thirty-six days in the cub- bing season, and killed every day with three foxes, making a total number of thirty-nine cubs. Since then they have hunted one hundred and one days and killed fifty-eight foxes." ^ A bad fall and the encroachments of the lung trouble, * Scott and Sebright, p. 410. ^ Sporting Magazine^ M-^- 1859, p. 320. 214 THE SQUIRE OF ASWARBY which he would never admit, at last laid the Belvoir hunts- man on the bed of sickness from which he never recovered. The last entry in Goodall's diary has an interest all its own 1 " On Wednesday, April 6th, we met at Belvoir. Found our first fox in Barkston Wood ; ran ringing about the hills with a very bad scent for two hours, when the hounds began to improve, getting off a vixen, which had laid up her cubs, on to an old dog-fox. They set to like business, and after running him hard for an hour and half, they forced him out of the Doghorse pasture — a ring over Musson's farm, and back to the wood. Away again the same ring in view of the hounds to cover in a large drain, which Comely was soon in and drove him out ; and they killed him most handsomely in the open, after being engaged from first finding in the morn- ing for four hours — thus ending one of the worst seasons on record. A hot, sunny day like June, wind south, glass very low, and the ploughs as dry and hard as iron, the hedges and trees all as green as in the middle of summer, and a great many nests of young birds already hatched. Leverets and cubs are very forward indeed ; such a forward spring has never been known by the oldest inhabitant. Hounds out this (the last) day — Barbara Racket Caroline Captive Charlotte Duchess Redrose Rival Careless Hostess Lenity Rally Redwing Dulcet Ruin Lively Comely Sempstress Gertrude Bonnylass Furious Famous Chorus Gracious Norah Wanton Rachel Comedy Clara Novelty Willing Destitute Waspish (i6i couple) I rode a horse of Markwell's on trial, but did not like him. Second, Knipton ; third, Tom Chambers on Staunton's horse. Times out, loi ; foxes killed, 56." ^ The story of his death and funeral is told by a writer in the Omnibus (the ancestor of Baily's Our Van), and it would be impossible to improve on the sympathetic rendering of the story, coming from the pen of the Druid, whose tender ^ Si'lk and Scarlet, p. 380. 215 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT garrulousness on sporting subjects will live as long as hunting itself :— "Death has been rife among sportsmen. Now poor Will Goodall has joined the number. It has been well said — * The image of a man who died In his heyday of renown Has a fearful power, into which the pride Of fiery life bows down ' ; and truly the news of his death brought tears to many a brother huntsman's eyes (for he had lived down all jealousy) and fairly thrilled through Leicestershire. There is hardly a man for miles round Belvoir but feels he has lost a friend and dreads the return of the season and no Will at the cover side on Knipton or ' my good little Emperor.' He was as cheery and energetic as ever to the last, but he had for some time past been labouring under a slight cold, and his doctor used to tell him that he could never get well till the hunting was over. Croxton Races he enjoyed amazingly, and as usual he came to his wife for a handful of silver for his friends among the yokels, who generally expected a glass of ale if he had not caught them heading foxes or giving false halloos during the season. They used always to be on the look-out for him as he kept the course with his whips, and many a joke passed between them. There was a great joke against one of them for his avarice. Will had marked him down during the year for something, but as he was one of the good boys that day and kept behind the cords so well he was honoured with half a crown. He positively grumbled, and Will in his pleasant way said, ' We//, give it me back' and the man, thinking from the tone that it was to be exchanged for a crown, did so, and Will rode off with it, and taught him a lesson which his comrades did not forget to keep alive. He was rather amused this year with five of the farmers' Plate horses getting distanced, and made a note of it in his Hunt- ing Diary along with Zuyder Zee's victory. Two or three more hunting days followed, and the last one when they met at Belvoir. We gave it last month in Will's own words, for nearly every account of the Belvoir sport for the last season 2l6 ' V U-3^ Ife THE SQUIRE OF ASWARBY was written by him (though we made a few alterations to disguise the authorship), and the twenty-fifth of the month never came round without the welcome report on two fool- scap sheets. They were always expressed in a kind of vivid style of his own. "... His fall from a horse he was riding on trial that day near the Reeded House was a very severe one, and Cooper saw him on the ground for at least a minute by the side of his horse, and was going to help him when he got up. He had a habit of carrying his horn in his breast to get easier at it, and whether he injured himself or not by falling on it could never be ascertained. They took it to his bedside some days before he died, and he showed them exactly how he fell, and half sitting up in bed took it with all the animation of health, as if it revived him to lay hold of it again. The fall must have pained him, as when his wife heard him sound his horn for the last time on coming back to the kennels, and went out to greet him with, ' Thank God, Will, I have you safe from another season,' he replied, ' Yes, but mind you I've had a rum un to-day,' and so it is feared he had. The cold seemed to increase upon him when hunting was over, and his throat as usual was rather relaxed, but he thought little of it, and striking his chest as was his wont, he used to assure his wife he was all right there. Still with all his wife's tenderness for such a husband, it could not escape her that he was slightly failing. It gave her no delight to hear when he came back from the Castle (for he would perpetually slip up there to weigh when no one saw him) that he was 2 lb. lighter, and that he had lost 7 lb. that season, which would leave him about 12 stone 5 lb. or so. On horseback, and especi- ally on so small a horse as the Emperor, he looked a large man, and his weight, contrary to what we generally see with all splendid horsemen, lay in his legs. The draft had been sent off to Lord Ducie's, and he had intended to set off and see his old friend John Walker and attend the Wynnstay sale, and come round by Joe Maiden's, the very Friday before he died. His cold increased and it was diffi- 217 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT cult to persuade him to have a blister on, but he had one at last and went to bed and stayed there all day. He was in bed the next day when Lord Henry Bentinck called to see the young entry, but he jumped up and putting on three flannel waistcoats went down to meet him and was on the flags four hours. This was Wednesday (April 19th), and he then took to his bed and never left it alive. Merry Ben Morgan and some other hunting friends called at the kennel and saw him, and the latter especially left with a very sad presentiment on his mind. Will did not tell him, but from the time he felt too ill to stay up he had the firmest belief he could never rally, and tried to break it to his wife. Once only when he felt a little better he remarked that he was going to be spared, and what a happy summer they would have when the boys came home from school, but this idea soon passed away. The sure trust which had always sup- ported him and coloured his whole life and conversation was not found failing then, and days before he died he could calmly assure those he loved best that the last struggle was over and that he had no fear or even a wish to come back. It was not until the Tuesday before his death that the most fatal symptoms set in, and a gush .of pure blood from his lungs told that some vessel had been suddenly ruptured. From that hour he sank very rapidly. His Grace twice came to see him — once from Sandbeck, in the early part of his illness, and again on the Friday before he died, and ' My kind Lord Duke ' was Will's last farewell to him, as he gave him his parting assurance that his wife and family would be duly cared for by him. The change was so rapid from Saturday afternoon that he hardly spoke, but he was sensible to the last and could speak an hour before his death, so as to give his wife and children his blessing, and died just at day- break on May morning. A post-mortem examination was made upon him by two out of the three doctors at the Duke's request, and the state of one lung, from what cause we know not, was said to be far from satisfactory, so much so that he might perhaps not have hunted another season. " Owing to the early day fixed for the funeral, Charles 218 THE SQUIRE OF ASWARBY Treadwell was the only huntsman who attended ; and, as the hearse moved off, the hounds set up that sort of deep wailing sound, not singing and not chiming, which quite went through the followers and the crowd who stood at the distance to see the last of their old friend, and seemed, even to the whips, like a sound they had never heard before. It was no unfitting requiem for him. He is buried at Knipton, about a mile from the kennels, and just under Granby Wood, the end of that unbroken woodland chain which he has made ring again so often in cub-hunting time. His grave is just on the left as you enter the gate, and at the end of the fortnight it seemed quite green, and daisies were growing ; in fact, we did not even see that it was a new one, and when we had gone round and found Tom Goosey's at the end of the chancel, we were obliged to ask a little girl where it was. Many besides our- selves will visit that spot, and although the name of Will Goodall is not likely to be preserved in that strange song and funeral picture which have made Tom Moody's so his- torical, it will sink into the heart of every sportsman, present and to come, with a far deeper and more enduring signifi- cance. He leaves eleven children behind — eight sons and three daughters. The eldest son is with a veterinary surgeon at Tuxford ; the second, Stephen, has just gone into his Grace's stables ; the third. Will, is destined for the hunting saddle, and so is most probably the fifth ; while the fourth, a boy of nine, is at the Blue-coat School. The others are quite young, one of them only a baby fourteen weeks old. Mrs. Goodall is going to live at Croxton Park, in a house which has been kindly placed at her disposal by the Duke." ^ The hunt got up a subscription for the widow and children, and friendship did the rest. It is said by an old and leading member of the Belvoir Hunt that during his last illness Goodall was frequently visited by his master the Duke, and his friend Sir Thomas Whichcote, and they asked the dying man, for such they knew he was, if anything troubled him. Then Goodall unburdened to them his dread of leaving his large family but ill provided for. The Duke said he would * Sporting Magazine^ June, 1859, p. 398. 219 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT look after Mrs, Goodall, while Sir Thomas Whichcote pro- mised to be responsible for the fortunes of young Will. This promise, too, was well fulfilled, and the boy was educated at Sir Thomas's expense, and afterwards trained in his stables, till in time he rose, like his father, to be one of the finest huntsmen of his day. Will the younger prospered exceed- ingly in his calling, and on his death left behind him a good competence. To the end of Sir Thomas's life the younger Will was in the habit of writing to the master and friend to whom he owed so much. This chapter may close fittingly with the graceful lines which Mr. John Welby has written to the memory of the great huntsman : — The First of May, 1859. Here let me rest awhile, my steed, Awhile review the past ; And thoughts recall which in our need We find too seldom last. To-day again a lesson's taught Alike to grave and gay, That earthly hopes are things of nought — It is not always May. How soft the air ! How shines around Nature in best array ! The scene with opening beauties crown'd, For 'tis the first of May. The first of May I — a name which brings A freshness and a joy, Recalling dreamy shades of things Untrammelled by alloy. Upon the neck I drop the rein : Blithe is the first of May ; Alas ! how bitter is the pain That dims this genial day. Listen ! from Knipton's ivied fane, Low issuing thro' the dell ; With measured toll again — again Sounds the sad passing bell. 220 THE SQUIRE OF ASWARBY Dead ! and on this fair first of May, How sad does it appear To us who hoped for many a day To listen to his cheer. Before me rise fair Belvoir's towers, Beneath me spreads the vale, Now glistening bright with April showers And May's refreshing gale. On such a mom from worldly strife He's gone — beloved by all — As tho' a good and cheery life Merits such funeral pall. He's gone whilst birds a requiem sang And Nature's face was gay, Followed by many a heartfelt pang, In life's meridian day. How often in November morn, From out the portals grey. We've seen the hounds, his ringing horn With lashing sterns obey. His cheer, too, as with eager strife They joyful went their way — 'Twas worth ten years of quiet life One glance at their array. Little we dreamed that April eve (Warm as an eve in June) 'Twas doomed that spirit bold should leave Its tenement so soon. As dashing Barkston glades along. His spirit knew no bounds. We heard him keenly cheer along Last time his favourite hounds. And whilst we sighed the season past, The last eve drawing nigh, And lingering on to make it last Could hardly say good-bye, Did hope not tell a flattering tale That we might meet again, And o'er our well-known Belvoir vale Fresh laurels strive to gain ? 221 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT And tho' awhile to rest be laid The hunter, horn, and hound, How little were we then afraid Of cruel fate's rebound. Could we his bygone pages read — His feats by flood and field — The varied narrative indeed An Iliad might yield. And many a pleasant day that's past, And many a name forgot. In memory's page might chance to last — A bright memorial spot. Linked with the past is Goodall's day, Long will survive his name ; His earnest heart and spirit gay Lived in the hsts of fame. For who of any doubt had need. That did his features scan, That he was born to take a lead — Nature's true gentleman ? 222 FREDERICK SLOANE STANLEY, ESQ. Chapter XIII PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF THE BELVOIR HUNT AND OF THE SIXTH DUKE OF RUTLAND By Frederick Sloane Stanley 1858-1888 SOON after he succeeded to the title, the Duke of Rut- land took the mastership of the Belvoir hounds, Lord Forester, the former master, having volunteered to retire in his favour. The Duke most generously undertook to hunt them at his own expense as long as he was able, and did so for over twenty years. After that time, owing principally to the agricultural distress, which more or less crippled, and in many cases ruined, the landlords of England, he felt him- self compelled either to give up the hounds altogether or to take a subscription. The gentlemen of Lincolnshire, how- ever, willingly subscribed the amount required, and he then consented to carry on the hunt as before. The Duke of Rutland's first season as master was the season of 1859-60. He was then a fine, tall, handsome man of middle age, and a hard and determined rider. His hunting costume was usually a high hat very much curled up at the brim, a blue and white bird's-eye tie, a buff waistcoat and scarlet coat with Belvoir Hunt buttons on it, generally white buckskin gloves and always high black Napoleon boots, and as master he carried a silver horn on his saddle. I believe he was one of the most popular masters of hounds that ever existed, and was generally beloved by his 223 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT field, which consisted of lords, ladies and gentlemen, and many tenant farmers and others. He was rather a reserved and silent man while hunting but not so on his return to the Castle, as he had a large fund of amusing stories which he was very fond of relating either at dinner or afterwards to his numerous guests. The Duke was, unfortunately, a terrible sufferer from gout, which would be brought on by a fall out hunting, and often prevented his enjoying his favourite sport. The Duke had several bad falls in the course of his mastership, and one particularly bad one near Great Gonerby, in which he injured the muscles of his neck and he also had a slight concussion of the spine. After this fall he was taken in a carriage to the George Hotel at Grantham, and was laid up there for some time until he was well enough to return to Belvoir, and although he was well taken care of by his medical advisers, I do not think he ever quite recovered from the effects of this really bad accident. When he became convalescent he was recom- mended by his doctors to go abroad for a winter, and to obtain, if possible, perfect rest and quiet. This he consented to do, and he took a boat on the Nile, which proved to be most beneficial to him. He was able to return to England in the spring of the following year, and was received with quite an ovation on his return to Belvoir Castle, many of the tenantry and the gentlemen and ladies of the hunt residing in the neighbourhood meeting him on horseback at the entrance gate on the Grantham side of the Castle, and after- wards riding alongside of his carriage up to the front doors of the Castle, which would be about two miles. The Duke stood up in his carriage and made them a kind and feeling speech. Then, after giving three cheers for his Grace, they dispersed, all delighted to see him looking so well, and hoping to meet him again in the hunting field in the coming season. The Duke of Rutland was a great smoker, and some amusement was caused by the great length of the cigars he smoked, which Lord Wilton christened " bowsprits," and it was pleasant to hear the friendly chaff which used to take 224 PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS place between them. When Lord Wilton met the Duke at the commencement of a season he would almost invariably say to him, " Good-morning, Granby ; I see you stick to the same length of bowsprit." On asking the Duke who he considered to have the best cigars of the numerous cigar merchants he employed, his answer was, " On the whole I have always found Thompson's cigars to suit me the best." I will now mention some of the Duke of Rutland's sensa- tional performances in the hunting field. During his younger days he jumped the Croxton Park wall on the south side of the Park, not far from the race-stand, the wall being over five feet high, with a considerable drop. He also jumped the river Witham between Great Ponton and Grantham at a very wide place, and Lord Forester, seeing him do it, shouted to his brother, Henry Forester, " Now then, lad, why don't you follow him ? " The Duke also swam the Notting- ham and Grantham canal on horseback, and had great diffi- culty in getting his horse out, the banks being boggy and rotten ; and once while hunting in Lincolnshire he had the misfortune to jump a fence near a pond on a hard-pulling horse, which, before he could stop him, rushed madly into the pond ; both horse and rider were nearly drowned, and were extricated with much difficulty, covered with black mud. One of the reasons of the Duke's great popularity as a master of hounds was that he never swore at his field or used any bad language to them, but if he called them to order he did so in a determined manner, and on some occasions, when he was not listened to, he threatened to take the hounds home, which always had the desired effect. The Duke had a very smart second horseman in William Skil- lington, afterwards promoted to be stud groom at Belvoir, and he would send him galloping off after any offending gentleman with orders to stop him or bring him back. Among the numerous anecdotes which the Duke was fond of relating to his friends was one of his being taken in by a clever horsedealer and farmer, Mr. Tomlin by name, well known in the hunting field by the name of Cap Tomlin, because he always wore a huntsman's cap. At the time of 225 Q THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT the story he must have been an oldish man, but was still a fine rider, and he delighted in making what he considered to be a good deal with the gentlemen of the hunt. Now the Marquis of Granby (as he then was) was riding to the meet at Croxton Park from Belvoir, and had arrived within a field or two of the Park, when he saw Cap Tomlin galloping down the hill in front of him and making straight for a deep and wide brook which runs on the left-hand side of the hunt- ing ride, and when he got within a few yards of the brook he shouted out, " Forrard away, hark forrard, yoicks over," at the same time waving about his right arm ; the horse took a magnificent leap and cleared the brook in fine style. Lord Granby, being short of horses at that time, naturally thought this horse would be exactly what he wanted. He therefore rode up to Tomlin on arriving at the meet, and said to him, " You seem to have a fine hunter there, Mr. Tomlin." His answer was, " Yes, my Lord ; and he is as good as he looks. Just the horse for you, my Lord ; he can jump anything you like to put him at." So then and there they came to a deal, Mr. Tomlin, of course, asking and obtaining a large price for the horse. Shortly afterwards Lord Granby gave the horse a trial with the hounds, and he soon found that no power on earth could hold the animal, and he ran clean away with him, and had to gallop him round and round a deep ploughed field before he could stop him. He afterwards tried him with all the strongest bits and bridles in the Belvoir stables without any effect. Of course he had to get rid of him as soon as possible for a mere song, and he soon after- wards found out that Mr. Tomlin was being run away with when he saw him jump the brook on the riding-way to Croxton Park, and cleverly pretended that he was making the horse do it on purpose. Many other good stories are told of this celebrated horsedealer. On one occasion he followed George, Lord Forester, at that time M.F.H., all the way from Melton Spinney, where the hounds had left off hunting, to Knipton Lodge, near Belvoir, in his anxiety to sell him the horse he was riding, although Lord Forester repeatedly told him he would not buy the horse at the price 226 PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS he asked for him. Now, as Mr. Tomlin resided in Rutland- shire, not far from Oakham, he must have had to ride home at least twenty miles, and had gone almost that distance out of his way in trying to make a deal. During the early part of the period at which the Duke of Rutland took the mastership of his hounds he appointed James Cooper, who had acted for some time as first whipper- in to Goodall, to be his huntsman, and he could not have selected a better man for the place. Cooper was a light- weight, a strong, wiry man, and a splendid horseman ; indeed, I believe that nobody ever rode over a hunting country with greater ease and with fewer falls than Cooper did during the many years he hunted the Belvoir hounds. Jem Cooper, as he was usually called, was a Scotchman by birth, and came from Fife. He was a very quiet man in the hunting field, and was not given to holloaing, and he made very little noise while drawing the coverts, but he was very good with his horn, and if he viewed a fox av/ay it was quite a treat to hear the cheering and inspiriting notes he could produce on it. During this period the Duke of Rut- land entertained numerous guests at Belvoir Castle. Among others his two brothers, Lord John Manners, M.P., and Lord George Manners, M.P., were frequently there, and they were both very fond of hunting ; and Mr. Andrew Drummond, of Cadland, the Duke's brother-in-law, usually came to Belvoir every season and brought a stud of hunters with him. Mr, Busfield Ferrand, M.P., was also a frequent guest, and had a considerable stud of hunters, which were stabled at the Peacock Inn at Belvoir ; and Mr. George Drummond was also a constant guest at the Castle ; his large stud of hunters were stabled at the George Hotel, Grantham. On this gentleman's first day with the Belvoir he is said to have had six or seven falls, but afterwards he became a very fairly good horseman, and rode hard and saw many good runs, and was a good supporter of the Belvoir Hunt. I will now endeavour to give a list of those who regularly hunted with the Belvoir during the time that Cooper was huntsman, commencing with those who resided in the immcr 227 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT diate neighbourhood of Belvoir Castle : Mr. William Welby, M.P., eldest son of Sir Glynne Earl Welby, Bart, of Denton, and his two brothers, Captain Glynne Welby and Mr. Alfred Welby; the Rev. G. Sloane Stanley and his two sons, Mr. Frederick Sloane Stanley and Mr. Francis Sloane Stanley, and occasionally the Misses Sloane Stanley ; the Rev. T. Bullen, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hampden Wigram, Mr. George Gillett, the Rev. P. Mules, Mr. George Gordon, and Mr. John Welby. The principal sportsmen who hunted from Grantham were Mr. John Hardy (the banker) and his son, Mr. Blackwood, Mr. Henry Partridge, Mr. and Mrs. James Hornsby, Mr. Bruxner, Captain T. Boyce, Captain Riddell, both of the i6th Lancers, and Mons. Roy and Mons. Couturie, two French gentlemen, both fine riders and well known as gentlemen riders on the French turf. A few years later Captain Mickle- thwaite, R.N., arrived at Grantham. He hunted from that town for many years, lodging over the saddler's shop. The captain was a very hard and somewhat dangerous rider and usually rode roarers. Major Longstaffe also hunted for many years from the George Hotel, Grantham, and if in want of a horse was mounted by Mr. George Drummond, who often put his large stud of horses at his disposal when unable to hunt himself Mr. Burbidge and Mr. Hutchinson, and Mr. Gray, the Gran- tham tailor, and Mr. W. Manners, solicitor, also hunted regularly, while Barrowby and Casthorpe were represented by the Marquis of Queensberry, Mr. William Binder, Mr. William Sills, Mr. Downing and his son, and occasionally by Mr. George Welby. Lord Doneraile hunted a season or two from Barrowby, bringing a large stud of horses with him from Ireland. The Vale of Belvoir was represented by Mr. Fletcher Norton of Elton, Captain Cecil Hall and Mrs. Cecil Hall of Whatton, Mr. Talbot and his son Mr. Bower Talbot, the Rev. J. Banks Wright, Mr. Vere Wright, Mr. Staunton of Staunton Hall, the Rev. G. Staunton and Mrs. Staunton, Mr. Sherbrooke of Oxton Hall, Captain Sherbrooke and Miss Sherbrooke, Mr. George Fillingham of Syerston Hall, Mr. H. Milward of Thurgarton Priory, and his niece 228 PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS Miss Simpson, who rode a splendid pony called Little Miss, one of the best I ever saw. At this period many farmers hunted in the neighbourhood of Belvoir. Among others Mr. Wilders and his son Mr. J. Wilders, and Mr. Tipping and Mr. William Hind, all of Croxton, also Mr. Edward Guy, and Mr. Joseph Johnson of Branstone, Mr. Andrew Guy and his sons from Eaton, and Mr. Burbidge of Thorpe Arnold, a very celebrated old sportsman. The field from the Lincolnshire side of the country was also a very large one, including the Earl of Brownlow, Sir John Thorold, Captain Cecil Thorold, Mr. Montague Thorold, Mr. Beaumont (who rented Boothby Hall for some years), Mr. Commissioner Fane, Colonel Fane, Colonel Walter Fane, Mr. Shewin Gregory, Mr. Edward Fane, the Rev. J. Croft, the Rev. H. Houson, Colonel John Reeve, Colonel Dundas, Mr. Ellis Reeve, the Rev. J. Parkinson Younge, Mr. Christopher Turnor, Miss Turner, Mr. Hatton Turnor, Mr. Algernon Turnor, Mr. Peacock Wilson and his son and daughter, Mr. Broke Turnor, Mrs. Broke Turnor,^ the Rev. T. Heathcote, the Rev. W. Newcome, Sir Montague Cholmeley, Mr. Hugh Cholmeley, the Rev. J. Mirehouse and several others. And the principal farmers were Mr. J. Hoyes, Mr. Sampie, Mr. Hand, Mr. Brewster,. Mr. Bland, Mr. Hutchinson, Mr. Rudkin, Mr. Garner, a celebrated local horsedealer, Mr. Minta, Mr, T. Hack, and many more. The Melton contingent who usually hunted with the Bel- voir on Wednesdays and Saturdays consisted of the Earl of Wilton, Lord Grey de Wilton, Lady Grey de Wilton, the Hon. Seymour Egerton, the Earl of Hardwicke, Ladies Katherine and Alice Egerton, Mr. W. Little Gilmour, Mr. Stirling Crawford, Sir Frederick Johnstone, Captain George Johnstone, Colonel the Hon. Henry Forester, Viscount New- port, Sir Francis Grant, P.R.A., and Miss Grant, Mr. William Craven, Lady Mary Craven, Sir Henry Edwards, Sir Henry des Vceux, Mr. Lloyd, Major Paynter, Lord Berkeley Paget, Mr. Gilbert Stirling, Captain King, the Hon. H. Molyneux, the Hon. Mrs. Molyneux, Mr. J. Behrens, Mr. * Now Mrs. Longstafife. 229 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT H. Behrens, Captain Smith, Major Turner Farley, the Hon. Alan Pennington, Lord Carrington, the Hon. H. Coventry, Mr. B. Coventry, Mr. Arthur Coventry, Mr. Gilbert Stirling, the Hon. W. Hill Trevor, Colonel Markham, Mr. W. Mark- ham and the Misses Markham, and others. About the time the Duke of Rutland took the mastership of the Belvoir hounds he had three favourite hunters, whose portraits he had painted by Mr. Ferneley, the celebrated sporting artist — a fine roan horse and a bay horse called The Earl and a black mare called Black Bess. The picture may now be seen in the small dining-room at Belvoir Castle, together with a portrait of his retriever Bess. In after years he had many nice horses, among others a chestnut mare called Beauty, and a very nice bay horse which he called Chapman ; this horse was latterly his favourite mount when he hunted. He also had some nice horses called Hornsby and Laurel and March ; the two last, being good ladies' horses, were often lent by him to ladies who wanted a mount. A horse called Shipman was his favourite hack. This horse lived to a great age and was ridden occasionally by the present Duke of Rutland, and lived for two or three years after his brother the late Duke's death. The old horse has a tombstone put up to his memory near the stables at Belvoir. No very remarkably good runs occurred for a season or two after the Duke became master, but in January, 1862, two famous runs took place, both of which were subjects of much conversation in the hunting field for some time afterwards. The first of these was from Scalford Bog on January the 4th. On the morning of that day we had a fair hunting run from Melton Spinney, crossing the brook twice, even- tually losing our fox near that covert. Mr. Bower Talbot the son of the veterinary surgeon of that name, had a fall at the Melton brook the second time of crossing, and his horse remained for some time in the brook before he could be got out, but he was none the worse and he rode him again in the second run. We drew Scalford Bog about three o'clock on that afternoon. A fine fox went away towards Goadby Gorse, 230 X PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS but leaving that covert one field to his left, made as if for Waltham, but bearing to the left again, he passed over Mr. Rippin's large grass fields, which were strongly fenced with ox- rails. The huntsman's horse, after clearing the fence, lit with his hind legs on an oxer, smashing it to pieces and making it an easier place for the rest of the field who followed him. Those who were well to the front at this time were Mr. Bruxner, Mr. Henry Partridge, myself and my brother Mr. Francis Sloane Stanley, Captain Owen Williams, Mr. John Welby, Mr. Bower Talbot and one or two farmers. Shortly afterwards we crossed the Melton and Grantham turnpike road at the little dip in the road to the north of the site of the old toll-bar. The pace was a regular cracker as we passed Stonesby Gorse, leaving that covert on our right until we got to Garthorpe Moor. Over the plough they went at a steadier pace, which enabled the Duke of Rutland and others to catch us up near Coston. The huntsman, the whipper-in and I all fell together at a very blind ditch on the taking- off side of a fence out of a deep ploughed field, and the three horses got away and mine followed on with the hunt for half a mile or more, and I saw him jumping the fences until he was out of sight, and I had to follow on the line on foot until I found my horse, which had been caught and kindly tied up to a gatepost by Mr. John Welby. The huntsman's horse did not go very far and was soon caught and remounted by him. They then ran past Coston and made as if for Woodwell Head, but did not go into the covert, and there was no check until they ran into a small plantation not far from Barrow Gorse. Unfortunately a fresh fox jumped up here ; the hounds divided, and some time was lost in getting them together again. They then ran through Barrow Gorse, and as it was becoming very dark and all the horses were beat, the hunts- man was obliged to whip off, so this good fox saved his life. Very few got to the end of this grand run, the distance of which from point to point must have been at least fourteen or fifteen miles. The run was too much for Mr. Bower Talbot's fine hunter, and he died in some farm buildings near the spot where the hounds were stopped, and though the horse 231 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT which Mr. Francis Sloane Stanley rode got to the end of the run, it never came out again that season. Two or three of the hunt servants' horses were also done up for the season. Among the few who got to the end of this famous run were the Duke of Rutland, Mr. John Welby, Mr. Partridge, Mr. Bruxner, Captain Owen Williams, Mr. Francis Sloane Stan- ley, Mr. Gordon, Mr. Bower Talbot, and the huntsman and first whip, and perhaps one or two more. This run is well described in a short poem by Mr. John Welby, entitled " The Scalford Run," and will be found in the Lays on the Belvoir Hunt, p. 1 8. The last verse, which I quote by kind permission of Mr. Welby, very well describes the loss Mr. Bower Talbot sustained in his valuable horse. " To those who rode thro' the whole run I can swear The Duke and his huntsman were certainly there. I can tell you, my lad, too, that I did not lag; I got to the end, but I finished my nag." Another famous run took place on January the 17th, 1863 : from Coston covert fifty minutes without check, the hounds killing the fox in a stackyard in Waltham village. In the commencement of the run the fox went in the direction of Garthorpe and pointed for Saxby Spinney, but turning right- handed, made as if for Brentingby Spinney, but leaving that covert on the right, he crossed the Melton turnpike road, pointing for a field or two towards Melton Spinney, but the wind being against him, he could face it no longer ; he there- fore turned right-handed again and made for Waltham and was fairly hunted down in a farmyard at the entrance of that village. After some delay, as none of the second horsemen had put in an appearance, the Duke settled to take the hounds home. In this remarkably fast fifty minutes, Mr. Hatton Turnor, of the Rifle Brigade, had by far the best of it ; he was riding a thoroughbred-looking hack, and the huntsman and he fairly led the field the whole time, the Duke of Rutland also being well to the front. In February, 1863, an unpleasant incident occurred. After meeting at Croxton Park on a fine hunting morning, the Duke of Rutland gave the order to the huntsman to draw 232 PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS Coston covert, at which covert we shortly found a fine fox, which went away in the direction of Buckminster, closely pursued by the hounds. The pack got away with a good start from the covert, but when they had gone about two fields, they suddenly ceased to give tongue, and threw up their heads, and began casting about. A labourer then informed the huntsman that he had seen a tall man, who was standing about with a gun close by, shoot the fox just in front of the pack, and that he had concealed the carcase in a hovel hard by. The Duke, who was close up at the time, was informed of this, and immediately rode up to the man with the gun, and accused him of having shot his fox, and demanded that the dead animal should be given up to him at once. On the man's declining to do so, and at the same time placing his back against the door of the hovel, the Duke signalled to his second horseman to come and hold his horse, and got off him and went up to the offender, and again asked him to give him his fox. On his again declining to do so, he seized him round the waist, and tried to remove him from the door of the hovel, and a short struggle took place between the two, which ended in both rolling over, with the Duke on the top. In the meantime, a Spanish count, who was a spectator of the struggle, seeing that the farmer still retained his gun, jumped off his horse and snatched the gun away from him, for which he got some kudos, as the gun might have gone off and caused an accident. The Duke, having got the better of the tussle, jumped up quickly and opened the door of the building, and took out the dead body of the fox, which he handed over at once to the huntsman, and told him to give it to the hounds, which was done immediately, nearly the whole field being present by that time. The count then came up to his Grace with the gun, and said to him, " What shall I do with the gun, my Lord ? shall we shoot him ? " (meaning the offender). This, of course, caused much amusement, and shouts of " No ! no ! put the gun into a wet ditch." The count seemed to have been much disappointed at this, and remarked, " We should have made away with him in my country." So ended the fox tragedy, and the hounds 233 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT were taken off to draw another covert. I may as well mention that on inquiry afterwards it was discovered that this man was not tenant of the field in which he shot the fox, but was a near relation to the actual tenant, and no doubt he placed himself in the field with the idea of heading or shoot- ing any fox that might wish to pass over it, probably out of spite to the hunt. Now, if he had let the fox alone, hardly a soul would have ridden over the small field the event occurred in, as it was within one field of the usual riding way to and from Coston covert, and the majority of the hunt- ing field would certainly have gone that way and through the usual line of gates ; but as it was, of course, the whole hunting field rode up to see what was taking place, and, in conse- quence, the field must have been well ridden over and trampled by the numerous horsemen. . Some time after this event, an address, which was signed by nearly every farmer in the Belvoir Hunt, expressing their regret and indignation at such unsportsmanlike conduct in shooting a fox which was being pursued by the Duke of Rutland's hounds, was presented to the Duke at a meet at Croxton Park, which was largely attended ; Mr. Bland, of Flawborough, a sporting heavy-weight farmer, being selected to make the presentation. After a few words of thanks from the Duke, Mr. Bland called for three cheers for the Duke of Rutland and fox-hunting. Immediately a scene of wild con- fusion took place, as many of the horses being over fresh, and also unaccustomed to cheering, and waving of hats, kicked, jumped, and bounded about all over the place, and several of their riders were deposited upon their backs on the grass, causing much amusement to the spectators. There were many good runs in those days, but I cannot attempt to record them all. I remember a particularly good hunting run from Norman- ton Great Thorns to Grantham, the fox being hunted by the hounds through the market-place, and after that all trace of him was lost, and they had to give him up, but the next day he was found by one of the inhabitants of Grantham quite dead in an outbuilding not far from the spot where he was 234 THE SIXTH DUKE OF RUTLAND, K.G. From a Water-Colour Sketch at Belvoir Castle. PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS lost. It was, therefore, a pity the hounds did not get hold of the fox, as they richly deserved him. This run must have been quite nine miles from point to point, and they went a very fair pace the greater part of the time. We also used to have many fast gallops on Croxton Heath, but of late years this part of the Belvoir country has produced very little sport. It is possible that the belts of fir trees, etc., which were planted some twenty-five years ago for partridge driving, have rather spoilt that country for hunting purposes, and the number of hares has certainly increased. This may in some way account for the lack of sport in that district. The next event of importance which I have to record was the visit to Belvoir of T.R.H. the Prince and Princess of Wales in February, 1866. Unfortunately, the weather was very wet, and the country terribly deep. The Prince attended a huge meet of the hounds at Piper Hole, and in order to shake off the crowd of footpeople, who would have spoilt the sport, the order was given to draw Hose Gorse in the Vale of Belvoir. A fox was soon found there, and he gave a very fair twisting kind of run, eventually being killed after about thirty-five minutes in the road not far from Clawson Thorns, the brush being presented to the Prince of Wales. Harby Covert was afterwards drawn, and produced another good fox, which went in the direction of Plungar, over a very deep and somewhat stiff line of country. The Prince of Wales rode both runs very well indeed ; in fact, saw as much as anybody, and strange to say, notwithstanding the rain, it was a wonderfully good scenting day. This run took place on a Wednesday. The next meet the Prince of Wales attended was at Weaver's Lodge, about five miles to the east of the town of Grantham. This meet was also very largely attended. The first fox was found at Sapperton Wood, and gave a fair run, but the hailstorms which came on at intervals spoilt the scent, and he was soon lost. The Duke of Rutland had a fall in this run just in front of me, but not being hurt, soon remounted. After a short interval, in which the Prince of Wales and others had their 235 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT luncheon under the shelter of some stacks, the order was given to draw Ingoldsby Wood, and a good fox was found there, which gave them a capital run of about thirty-five minutes, in which the Prince went exceedingly well, his horse being quite beat at the end. On his way back to the Castle the Prince of Wales stopped at the Angel Hotel at Gran- tham, and partook of a little refreshment, while the omnibus, which was waiting for him there to convey him and some of the party to Belvoir Castle, was being got ready. Mr, Boyall, the landlord, informed his Royal Highness that King John was said to have stayed at the Angel Hotel just before all his baggage, etc., was lost in the Wash on the Lincolnshire coast, and that since that time George IV. had honoured the hotel with his presence on more than one occasion, and with his Royal Highness's permission, in the future he would call the hotel the Angel and Royal, by which name it is now designated. There were many other good runs on the Lincolnshire side of the country during the time that Cooper was huntsman. One particular fine afternoon run may be noted here. The hounds had met at Newton toll-bar, and had a fair ringing kind of run in the morning, killing their fox in the open, the country being very deep for the time of the year, as it was the first week in March. A very large field of horsemen was out, including Mr. W. W. Tailby, M.F.H. We found our second fox at Ingoldsby Wood, and ran fast through Boothby little wood, passing close to Boothby Hall, near which place Mr. P'rank Gordon got his horse wedged in between an ox- rail and a largish fence, which he was attempting to negotiate, and was regularly trapped for some little time, as he could not prevail upon the animal to go one way or the other. Eventually, somebody got oft and broke the ox-rail, and let him out. Mr. Frank Gordon and his brother, Mr. George Gordon, were certainly two of the most brilliant performers over a country I ever saw — " rum uns to follow, and bad uns to beat " (as Whyte Melville would have described them to be). We then ran over a fine country, passing Basingthorpe and Corby, and the run terminated at Mr. Birch Reynardson's 236 ■41 PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS place, Hollywell. It was then getting dark ; a fresh fox had jumped up and interfered with the sport by dividing the pack, so it was considered necessary to stop the hounds. It was a splendid scenting day, and there was no check what- ever in this fine run, which was rather over an hour, and I consider it to have been one of the best runs I ever saw ; Mr. Tailby observed that it was the best run he had seen during that season. I also recollect a particularly good gallop from Burbidge's covert, the fox crossing the river at once and passing near Berry Gorse without going into the covert ; leaving Stapleford Park on the left, he went within a field or two of Ranksboro Gorse ; here he made a sudden turn back and made for Whissendine, in which village the hounds fairly ran into him in a farmyard. I believe this run to have been about forty minutes, and it was much talked about afterwards as being one of the best things of that season. I will just mention one more fine run, which took place towards the end of Cooper's career as Belvoir huntsman. The fox was found in a covert called the Thirteen Acres, which I believe to be on Sir John Thorold's estates, and made his point straight for Barkston Gorse, and going through that covert at once, he made off in the direction of Caythorpe ; passing close to that village, he then went down into the vale below Leadenham and took us over a fine grass country, rather strongly fenced, well into Mr. Chaplin's country, and he was pulled down in the open, close to Wellingore. This splendid run lasted a little over an hour. At the commencement of the run. Sir Hugh Cholmeley's horse crossed his legs in rather a deep sandy kind of ploughed field, and rolled over with him without hurting him in any way. But at first he could not imagine why the horse did not get up, but on looking at him carefully he found that the calkin at the back of the hind shoe had managed to get through the small ring at the bottom end of the curb bit, and so completely tied his head up to his heels ; so, of course, the bridle had to be pulled off before the horse could get up. This was soon done, and he was none the worse for the mishap, and Sir Hugh rode him through 237 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT the run. When we turned down into the vale below Fulbeck and Leadenham, Cooper came galloping past me and observed as he passed, " Why, what a pity we have not got the Meltonians with us to compete over this country ; they would soon find out that it takes some doing." Soon after Sir Hugh Cholmeley's fall I came to grief myself, by a stirrup-leather breaking as my horse landed me over rather a bushy kind of fence. However, this did not delay me more than a minute or two, as, when I had picked myself up and discovered the broken stirrup-leather, I found by riding a hole or two shorter I could make it do very well. Fortunately, there was nothing very big to jump until quite the end of the run, when we came to rather a large fence with a ditch on the taking-off side. I had turned my horse's head, and was in the act of riding it, when I heard a voice behind hallooing out, " Don't have it, there is a double ditch, it is a nasty place." This turned out to be Mons. Roy, who evidently knew the fence well, as he rode off into the corner of the field, jumped off his horse, and commenced preparing a place by pulling out the thorns to enable a horse to see the ditch on the far side. He was not long in doing this, so the huntsman and all those who were up followed though the gap he had made, with the exception of the Rev. J. Parkinson Younge, who rode boldly at the fence and cleared the whole thing in fine style, and went on alone with the hounds for two fields. At the end of the second field the hounds pulled the fox down in the open, and, when the huntsman and the rest of the hunting field came up, the rev. gentleman had already secured the fox, and was surrounded by the baying pack ; of course he afterwards received the fox's brush, as well as numerous congratulations from his friends, and went home rejoicing. Although I have no intention of describing at length any more of the runs in Cooper's time, I must not pass over without mention his celebrated run from a covert near Gipple, called Ancaster Gorse. On this occasion the hounds ran far into the fen country, killing their fox near Haconby. The latter part of the country they ran over was perfectly unrideable, owing to the magnitude of the fen dykes, also the 238 PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS heavy soil which the horses had to contend with, so the huntsman finished on foot, and Mr. John Welby and Mr. Hardy watched the termination of this wonderful run from the top of a stack, the distance of which from point to point was said to have been nearly twenty miles. Cooper had the assistance of several good whippers-in during his term of office, among others George Shepherd, Nimrod Long, Frank Gillard ; the latter afterwards became huntsman to the South Notts, Quorn, and Belvoir, in the order named. Owing to failing health and various other reasons, Cooper retired from his situation as huntsman in 1870, and the Duke of Rutland offered the post to Frank Gillard, who was at that time huntsman to the Quorn hounds. With Mr, Coupland's kind consent he was enabled to accept the offer. During the long period that Gillard was huntsman, of course there were many good runs. He was also fortunate in having several very good whippers-in under him, among others Goodall, Wells, and Arthur Wilson, and his own son, young Frank Gillard, R. Cotesworth, and others. Gillard had a cordial welcome on his return to Belvoir as huntsman by all those who knew him in the hunting field as the first whipper- in to the Belvoir pack some years previously, and everything connected with the hunt went on smoothly for many years. On the fifteenth of March, 1871, his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, who was staying at Melton, re-appeared again with the Belvoir hounds at a meet at Stonesby, about one mile and a half from Croxton Park. It was a beautiful morning, and a large field was out both on horseback and on wheels. This meet and the subsequent run are so cleverly described in an unpublished poem by Mr. John Welby that I venture to quote a few verses, with a slight alteration and addition of my own : — *' At Stonesby in the morning there met a motley crowd, For all the country side had been a holiday allowed, To see the Prince of Wales a-mounted on his steed, With a flower in his button-hole and in his mouth a weed. There were shandry dans and go-carts, and phaetons and gigs, And jolly-looking farmers, and pretty girls and prigs. The county squires of Leicestershire were in the crowd we see, 239 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT And many belles from Lincolnshire, and more than one M.P. The Duke and all his followers came trooping to the meet, And farmers, butchers, bakers too, as well as the elite — Mrs. Stanley on her chestnut, and the well-poised Lady Grey, And the ladies who from Rauceby show potterers the way ; Well mounted are Sir Frederick and the sporting Blankney squire. Who keeps his field in order, as they oftentimes require ; And all the fast Meltonians, the Belvoir ploughmen too, And Quornites and the Cottesmore in succession pass in view. Will such a sight as this fail Radicals convince. Where nobles ride with yeomen and the people with the Prince, That bad will be the day when we ape the ways of France And let the red Republicans in front of us advance ? How can I duly chronicle the story of the run, The tumbles and the jumbles, the funking and the fun : How some went well and some went ill, and not a few, of course. Laid all their sad disasters to their silent slave their horse ? For long had been the chase since at Newman's Gorse they found him. And on by Freeby Wood and by Saxby Spinney wound him ; And many a gallant sportsman, and many a rider keen. Before the run had ended had kissed the earth, I ween. Now the night is fast approaching, and lights are burning bright, For the guests at Belvoir Castle are assembled for the night. The hounds are in their kennel, the horses in their stall, For long had been that chase which ended at nightfall." This long hunting run ended in our losing the fox be- tween Whissendine and Edmondthorpe. Mrs. Cavendish Bentinck, on her way back to Belvoir, where she was staying, took a wrong turn and was lost for some time in the Belvoir woods, and might have spent the night there, but, fortunately, she found the head gamekeeper's (Mr. Sharpe's) cottage, and he directed her on the way to the Castle, where she arrived very late.^ The numerous good runs in Gillard's time have been so well described by the sporting correspondents that I think it unnecessary to mention many of them. I can recollect, however, a capital run of about forty minutes, from Normanton Great Thorns, killing in the open close to the house at Balderton, near Newark, the fox being viewed for some time in front of the hounds before he was killed. I ' I was staying at Belvoir on this occasion, and well remember the daughter's (Lady Sykes') concern at the loss of her mother. 240 PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS can also recollect several good runs from Burbidge's covert, notably the one on the day of Mr. Samuda's wedding to Miss Cecile Markham, on December 12, 1877. On this occasion the Duke of Rutland, Sir Philip and Lady Miles, Miss Mabel Miles, and myself, drove over to Melton in the Duke's omni- bus, and arrived just in time for the wedding, which was known as the pink wedding, as members of the different hunts were asked to come in hunting costume. Very few, however, did so ; and, in fact, with the exception of the Duke of Rutland and myself, and perhaps one more, I saw no red coats in the church. The wedding breakfast, however, was well attended ; as also the meet, which took place outside the house in a small grass field, at about one o'clock. After drink- ing the health to the bride and bridegroom, the order was given to draw Burbidge's covert. A fox went away immediately across the river, and gave us a fine hunting run, making first of all for Berry Gorse, and from thence nearly to Ranksboro ; turning back by Pick well and Leesthorpe, he passed near Wild's Lodge, and from thence nearly straight for Craven Lodge, Melton Mowbray, near which house he was marked to ground. The Duke of Rutland had kindly mounted me on one of the best horses in the stables, called Hornsby, so I saw the whole of the run very well indeed. He had also mounted Miss Miles on a good horse, called Laurel, and she was also in the first flight through the run, which lasted rather over an hour. This same year (namely, 1877) a hunt testimonial was pre- sented to the Duke of Rutland. The ceremony took place at the Castle, on the morning of April 10, and Sir William Welby Gregory, on account of the absence from England of Lord Brownlow, was deputed by the Hunt Committee to be their spokesman and to make the presentation. The testi- monial took the form of a splendid set of silver candelabra, which were presented to the Duke at a luncheon given by him in the guard-room at Belvoir Castle, the candelabra being placed upon the table, several gentlemen and members of the Belvoir hunt being present, also numerous tenant farmers from Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and Nottingham. Many ladies were also present as spectators, and they listened to 241 * R THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT the speeches from the staircase and anteroom above. Sir William Welby Gregory made a very able speech on behalf of the hunt, in presenting the plate to the Duke of Rutland ; which the Duke responded to, speaking with great feeling and emotion. Soon after this the hounds met near the front door of the Castle, and they shortly adjourned to the Belvoir woodlands, and remained there the rest of the day, as it turned out to be a bad scenting day. Before I conclude my history of famous runs, I must men- tion a very remarkable one which took place from the Bel- voir woods. We found the fox in Barkston wood, and after rattling him about for a quarter of an hour he went away over the vale and pointed straight for Barkston village, going over a nice piece of grass country. Hounds then crossed the canal and ran fast down to Jericho covert, but we soon got him away again, and he made back towards the Belvoir woodlands, but turning right-handed when he got to the canal he kept along the towing path for nearly a mile in the direction of Harby ; he then crossed the canal and turned in the direction of Stathern, but when within a quarter of a mile of the village he turned right-handed and went up the steep hill towards Goadby, and crossing the next field at Piper Hole ran through Mr. George Norman's plantation at Goadby Hall, and we took a line from this plantation in the direction of Croxton Park, but as it was then becoming very dark the hounds were obliged to be whipped off. Very few people saw this capital hunting run, which lasted the best part of two hours, as the majority of the hunting field were left behind in Barkston wood, not knowing that the hounds had slipped away. Among those who had the pleasure of seeing this run were Mr. Henley Greaves and his son (who were then hunting from Grantham), Mr. John Welby, Captain Glynne E. Welby, and myself, and perhaps two or three more, and the huntsman and whips. On this occasion I rode a beautiful dark chestnut Irish pony (Kathleen by name) which had been imported from Ireland by my father. She was a splendid fencer, and no place was too big for her when hounds were running, but being only 14I hands high, of 242 PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS course I avoided riding her at high rails ; and in this run 1 might have been in difficulties more than once had it not been for young Mr. Henry Greaves, who was in the habit, if he came to any unusually high place, to jump quickly off his horse and take down the top bar. He was an extremely strong and active young man, and lost very little time over this proceeding ; he was also useful in helping his father, who was a very stout big man, to get over the country. Captain Glynne Welby, who had consulted the ordnance map on his return to Denton, afterwards informed me that we had run through no less than seventeen different parishes in the course of this long hunting run. Early in Gillard's time I recollect a capital gallop from Sherbrook's Gorse. The fox went away as if he was ma king for Hose Gorse, but, taking a sudden right-handed turn, he went through part of the village of Long Clawson and as- cended the hill, leaving Piper Hole Gorse to the left, and made straight for Goadby Park plantation, near which place we lost him after a very fast thirty-five minutes. In this run Mr. Hardy, the banker at Grantham, went as well as anybody. I was well mounted, on a brown mare I had purchased of Mr. Tipping, of Croxton, and she carried me brilliantly. Captain " Bay " Middleton and myself both jumped the wall out of Piper Hole field (a few stones had been knocked off before), but it was a high and rather wide place, and took some doing. Afterwards, as I was the sole representative of Belvoir who was out. Captain Middleton came and congratu- lated me on hunting with such a fine pack of hounds, and remarked it was indeed a first-rate gallop, and how wonder- fully well the hounds worked out the line of the fox, even over the cold and deep-ploughed fields under Piper Hole Gorse. The Duke of Rutland's infirmities prevented his being able to ride to hounds during the last five or six years of his life, but he sometimes went out to the meets which were close at hand, on wheels, as he much enjoyed having a talk to his old friends, and also, if possible, to see something of the sport. The last occasion that he attempted to ride up to hounds was after a meet at Allington Hall, and, unfortunately, he 243 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT got a nasty fall, from his horse swerving at a wide and wet ditch on the take-off side of a small fence and pitching him over his shoulder into the ditch. He got very wet ; and although he was not otherwise much the worse, still he thought it was as well to go home, as his carriage was quite close at the time, in the Sedgebrook and Allington road. After this event the Duke almost entirely gave up hunting, and when he did go out it was only in his carriage. The Duke was very fond of shooting, and this sport he was able to enjoy up to within a few weeks of his death. There were many great changes both in Melton and in Grantham during the time that Gillard was huntsman. At Grantham we lost that celebrated old sportsman, Mr. John Hardy, the banker ; also his son, and Mr. Manners, the solicitor, and other sportsmen. Colonel Parker, the late Mr. Hardy's son- in-law, came to reside in Grantham about this time, with his family, and they have hunted for some years with the Belvoir. Mr. Cross and Mr. Crawley, and Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Lub- bock and Captain Tennant, also had studs of hunters there ; and Lord Petre and his brother, and many more. At Melton there were many changes. The Messrs, Behrens rented Newport Lodge for a term of some years. Mr. E. Baldock bought Craven Lodge. Mr. Younger also appeared at Melton with a large stud of horses, and after his death was succeeded by his son, Mr. W. Younger, M.P. Captain and the Hon. Mrs. Candy, and Count Zbrowski, also hunted from there. In March, 1882, Thomas, Earl of Wilton, died at Melton after a long illness. He certainly was one of the best riders over a country that I ever saw ; even in his old age he could easily beat many of the young men of the day. He is well described in Sheridan's verses, which I quote — " Next on his switch-tailed bay, with wandering eye, Attenuated Wilton canters by. His character how different to know— A compound of psalm-tunes and Tally-ho, A forward rider half disposed to preach, Though less inclined to practise than to teach ; An amorous lover with a saintly twist, And now a jockey, now an organist." 244 PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS Lord Wilton was succeeded by his son, Lord Grey de Wilton, who was well known in the hunting field as a very good man to hounds, although perhaps not quite such an accomplished rider as his father. Still he was bad to beat ; and Lady Grey de Wilton was a most accomplished lady rider, with a beautiful seat on horseback, and good hands. She had a very good idea of taking a line of her own while riding over a country. Other good lady riders from Mel- ton were Mrs. Younger, Mrs. Francis Sloane Stanley, Lady Violet Greville, Lady Augusta Fane, and many more. In September, 1887, the death was recorded of Mr. Walter J. Little Gilmour, who used to be called the father of the Melton Hunt. I believe he hunted at Melton for fifty seasons in succession, and was a very good heavy-weight rider, and very popular with all those who had the pleasure of his acquaintance, especially with the Duke of Rutland, who was much attached to him, and frequently went to see him during his long illness. I once asked Mr. Gilmour who he considered to be the best rider he had ever seen at Melton in his long experience, and after a little thought he said Mr. W. H. Foster, of Apley, as he had seen him take the most wonderful and sensational leaps on horseback, and he always seemed at home on his horse. Mr. Foster once jumped the wall out of the meet field at Kirby Gate, a strongly built wall, not less than six or seven feet high. Before concluding I will mention a few curious incidents that have occurred in the hunting field while I have myself been present. On one occasion when we had found a fox at the School Piatt Gorse, and had just got him away in the direction of Harlaxton, there happened to be a man plough- ing with a team of three horses, which of course would cover a considerable space of ground. A young man, who was, I conclude, unable in the crowd of horses to steer clear of the ploughman, rode his horse at full gallop between two of the horses that were attached to the plough, jumping the chains and fortunately doing no harm. On the day that H.R.H. the Prince of Wales hunted with the Belvoir hounds at Weaver's Lodge a hound was killed in a very curious way by a plough 245 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT which was lying under a hedge ; running with his head down he never saw it, and ran his chest into the sharp part of the ploughshare, and rolled over dead on the spot. On another occasion I was riding from Belvoir Castle to a meet at Allington, and while approaching one of the gateways in the small grass fields near Woolsthorpe I saw a kestrel hawk seated on the top of the gate. To my surprise, he would not move when I rode up, neither would he do so until I had made a great clatter with my whip in opening and lifting up the latch of the gate. He then flew leisurely away ; I con- clude he was asleep. And once when I was riding near the racecourse at Croxton Park, I saw one of the fallow deer hung up in mid air by the horns to the hay bands which were raised on high posts to prevent people riding over the race- course. On my drawing the attention of a gentleman who was riding with me to this extraordinary coincidence, he galloped off to try and release the stag, but when he got close to him his horse put his foot in a hole and rolled over with him, and so frightened the unfortunate stag that he managed to shake himself clear from his uncomfortable position and galloped off. While hunting near Barrowby Thorns, my horse put his foot on a hare in her form without hurting her, but she jumped up into the air higher than I could have believed it possible for so small an animal to do, quite high enough to clear my horse. On another occasion I was galloping down a large grass field near Saxby, and a large field from Melton was out, and there was no room to pull off to the right or the left, when suddenly a large flock of sheep crossed us and came immedi- ately in front of me. My horse, with apparently no difficulty, galloped right over them, touching them lightly on their woolly backs, and doing no harm whatever. At this period the Belvoir Hunt had very few difficulties to contend with, as all the large landowners were most friendly and kind, and although the Duke of Rutland was unable to hunt himself, all the hunt correspondence that was of any importance passed through his hands, and the answers were either sent by himself or by his private secretary at his dicta- 246 PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS tion, and only small matters of little importance were left to the huntsman to settle, such as the hunting appointments, when the Duke was absent from Belvoir, and small claims for hunt damages. The Poultry Fund was managed by a committee of gentlemen, who settled all such claims. The Duke of Rutland was well known in the political world as a strong protectionist, and some of his speeches and letters on the subject were proved by events to have been prophetic. The importation of foreign corn and foreign goods without even a small duty upon them has utterly ruined the English land- lords and the old-fashioned country gentlemen to the benefit of" God knows who " — certainly not the farmers, who can ob- tain no prices worth mentioning. On March the 4th, 1888, the Duke of Rutland died after a long and painful illness, deeply lamented by all who knew him well as a kind friend, a cheerful companion, and a good landlord. Few, if any, will be found to equal him. Before concluding my short history of the Belvoir Hunt, I may mention that my hunting days began in Will Goodall's time, and the first fox's brush that was given me was by him after a fast run from the School Platts, killing our fox near Barrowby Thorns. I was a boy of about fourteen or fifteen at that time, and I rode a very good chestnut pony, bought at Waltham Fair, which carried me wonderfully well, as I followed Lord Forester, who was then the master, over every fence until the finish. I have seen many good runs with other packs of hounds in Leicestershire, especially with the Cottesmore and Quorn hounds, and also one splendid run with Mr. Tailby's hounds from Oweston Wood to Slawston Thorns, near Market Harborough, a ten-mile point. The Belvoir hunting country has been very much spoilt and altered since I have known it by railways and ironstone tramways, and I think the same remark would apply to a large portion of the Quorn country, and as far as I can see I must own that I think the Cottesmore to be the best hunting country that I know of in the shires ; they can also boast of having an excellent pack of hounds, which pack together and hunt well. The late Duke of Rutland was not 247 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT what would be called a hound man, but he was fond of pay- ing an occasional visit to the kennels to hear about the sport, and also in the spring of the year to look at the young hounds which the huntsman proposed to draft, and at the entries for the ensuing season. Every huntsman has his particular pet hounds. Cooper's favourite being Senator, and Gillard's Gambler, Gordon, Fallible, Brusher, Donovan, and others, and Capell, the present Belvoir huntsman, has a mag- nificent hound called Dexter, which he is very proud of. In concluding my little account of the hunt in times past, I must wish it every possible prosperity in the future. 248 Chapter XIV THE DUKE AS MASTER 1858-1888 THUS at the close of his first season the Duke had to provide himself with a huntsman. By this time the position of huntsman at Belvoir was looked upon as the blue ribbon of the profession, and there were many applications for the post. But the Duke was not a man to pass over those who had served him well, and James Cooper, first whipper-in, had proved himself to be good both in kennel and field. He was one of the boldest of horsemen. With fine hands and a nerve of iron, he could make any horse carry him. He was a light weight, nine stone seven, no small advantage to a man who was always to be near hounds. The following sketch of his career before his appointment as huntsman was given to me by his widow, Mrs. Cooper, from whom I have received much kind assistance. She says : — " My late husband was born at Portsoy, near Banff, on March 31st, 1822. When he was two years old his father left to take the Fife Arms Hotel, Turriff, Aberdeenshire. He was intended for the ministry by his parents, and a house was bought for his future manse when quite young. He was educated for ten years at the Commercial School, Turriff. But having a pony of his own, called Donald, he hunted regularly with Lord Kintore, who named him the Varmint. He has told me many times how his pony swam three rivers with him, all beginning with D. I believe his father, Richard Cooper, once hunted Lord Fitzhardinge's hounds, but what date I cannot tell. My husband left home at fourteen years 249 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT of age to whip-in to harriers at Meldrum House, belonging to Mr. George Urquhart, where he remained five years ; from there to the Fife, under John Wacker ; from there to the Burton, when Lord Henry Bentinck was master ; from thence to the Brocklesby, where he stayed three years ; from there to the Belvoir, where he remained eighteen years." It will thus be seen that Cooper had had a first-rate training, and though not perhaps the equal of Will Goodall, he was both in field and kennel one of the best huntsmen of his day, and left a very magnificent pack to his successor Gillard. Cooper himself took over a very fine pack of sixty- nine couples of hounds. The renown of Belvoir blood was very great, and Trusty, Rallywood, Fairplay, Singer, Game- ston and Lexicon were the favourite hounds with other huntsmen. No hound exceeded twenty-three inches, the standard to which Will Goodall had reduced the pack. The matrons of the pack were Destitute, Nightshade and Dowager. Destitute was a daughter of Sir Richard Sutton's Dryden, a very favourite hound with Will Goodall. The entry of this season, which was probably the best ever put in by any kennel of hounds, is due to Goodall, who had looked forward to it with peculiar interest. Rasselas, Raglan, of which more hereafter, and Roman, all sons of Rallywood and Destitute, were looked upon by Goodall as founding a new branch of the great Rallywood Clan. In 1859 Nimrod Long, who was later to make a name for himself, came as second whipper-in from the Kildare. He was a son of that Will Long of whom the Duke of Beaufort writes so pleasantly in the Badminton Library.^ The story of Cooper's period of office and the early years of the Duke's mastership shall be told in their own letters. The Duke, when he took the hounds, was in the prime of life. He had that great love of painting and pictures which is almost as hereditary in his family as the love of sport, and he was an amateur artist of no mean skill. As member for Stamford he had proved himself a man of no slight courage and perse- verance. Deeply attached to the agricultural party in the ' Huntings p. 151 et seq. 250 THE SIXTH DUKE OF RUTLAND AND HIS SISTER, LADY ADELIZA NORMAN. ^ i IWP^^ '^k'M >» / v^^^^^^ 'ffju Mm h S «f &^P iiri ^Sfl m ^^fc^ y^|fc^ From an original Drawing in the possession of J. E. Welby, Esq. Allington Hall. THE DUKE AS MASTER House, no defeats could shake his views of what was best. Yet, though conservative, he was never reactionary, for he saw the value of a widespread education, and endeavoured to foster its cause in every way. Schools, built with his help, sprang up all over his property, and were always a source of the greatest interest to him throughout his long life. He had all the kindness, the shrinking from giving pain, of his father, with an even greater firmness of principle and pur- pose. His character was shown by the resolute manner in which he crossed a country mounted on horses which other men found difficult to ride — as a young man he loved four-year- olds — and he was always near hounds as long as they were running. If in the dusk a crash was heard, his field knew at once where the master was. Hunting was his favourite sport, for though elected by acclamation a member of the Jockey Club, he took no great interest in racing. Of shooting he was very fond, and the moors at Longshawe and the coverts at Cheveley became an unceasing source of delight to him when gout, the injuries occasioned by falls, and the infirmities of age made his appearance in the field less and less frequent. Belvoir was still the scene of much splendid hospitality, and distinguished parties of guests met the hounds. Lord Beaconsfield, who had won the respect and liking of the Duke and his now distinguished brother. Lord John Manners, was a frequent visitor, and hunted at times clad, it is said, in a velvet coat and grey trousers. The sketch which I repro- duce shows Mr. Disraeli as he then was, under the guidance of Lord Wilton. The intimacy of Disraeli at Belvoir came about through the friendship of Lord George Bentinck, the common friend of Lord Granby and the rising Con- servative leader. The expediency which must rule the actions of all public men separated Lord Granby from Mr. Disraeli in some degree, but did not impair the friendli- ness and general support given by the Manners family to the Conservative party. The Duke of Rutland, when he became master of the hounds, had completely won the confidence of 251 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT the farmers by the courageous and unwavering championship of the agricultural interest he had given, and his hounds met with a warm welcome wherever they went. Mr. Sloane Stanley has, from his intimate personal know- ledge, given so good a sketch of the Duke that I prefer, in doing my part, simply to let the following letters tell the story for themselves, only adding such comments and ex- planations as may serve to make them useful and interesting to the reader. The first letters to Cooper which came to hand were those of Lord Henry Bentinck, with whom Cooper had learned much. There was no one who taught his servants more than Lord Henry, for he was accustomed to have them in after the day's hunting and point out what had been amiss with their proceedings. Scarcely anything escaped his eye. Cooper had evidently pleased this severe critic, for we find Lord Henry consulting him on the hounds to be used. Lord Henry also valued Goodall's judgment highly, as we know, and from Belvoir he laid the foundations of that Blankney kennel of which, when I saw them, the old Berkeley kennels were full, Mr. Harding Cox, when master, having introduced it largely and with great judgment. " Lincoln, '■'December 26th, 1859. " Cooper, — " The foxes have been killed down so dead at Leaden- ham and Beckingham that it is scarcely probable that your hounds should run into the Stapleford Moor country, but, as it is not impossible that they might do so from Statton, it is as well to warn you that it will not be prudent to suffer them to cross the road into Norton Disney. Lord 's woods are full of traps and poison. " I return you a list of my hounds, and have marked with a cross (X) those stallions whose blood is quite removed from your own. " I should be much obliged to you if you would send me a second list of your own hounds, marking for me the two-year- 252 THE DUKE AS MASTER olds and also one-year-olds that show any promise of becom- ing stallion hounds, and giving me the character of the three- year-old and two-year-old stallion hounds, whether hard run- ners or line hunters; especially of Alfred — Stormer, and Trusty dogs, and Ruby's and Nightshade's puppies. Should there be a puppy of the Nightshade litter of great promise, I should be inclined to try him with an old bitch. I am in posses- sion of Goodall's opinion of all your hounds also three years old. •' I am, etc., "H. Bentinck." The next letter is from the Speaker in the House of Com- mons, and has the Speaker's stamp on the envelope. The letter tells its own story, and reminds us how many dis- tinguished statesmen and men of office have loved hunting. The reference to the " father of the pack " must mean Rally wood (1853). " OssiNGTON, Newark, " April 2,rd. " Sir,— " I was sorry I did not see you before the end of the day on Monday to tell you how much pleased I was with the hounds and with the dogs' sport. I will thank you to re- mind me of the name of the hound — a seven or eight-season hunter, and sire of several hounds — out that day, whom you called ' father of the pack.' I admired him very much, and should like to send to him from Rufford Kennel. " I am, ever yours, "J. Evelyn Denison." The next letter is from the Duke, and is dated from Cromwell Road. It is of no particular interest, except the last sentence, which runs, " I don't think a man who has hunted hounds would be desirable as a whipper-in." In July, 1 86 1, the Duke was evidently on a visit to Mr. 253 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT Monkton Milnes, who, in politics, had a sentimental rather than a very serious attachment to the young England party, of which Lord John Manners, the Duke's brother, was one of the leaders. " Fryston Hall, ''July i6th, 1 86 1. " Cooper, — " I shall be very glad to hear that you have gone to see Lord Middleton's hounds, and I hope you will find a hound to suit. I go to-morrow to Sandbeck, and return to London on Friday. " I am glad to hear of three more litters of foxes. " I am told Mr. George Norman complains of losing a hundred fowls. I hope, therefore, that we shall find plenty of foxes at Goadby ; the loss must be owing to the want of rabbits. " I remain, yours, etc., " Rutland." Cooper's visit to Lord Middleton's kennels, to which the Duke alludes, was not without results, for I find among the Belvoir entry of 1863 Harpy and Heroine, by Lord Middle- ton's Corporal. The next letter is of interest as showing that Lord Forester still took a considerable part in the management of the pack. He was, in fact, constantly referred to in kennel matters, as the Duke was not, nor did he profess to be, a great judge of hounds, though his interest in the pack was great. As a sub- sequent letter will show. Lord Forester occasionally acted as master during the Duke's absence. This letter refers to the question of Holwell Mouth, which had always been a bone of contention between the Quorn and the Belvoir. Mr. Frederick Sloane Stanley, who conducted the corre- spondence with Lord Stamford, tells me that the matter was eventually settled by the Quorn resigning their claim to draw Holwell Mouth, and the Belvoir giving up Grimston Gorse. 254 THE DUKE AS MASTER This letter was evidently written soon after Cooper's ap- pointment, though Lord Forester seldom dates his letters. " 6, AuDLEY Square, London, ''^ June i6th, " Jem, — " I should like to know, when you have been out a bit, what cubs you have in the different coverts. I hope there are cubs in Coston Gorse. " I trust that you will endeavour by all means in your power to merit the confidence the Duke has placed in you. Few men of your age have such an opportunity as you will now have, and I have myself a confident expectation that with steadiness and good conduct you will fulfil the arduous task before you. The most difficult task will be that of the management and breeding of hounds, which will require all your attention. " Wishing you well, " I remain, etc., etc., " Forester." With regard to the next letter, the hound referred to was probably Lord Yarborough's Nathan, from which no less than three couples of puppies were put in 1863, and proved more than useful. "Brocklesby Park, " November 25///, 1862. "Mr. Cooper,— " When Tocock showed me your letter to him the other day asking for a stallion hound, I told him that I could not let any go this season, as I am so very short of hounds, but I was not aware at the time that Mr. Smith had promised you one this season in return for your Lexicon that we had here last season ; so, under the circumstances, I shall be very glad to let you have any stallion you like from my kennel. 255 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT " Will you have the goodness to send me a list of your hounds with the stallions marked ? " Yours faithfully, " YarboroUGH. "Mr. Cooper, " Belvoir Kennels, Grantham." In 1863 we have a letter from Mr. Roberts, of Sleaford, which shows the good feeling and kindness of the Lincoln- shire farmers. " Sleaford, "Maf 14^ A, 1863. "Dear Cooper, — " I need no thanks for what little I have done towards preserving the foxes in this neighbourhood. I have, and always shall have, great pleasure in doing anything I can towards promoting the sport, and hope we may live to enjoy some good runs after these. " Rd. Roberts." The following letters from the Duke speak for themselves, and were written chiefly from Egypt, where he had been ordered to recruit after his fall. The first two show how un- willing he was to leave the country just as the hunting season was beginning, and from the next we see that Coston Gorse was again the scene of trouble, while the strong interest the Duke took in everything connected with his hounds is shown in that dated from Cairo. "LoNGSHAWE Lodge, Sheffield, *■' September 2"] th, 1863. " Cooper, — " As November draws near, I am getting very low at having to go abroad, but I have no doubt it is the right thing for me. I am gradually recovering my leg power, and hope eventually to be quite right again." 256 THE DUKE AS MASTER " Cleopatra, " Approaching Thebes, about lOO miles from, " December 6th, 1 863. " Cooper, — " I have received and am much obh'ged to you for your letter of the 9th. The thermometer is now 107 in the sun and 84 in the shade ; too hot for anything ! How much I wish I was back in Leicestershire, though I could not hunt, which partly reconciles me. I am not worse, but I do not think I am any better. If heat would cure one, I should be. " You seem to have had very bad weather, and to have found plenty of foxes, but not to have had much sport. " Yesterday I saw a crocodile, and tracked an hyena on the sand. " I hope when we get to Thebes I may find another letter from you, giving a good account of yourself and the hounds. " I remain, yours, etc., " Rutland." "Cleopatra, Beni Hassan, "January i6th, 1864. " Cooper, — " I have received your letter of the 29th of November, for which I am much obliged to you. On the i6th at Harlaxton you must have had a good day's sport ; the fine run from Tipping's Gorse must have been very good, and the fifty minutes afterwards also very brilliant. On the 17th the thirty-five minutes from Folkingham must have been very good. I have also heard from Mr. G. Drummond, describing a run from Granby Gap, in which you probably killed a fox we hunted late in the evening last season. I am sorry to hear of the fox being found dead near Coston Gorse. I should think M is the culprit. " I think I am rather stronger, and walk better, but the twitchings still continue. Till you hear to the contrary, will you address your letters to ' Poste Restante, Naples ' ? 257 S THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT " I shall hope, when I get back to Cairo, to hear that you continue well, and have been having good sport. I had an opportunity of giving a view holloa the other day ; a fine fox was cantering along the bank of the Nile at sunset. " I remain, yours, etc., " Rutland." " Cairo, ^^ January 2'i^rd. " I have on arriving here received your letter of Decem- ber 28th, and I think you seem to have had good sport — a good run from Sproxton Thorns on the 30th November ; but you have omitted to tell me anything of the ist of December, the 2nd, or the 4th, or where you were ; and you do not say there was any frost. I like to compare your sport with what I am doing here, and the weather ; for instance, on the 5th, the day of your run from Bescaby Oaks, we had rain, the only rain I have seen. " Again, the 8th you don't mention, or the nth, 12th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 1 8th, 22nd. " I am very grieved to hear of the death of poor Barbara and Lady, and to think so great a scoundrel should exist. I hope it may turn out to be M , for the sake of English- men, that there are not two such to be found. I think Lord Forester has done the best thing to offer ^50 reward ; it is an indictable offence, and I hope the rascal may be found and punished. " You seem to have had good sport, and wishing you a con- tinuance when the frost gives, " I remain, yours, etc., " Rutland. " The night before last 20° here ! " In December, 1864, the Duke was in Paris, and by a letter which I quote he shows that his heart was with the Belvoir and the hounds, and that he looked for a full account of the sport from his huntsman. 258 THE DUKE AS MASTER " Grand Hotel, Paris, " December 1 8//z, 1 864. " Cooper, — " The run from Coston Gorse must have been very good and over such a fine country. I wish you had had more hounds. I am very sorry about poor Wildboy, but it was one of those things which cannot be helped, and it is satisfac- tory that it was in such a good run. " I hear there [were] very few in at the death. I am sorry to hear of Frank, but I hope, excepting the teeth, he was not seriously injured. I return to London on Thursday. " I remain, yours, etc., " Rutland. " There has been a sharp frost here, but it is thawing now." As the letter is dated December iSth, this run cannot have been the memorable gallop from Coston, for that took place a month later from the covert which was the scene of the dastardly action of the man who shot the fox before hounds, a full account of which is given in Mr. Sloane Stanley's chapter. It is not unsatisfactory to learn that the culprit was sent to Coventry by his neighbours. Wildboy, whose death took place on the railway,^ was a valuable hound by Trusty, out of Trinket, the former being by Mr. Folljambe's Forester. The following letters show the varying fortunes of Coston Gorse, which was now free from poison, and Cooper is con- gratulated by the Duke and by Lord and Lady Forester on the excellent sport seen from that covert. Lady Forester {nee Countess Alexandra von Maltzan) had taken kindly to the sport of her adopted country, and took great interest in the pack, as the accompanying letter shows. She evidently made friends among the hounds, and Raglan, son of Rally- wood, which had evidently been returned to the kennel for Cooper's treatment — possibly the luxuries of Knipton Lodge had not agreed with him — was her especial favourite and companion. ^ Vide p. 270. 259 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT " WiLLEY Park, " December i ///z. " Cooper, — " I congratulate you on your capital run from Coston Gorse. I heard the account of it from two sources before I got your letter this morning, and it appears to have been a real clipper. My lady also begs to congratulate you, and she wishes much to know the names of the eight and a half couples of hounds that were in the run. " I remain, yours truly, " Forester." " WiLLEY Park, '■'■ December 2yd. " Cooper, — " My lady is much pleased at finding several of her favourites amongst the eight couples and a half that killed the fox from Coston. "/I remain, yours truly, " Forester." " Knipton Lodge, " Tuesday. " Mr. Cooper, — " I do not go to see Raglan, as I fear it gives him more pain than pleasure, but I venture to write a line to tell you that we intend going to London to-morrow until next Satur- day's hunting, if all is well. " I have no doubt you will be so kind as to keep him until we return, as he is safer with you and will have time to get well cured. " I have directed Evans, the gardener, to take some meat every day to the kennel, and to leave it with Pacey, as he will be able to judge how much he ought to have, and add some kennel food to it according to your instructions. " I am extremely obliged to you for all your kindness, and shall come to you as soon as we return, to hear what your opinion is about Raglan. " I remain, yours truly, " A. Forester." 260 THE DUKE AS MASTER The next letter tells its own tale, and was written from Cadland, a name that recalls the winner of the Derby in 1828. It was the home of Mr. G, Drummond. " Cadland, " November 2^th, 1865. "Cooper,— "I have to thank you for your letters of 9th, 13th, 20th and 23rd, and I return Mr. Heathcote's letters. " I don't think I shall be at Belvoir before the middle of December, and even then, owing to Mr. Perceval's selling me some horses that were not hunters, I shall have nothing to ride. " The run from Granby Gap must have been very good ; what a pity it was not straight. Of course you will meet Mr. Heathcote's wishes, but ten days seems an unnecessary long time, and Keisby Wood is the second time, making a period of twenty-six days ! " I am very sorry to hear you have been so unlucky as to lose Singer and Rockwood ; Singer was very old. I hope Royal is recovered. Who rode over him ? What horse were you riding from Granby Gap ? " I have been but poorly, but am better again, though full of aches and pains. I am glad to hear the Bescaby Oaks foxes have re-appeared. " Croxton Lings — I think the grass last cut must be ploughed up and re-sown. " I remain, yours, etc., " Rutland. " I go to ' Enville Stourbridge ' on Monday next." The next letter is from Sir Thomas Whichcote, who was always interested in the hounds and their doings. The refer- ence to Will Goodall shows that Sir Thomas's protige had by this time gone to the Pytchley. He was serving under Mr. Anstruther Thompson, and had Roake and Firr for colleagues. That he had inherited his father's good qualities may be gathered from the fact that later he earned Lord Spencer's trust and esteem, and in some measure took the 261 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT place of Charles with that great master and statesman. Goodall, however, belonged to a later period, and his boyish enjoyment of the " jolly big fences " over which he was to win a renown only second to that of his father, is recorded by his lifelong friend and patron in the following letter. " AswARBY Park, "August gth, 1866. " Cooper, — " I am much obliged to you for your letter just received. I will thank you to reserve two of the terrier puppies for me. I shall trust to you to select them. I cannot understand how it is you have not met with any cubs in those large wood- lands. We all know there were plenty of old foxes in Dunsby and Aslackby woods at the end of last season. " I met the Duke of Rutland at Goodwood and was charmed to see him looking so well. Cruising seems to agree with him. He told me he had ridden both poor Mr. Willson's horses and that he liked them very much. I trust they will do him good service and not put him down. To- day I am going to join Lady Whichcote at Harrogate, so that I think I shall go over to York to-morrow and see the caged dogs at the show. " I have only purchased one new horse this summer ; he is tall enough to see over any fence in the country. " Will Goodall wrote to me a few days since, giving me a description of his new place and also an outline of the country. He says there are some ' jolly big fences ' in it. I hope he will learn something under Captain Thompson ; prob- ably it is just as well for him to have left Melton. " I expect to be at home again the beginning of September. " Thos. Whichcote." In the autumn of the same year, 1866, the Duke gives some sound advice to Cooper about cub-hunting. " LoNGSHAWE Lodge, Sheffield, " September 2nd, 1866. " Cooper, — " I am glad to hear that you have begun cub-hunting, 262 THE DUKE AS MASTER and are pleased with the young hounds, but six cubs is too many to kill in one morning, is too great a waste of the raw material, and does the hounds no good. I should generally, if I could, after killing one, take the hounds to another covert. The ground must be in capital order, we have had so much rain." Then comes an invitation from Sir Thomas Whichcote to come to Aswarby and stir up the cubs. "AswARBY Park, " September 2\st, 1866. " Cooper, — " I am much obliged to you for sending me your move- ments for this day. Had you let me know about Ropsley Rise I might have struggled thus far. By all means have those strong earths broken up. If you do not, they will be a bother to your pack all the season. When are you coming to Aswarby to enliven my cubs? They ought soon to be put on to their pins, or they will have no action whatever, and become a prey to the Belvoir hounds without making a struggle. I was very sorry to hear of the Duke being knocked up by three days' shooting in succession. I heard he had to take to his bed and call in medical aid. All these drawbacks do not sound well at the commencement of a winter campaign. This weather must be very suitable for your operations. Last night it poured down with rain. I should fancy the ground was in first-rate order. Partridges here are a complete failure ; very few of them and very small birds. Hares numerous, and rabbits a common nuisance. On the 1st of October I go into the north of Lincolnshire for a week's shooting. "Thos. Whichcote." Again Sir Thomas writes about cub-hunting, and refers to a visit he had paid to Mr. Fox and the Bramham Moor kennels. This and the next letter show Sir Thomas's dis- like to a large hound. 263 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT " AswARBY Park, ''September i$th, 1867. " Cooper, — " I am much obliged to you for the very pretty little terrier puppy you sent me. " I trust the brace of foxes you turned out in Newton Gorse will like their new abode, and that they will stay there until you call upon them in November. " Colonel Reeve writes me word you are to be at Leaden- ham to-morrow at eight ; it is rather too early and too far for me at this time of the year. 1 shall be glad to know when you are likely to come into these parts. I believe we have a fox or two. I was so delighted to hear your report of the Duke. I trust he may be spared to reign over Belvoir for many a long year. " I have been on a visit to Mr. Fox, where I saw a splendid pack of hounds. The dogs I thought were too large, but the bitches are beautiful. Mr. Fox told me at Doncaster he had had a very successful morning or two amongst the cubs. " Thos. Whichcote." "AswARBY Park, " October 6th, 1867. " Cooper, — " I am much obliged to you for your letter received this morning. I hope you found Devonshire productive of merit in the shape of fox -hounds. If report speaks the truth Lord Portsmouth, Lord Poltimore, and Mr. Mark Rolle's kennels are all worth visiting. I have not had the good fortune to see any of them. Lord Portsmouth's, I am told, are very large hounds. If such is the case I cannot fancy they are adapted for any country. " I wonder whether you have seen Lord Wemyss' hounds. They are a very old-established pack. In all probability they are bred chiefly at home. I hear they do wonders in the field. " Hunting at present in the country is a complete farce. Your cubbing must have been sadly retarded by the state of 264 JAMES COOPER. Hunlsman to the Sixth Duke of Rutland. THE DUKE AS MASTER the ground. The three last nights we have had seven, eight, and seven degrees of frost I hope now we shall speedily have some rain, although there is not much indication of it at present. "If you can manage to come and stir my cubs up on Friday, the nth, I shall be very glad. I have no idea what quantity we have of them. I saw a beautiful cub in some turnips below the Osbournby field covert. " Mr. Chaplin's hounds were hunting at the Green Man Plantation yesterday, and killed a brace of cubs. "On Monday, the 14th, I am going to Willey for a week. My horses have not yet been out of a walk, neither would it be prudent to allow them to get beyond that pace. The hounds must be in much better form than the horses, " Mr. Borke Turner tells me he has no end of foxes. I hope you will find them. " Thos. Whichcote. "P.S. — I was over at Syston a few days ago, and observed in passing Ancaster Gorse a flight of rails had been taken out, and a gentleman with gun in hand going through the covert. Nowfoundland Gorse had had a camp of gipsies under its covert. The gorse over the road opposite to it looks healthy and well." Sir Thomas Whichcote writes about foxes for turning down. " AswARBY Park, " September 2'jtk, 1868. " Cooper, — " Now that we are likely to have a certain degree of foothold in the country, I shall be glad to know your move- ments. My stud are very impatient for the sight of the pack ; one of the brutes broke away at exercise the other morning and took a header over a wire fence. Fortunately he was none the worse for it. We have had some splendid rains ; at four o'clock this morning it came down in torrents. When I found you could not manage to meet me at Lord Wemyss' kennels, I gave up the idea of going there. You 265 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT will be sorry to hear that dumb madness has broken out in Lord Queensberry's kennel. He has already lost three hounds, and if it only takes off the right ones it will do no harm. I paid the Tynedale kennels a visit. They are hunted by a young man who lived with Lord Kesteven. I never came across a man who had so little idea of what a hound ought to be. I mean an animal adapted to stay and catch a fox. Captain Smith, of Honbling, sent me a fine old dog-fox and a beautiful cub, which he said had been clearing out all the hen-roosts in his neighbourhood. I immediately ordered my mark to be put upon them, and started them off to a covert not a hundred miles from this house. Probably they are now in the locality from whence they came ; still I have given them the option of a new berth, and I trust they will remain there until you call upon them. " Thos. Whichcote." Sir Thomas apparently rescued foxes from doubtful neigh- bourhoods, and turned them out in more hospitable districts. "AswARBY Park, '' Apnl lOth, 1869. " Cooper, — " I think it right to inform you foxes are fast going to perdition in this country. My new keeper found one in Barrows' plantation partly covered over with leaves ; it had been trapped in a hind leg and the brush cut off. It had been dead some time when he discovered it. A vixen. " This morning Mr. Hack, of Silk Willoughby, sent another vixen over here which had been caught in his farmyard. I told his man to take it back again, as a broken-backed fox was a useless animal. I understand the man did not obey my orders, but turned the poor brute out in my stableyard. It had also been in a trap, but not lately. Mr. Hack's dogs caught it. I fear there will be a general slaughter. " Thos. Whichcote." In this year Lord Forester's health had begun to fail, as a letter from London, from Sir Thomas Whichcote, shows. 266 THE DUKE AS MASTER " 8, Chesterfield Street, Mayfair. " Cooper, — " We went to Willey this day week, and came back to London on Saturday. Lord Forester seems to be pretty much as usual. He enjoys his shooting and goes out most days, although to the great disadvantage of those who can walk. It is a sad thing to see a man who was once so active cut down in the manner he is." Then again, a year later. Sir Thomas tells of a run with the Cottesmore, and he is again anxious about the foxes. " AswARBY Park, "Cooper, — "■February 14//?, 1869. " I write a few lines to inform you of what occurred yesterday with Lord Kesteven's hounds at Irnham. First of all they found the fox in the long part of Irnham Old Park Wood. He ran away across the grass-field into Osgod- by Coppice ; he then ran straight through it, and away for kigoldsby Wood, which he went straight through, and mid- way between Ingoldsby Wood and Boothby Little Wood the scent vanished in toto. It really looked as though the fox had carried a spade with him, dug his own grave, and made it deep enough for his pursuers to lose all trace of him. West then took his hounds on the down wind side of Ingoldsby Wood ; they hit off a scent of some animal or another, which they could not pursue farther than In- goldsby Village. They then went back to the farther end of Irnham Old Park, where they found again immediately and ran their fox into Bitchfield Far Wood and lost him. One of the whips, who had lost a shoe and was just returning from having it put on, met a fox going in the direction of Ingoldsby Wood. West took the hounds to the place the whip had last seen him, but they could do no good. They then went to Corby Pasture, where they found immediately and ran up wind to Bitchneaves Wood. Here the fox stopped for them, and I left them going across that miserably scenting ground to Croke Hills. Now what I want to know is this : whether, after the routing they gave the Irnham 267 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT Woods, you think it worth your while to go there again on Tuesday, or whether you think it would be wiser to go over to Aslackby Wood. Bulby Hall there is no chance, as Mr. Beaumont told me his keepers had been busy rabbiting for some time in it. After reading this, will you give me a line as to what you intend to do ? If Aslackby Wood is the first draw I can cut off miles. I fancy the scent was good in the morning, bad in the middle of the day, and improved in the afternoon, but, as you are aware, up wind and down made all the difference. "Thos. Whichcote." In 1869 the Duke tells Cooper that "the Jockey Club yesterday carried Lord Forester's resolution that no two- year-olds are to run before the first of May," and Sir Thomas Whichcote alludes to racing, of which it will be seen he had no very high opinion. " Bute House, Campden Hill, "Kensington, W., May 30//^, 1869. " Cooper, — " The Jockey Club yesterday carried Lord Forester's resolution that no two-year-olds are to run before the first of May." "AswARBY Park, ''September igth, 1869. " Cooper, — " I am much obliged for your letter. Wednesday will suit me very well to see you and your pack. Ten o'clock I conclude will be early enough. We had better first of all sift Burton Gorse and then fall back upon the Burton Plantations and Thorns. How will it be to appoint Haver- holme for Friday ? Yesterday, as a friend of mine was coming here in a fly from Sleaford, he saw a beautiful fox walking about a field between this and Sleaford. I was very sorry to read your report of the Duke. I trust he has thrown off the attack and that he is able to follow up the grouse. Pretender cut a sorry exhibition in the Leger. I am told he never eat a feed of corn after his arrival in 268 THE DUKE AS MASTER Doncaster. I suspect the Leger horses were none of them a gaudy lot. Sir Joseph Hawley did not trust his horse until the night before the race, and then only for a small sum. " Racing is decidedly on the decline. It is no longer a gentleman's amusement. Half the owners of race-horses dare not place their names to them. " We had a fine rain here last night ; to-day it is blowing a gale of wind. I hope we shall have another downfall as soon as the wind ceases. " I think we must have plenty of foxes in the Folkingham Gorses, provided the proprietor of the land around them and his keeper allow the coverts to remain quiet. Newton Gorse from all accounts ought to present a beautiful sight to the eye of a fox-hunter. I am told Mr. Doughty states that he saw nine foxes all outside the covert together. "Thos. Whichcote. " Give me one line to say whether Wednesday will suit I) you. A letter, which for obvious reasons I do not print, was written in October of that year to request that certain coverts may not be drawn, as they are to be closed during November and December for shooting purposes. This letter was for- warded to Sir Thomas Whichcote and drew the following answer from him. "AswARBY Park, " November 21s f, 1 869. " Cooper, — " I was very sorry to hear of your accident. I trust you will soon be able to shake off the ill effects of it. The knee is a nasty joint to have anything the matter with it. "The poor Aswarby fox was shockingly badly managed. I shall not entrust the next commercial gent to an amateur. " You would hear that nothing could be more brutal than the treatment it was subjected to at the hands of those blackguard Ropsley people. " Thank you for enclosing 's letter. I am truly sorry to think that the writer of it was a grandson of a master 269 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT of hounds. I wish he could be persuaded to take the Cottesmore hounds. It would be the only way to get those fine woodlands set at liberty for fox-hunting. " The Rev. Heathcote told me yesterday he was going to make a large gorse between Folkingham and the wood- lands ; this is a step in the right direction. " I hope you will be able to get to Gonenby. I detest the place on account of the rail. " Thos. Whichcote." A hound, Wildboy, sent by Cooper to Mr. Selby Lowndes, had an unlucky accident, for the Whaddon chase master writes : — "Whaddon Hall, Stoney Stratford, ''March iith. " Cooper, — " I got Wildboy quite safe, and I thought I had written to you to tell you how pleased I was with him, but I am sorry to tell you he got on the line and was completely cut to pieces. I was so sorry, it quite spoilt my day's sport. Now I am very pleased to hear you are hunting again, and hope will continue to do so for many a year. " W. Selby Lowndes." Cooper was then laid up by an accident to his knee. The other hounds were sent a week later, as another letter from Mr. Selby Lowndes shows. The next letters from the Duke were written to Cooper after he had left, and show that, although the master and huntsman had been parted by circumstances, there yet re- mained esteem and respect between them. " Bute House, Campden Hill, "Kensington, W.,Maj/ ^otA, 1870. " Cooper, — " I am much obliged to you for your letter of the 27th, and for the information respecting the young hounds, and I must thank you for the care you have taken of them up to this time. 270 THE DUKE AS MASTER " I hope you have got a nice house at Ponton and that you and Mrs. Cooper will be comfortable. I will not return to the past, but I cannot help saying that I consider that under your management, care and judgment the Belvoir hounds have certainly not deteriorated, but if anything im- proved, in breeding, shape and make, and I desire to express my gratitude to you for all you have done in my service. " May I venture, now that I can have no personal interest in the matter, but am solely actuated by a regard for yourself and your family, to say that I hope you will take care of your health and strength ? " I am happy to say I am very well. " With my kind remembrance to Mrs. Cooper, " I remain, yours, etc., " Rutland." "Bute House, Campden Hill, "Kensington, V^.,May 17th, 1874. " Cooper, — " I am very much pleased at your remembering my birthday, and at your and Mrs. Cooper's kind wishes on the occasion. " I am sorry to say, though, when one has arrived at fifty-nine, these anniversaries follow one another much too quickly. " I am glad to see you have removed to Carlton, and hope that you and your family may have many years of health and happiness before you. " I am just recovering from an attack of my old enemy, the gout. " I remain, yours faithfully, " Rutland." " Belvoir Castle, "March ^th, 1877. " Cooper, — " I fear I have never written to thank you for your letter of the 12th February. I have been suffering much from a severe rheumatic attack in both knees, etc., and can- 271 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT not as yet regain my strength, but hope soon to do so and get out again. " I remember the runs you allude to from Normanton Thorns very well, when you killed on Harrowby Hill top. " There is one I think you have forgotten — Lord Cardigan, who, not quite up at the finish, was very near it. And I remember he and I went one ring, when they turned back from the Grantham and Lincoln road, and ran into the vale again, nearly as far as Gunnedy Moor Gorse, and no one else attempted it, but remained on the hill top till we came back again. " I was away the day you had a dog given you by Sir R. Sutton in the Loddington country, when you had those two magnificent runs. " I sent your letter to Lady Forester, who was greatly pleased with it. " Hoping you and your family are quite well, " I remain, yours, etc. " Rutland." The name of Cooper still lives in the Belvoir country, and his good qualities are inherited by another Jem Cooper, who was till lately huntsman to the Warwickshire hounds. 272 Chapter XV THE BELVOIR COUNTRY " TT'S the hounds and men that bring them, not the X country," was the remark of old Dick Christian as he and the Druid were taking that immortal drive through the Belvoir country which is recorded in Silk and Scarlet. No doubt there is truth in the saying, for who should know better than the old rough rider who had sounded the depths of every ditch, tried the strength of every flight of rails, and the resistance of the stout bullfinches throughout the Duke's territory ? Yet though the Belvoir may have no stretch of ground to equal the Twyford Vale of the Quorn or the Pytchley '^country from Crick to Stanford, of which Charles Payne, Lord Spencer's famous huntsman, was so fond, yet it has much that is only second to the very best owned by either of those hunts. In the Belvoir too, owing to the extent of its territory, there is necessarily a greater variety of fences, of soil, and of covert than in the smaller countries. The Duke's country has besides always had one great ad- vantage in the stoutness of its foxes. This is partly owing to the excellent distribution of its large coverts, so that everywhere there are nurseries for good foxes. An American visitor once remarked that England appeared to have been laid out by a landscape gardener for the purpose of hunting, and the Belvoir country, at least, has much this appearance, since a glance at the map will show how well distributed are the coverts of Belvoir — those round Croxton, Syston and Belton Park, Aswarby, Sapperton and Humby. These 273 T THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT woods are full of wild foxes, since for generations they have been well preserved, and yet left to their own devices. They learn to know a wide extent of country. The splendid oppor- tunities this state of things gives for cub-hunting have enabled the huntsman to educate the foxes, and to train and condi- tion the hounds, so that the Belvoir pack are able to pursue foxes over the open, with the knowledge and self-reliance acquired only by practice in the woodlands. The fox has hitherto almost everywhere been of more importance than his rival the pheasant, and this state of things is owing not only to the nature of the country, but to the love of hunting so deeply engrained in the Lincolnshire men. In every successive generation the Belvoir has had in its field such men as the Whichcotes of Aswarby, the Welbys and the Gregorys, the Reeves of Leadenham, the Fanes of Fulbeck, the Neviles of Stubton, the Turnors, Heathcotes, Tollemaches, Norman Thorolds of Syston, the Brownlows of Belton, the Parkers, Hutchinsons, and Hornsbys of Grantham. And what a race of farmers and yeomen have been bred up there ! How keen, how hospitable, and with what knowledge of farming, and what love of sport! Where will you find, save perchance in Yorkshire, such judges of horses, cattle or sheep as in Lincolnshire ? Then how they rode ! To this day the name of Wing is remembered in the vale. " ' John Wing, of Sedgebrook, was one of the best riders across the vale as a farmer in those days tremendious. Him and I's gone together for miles ; he was about my age.'"^ Then there was Mr. Burbidge, of Thorpe Arnold, after whom Lord Forester named the covert which gives the Duke's followers many a chance for a " go " over the Cottesmore or the Quorn. In order to get a start from " Burbidge's " you have to get over the river, and many a gallant sportsman has been called back when trying to poach a start at the bridge, and sometimes been left behind, as illustrated by the incident in the following verses by Mr. John Welby : — * Silk and Scarlet, p. 50. 274 THE BEL VOIR COUNTRY A Run from Thorpe Arnold.^ i860. To his friend, Cecil Fane,^ says my Lord,' " Do you know That at Burbidge's covert the waters o'erflow ? Come along ! we can stand on the top of a ridge, O'erlooking the covert, and close to a bridge. 'Tis certain the fox will swim over the stream, And we shall be first is as certain, I deem ; O'er the grass at our ease we can gallop along. Neither hustled nor prest at the start by a throng." " Go wherever you like," to him Cecil replies, " My way with the hounds and no other way lies, For don't you remember what laughter arose When I lost a good run the last season at Hose ? By Jove, 'tis a man who his place never yields To any in crossing the Leicestershire fields, But hates in the ploughs of Belvoir to dodge. 'Tis the Earl.* 'Tis the owner of Egerton Lodge. By Stapleford Spinnies we hurry along. The pace is so good the hounds hardly give tongue ; For Ranksboro covert our fox seems inclined, But changes his purpose and turns down the wind. Over fences and fields pretty quickly we strode. Till we crossed, near Leesthorpe, the Melton high road, And passing by Barton and Dalby, we gain The covert of Gartree before checking rein. For years in my court I a race have been running 'Gainst all sorts of artifice, dodging and cunning ; In the chase I have made up my mind to go straight — Not to skirt, or to crane, or to ride to a gate. The left is my way here, and yours is the right, Remember my warning — I pity your plight ; When you see me afar in the very first flight, Then you will be left, my Lord, I shall be right." Good luck to a covert that finds us such game, Four foxes afoot are the least I can name ; Two scarlets are seen on the opposite hill, Regarding the start with forebodings of ill. ^ Lays of Belvoir, p. 6i. ^ Commissioner in Bankruptcy. ' Lord Forester. * Earl of Wilton. 275 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT Says Cecil, " I see that some party has taken The place with my Lord I have wisely forsaken ; Do look at the couple, pray who can it be Who follows a leader instead of being free ? " Oh where in the thickening fog can we find The two gallant sportsmen we left far behind ? Do they patiently sit on the top of the ridge, Expecting the fox will return by the bridge ? Cries Cecil enveloped in glory and mud, "This lesson will do my Lord Forester good; For years we have had an encounter of wits — Our score is cleared off, for to-day we are quits." Then, too, there were the Kings and the Blands, and many others, whose names are mentioned by Mr. Frederick Sloane Stanley in his " Recollections." But to return to a more detailed account of the country. For convenience' sake we may class it in five divisions — the Melton side, the vale, the heath country, the Folkingham district and the ploughs ; though, of course, any such divi- sion must be rough and general. Fields of plough will be found to trouble our course over the grass, and stretches of grass come to relieve the monotony of the plough. The true centre of the sport is at Belvoir or Grantham, Melton as a rule only coming in on Wednesday, and on alternate Satur- days. Let us assume then that a sportsman has taken up his abode at Grantham or Melton, according to his means and tastes, he will be able to lay out his week's hunting easily enough. Of course the wish of those who visit the country for the first time is to see the historic meeting-place of Croxton Park, where the race-course still is, and the arena over which such riding men of the past as Lord Waterford, Dick Christian and Lord Wilton have been seen in bygone days. Here he would take the fastest and boldest horse he has, for it is as a rule a good scenting country, with fences not so stout as elsewhere, but over which hounds fly for short bursts, and where he may ride the very same line of 276 THE BEL VOIR COUNTRY country as Mr. Cecil Forester, Sir James Musgrave, Mr. Assheton Smith, Mr. Little Gilmour, Lord Jersey and Colonel Mellish, the last named a reckless and a hard rider, who was one of George IV.'s favourite companions, and many other famous riders have contended over in the past — "this 'ere very Freeby (a beautiful little covert of about fifty acres). There were nearly two hundred with the Duke's that day ; such a crasher over the Lings to Croxton Park wall in six- teen minutes. I was head man all the way. Sir James was on old grey Baronet. Lord Gardner, Mr. Maxse, and Sir Harry [Goodriche] — he was on Limner — were the only ones near me." ^ The best horses and riders in England may still be seen here, and the crowd taxes the patience of Sir Gilbert Greenall, the present master, and the quickness and decision of Ben Capell, his huntsman, as it has done that of their predeces- sors. If, in such a spin as is here spoken of, a man can see something of hounds, and be up at the finish, he will be able to hold his own anywhere. On another day a comfortable trot would take the sports- man to a fixture whence he might hope to gallop over the vale. But he may not go far, for it is the stiffest of countries, and fences formidable enough in themselves have in wet weather the added terror of having to be attempted from deep and holding clay. The following story comes down to us : — " A man came from the other side of Leicestershire to Grantham with his horses, and hunted some few days in the lighter parts of the country, . . . but was constantly saying he could find nothing worth riding over. Presently he went to a meet in the vale. The hounds found and went away ; the regular Belvoir men, knowing their way about, stuck to a green lane. . . . The first opportunity the thruster turned from the lane through a gate into a field ; but alas ! the fence was not to his liking. He had found more to jump than he wanted ; and having ridden dolefully round the enclosure to seek an exit, and finding none, returned to the gate by which he entered, greatly to the amusement of all who saw the * Silk and Scarlet^ p. 48. 277 xHk THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT incident. That evening his stalls at Grantham were vacant." ^ This part of the country has, however, changed consider- ably since those days, for before the Peninsula war and the era of high prices there was much more grass, and we find continual lamentations early in the century that the price of corn was causing much of the Belvoir grass to be broken up into arable. The vale reaches away from the Castle to- wards the north, and is traditionally supposed to be held in dread by the Melton men (" Legend of Merrie Croxton "). Nor by them only, for does not Dick Christian tell some- where how one of the boldest of the many bold " parsons of the hunt used fairly to tremble when he saw those big vale fences in front of him"? Yet another poem, from the collection of charming verses which are among the best ever written on the subject of hunting, tells of how Melton grass and Belvoir " plough- men " meet in the race for the Coplow, to prove whether of the twain was the better training ground for the hunter. The Race for the Coplow.^ i86i. Grass v. Plough. For ages, no matter to question how long, Well known is the fame of the Coplow in song. From the days when its praises were chanted by Lowth, Till to-day, when its fun is in every one's mouth. Thy glories were great when upon the great sward It puzzled the judge to bestow an award. When Lindow and Williams and White and the squire Represented the riders of many a shire. But after alas I came a cloud o'er the scene ; The race for the Coplow a shadow has been. Till to-day, like a phcenix, as every one knows, From its ashes with vigour enlivened it rose. From its ashes it rose, for the question is now, Which steed is the stoutest, from grass or from plough ? ^ Covertside Sketches^ by H. Nevill Fitt, 1879, P- 9^- ' Lays of Belvoir^ p. 50. 278 t2 ^ THE BELVOIR COUNTRY Can we hope on the winner our glances to fix ? From Belvoir come three and from Melton come six. We trust we don't own to of favour a particle If we take the first glance at the famed leading article. The ring to stand in seem most anxious and glad ; The Earl is the rider, the owner the Lad.* Though last, not the least of the heroes, I ween, By Barker of chestnut is lead on the scene ; High mettled and handsome, with plenty of bone, He looks, as he walks, that the day is his own. Who rides ? It is Josey, with satisfied air ; Says he, as he mounts, to the others, " Beware ! You may laugh if you like, but the truth you'll believe When the winner I land for the Grenadier Reeve." The bell has been rung, they are marshalled to start, And pit-a-pat beats every feminine heart ; The question to cause the dear fair ones' alarm. Shall the Quorn or the Belvoir to-day bear the palm ? The Coplow is over I The stoutest has won ; The light weight has been beaten, the lad has been done. Right loud are the cheers that resound, you'll allow, For the Leicestershire grass has been beat by the plough. Three cheers for the Colonel who brought to the post The heavy- weight chestnut despised by most ; To his health a full magnum of claret we'll drain, And hope he may win with the Haycock again. In this legend the victory lay with Belvoir. In days gone by there was a very celebrated meeting-place for another de- scription of country. This was Three Queens, a fixture that has preserved the name of a public-house which has long ceased to exist. It was a favourite meet for the heath country, where the sport was said to have been better in old times than it is now. It is mostly light arable land, the fields divided by very practicable fences that can be jumped anywhere, though varied, it is true, by an occasional " stitcher." If, however, the sportsman be one of those who love hounds more and a crowd less, he will save his stoutest horses for the Lincolnshire side. The central point is Folkingham, an ideal English country town, with its long ' Colonel Henry Forester. 279 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT street sloping upwards to a fine church. The principal covert here bears the name of a hunting family, and Heathcote's Gorse, Folkingham, is a name which calls up many happy memories in the minds of Belvoir sportsmen. There are some beautiful stretches of grass near these coverts. Mr. Bradley, who kindly acted as my guide over this part of the country, tells me that it carries a good scent. It is strongly fenced, and a horse, to cross it, must be stout and know his business. Sapperton Wood and Newton Wood are among the larger coverts, and in them foxes are bred which have always had a reputation for stoutness. Some of the longest runs in the history of the hunt have taken place from these woods. All the country north, south and east of Grantham is out of the range of the Meltonian, but the visitor to Grantham will have all the best near at hand. Five miles north of Folkingham is Aswarby Hall, the home of Sir George Whichcote, a not unworthy successor of that Sir Thomas who was one of the best sportsmen, and, unless Ferneley was a very inaccurate draughtsman, the best mounted man in the hunt. There is a good deal of grass, and all the country is strongly fenced. There is a fair-sized field, but no crowd ; and, take it as a whole, there is no pleasanter country to hunt over, and with as good or a better chance of a run than elsewhere. Farther north we come to the boundary between Blankney and the Belvoir, and to the Leadenham coverts, where the Reeve family watch over the foxes and find them for both hunts. There the enclosures are smaller and are often bounded by stone walls, and here, as elsewhere, the soil carries a scent. Into the fenland hounds seldom run, though they have done so on a few occasions, some of which have already been alluded to. The Stubton district was, as we have already seen, famous in the year 1825 for the stiffness of its fences. To ride to hounds from there to Wellingore, should the fox take that line, would test the nerve of any man and the powers of even the best of horses. It is not difficult to see from the above 280 THE BEL VOIR COUNTRY review what an influence on the development of the pack the country and its circumstances have had. To have hunted over the same country for 1 80 years must necessarily affect the working of hounds. The country over which they go carrying a scent, hounds can drive forward boldly without fear of losing the line, and the foxes, being wild, make distant points, so that a huntsman learns the boldest course is gener- ally the wisest. The fastest hounds in the long run are those which are least often off the line. The speed of a pack of fox-hounds is the result of various causes. The power of holding to a scent and steadiness in keeping to the line of the hunted animal, all the time getting forward, and the soundness and condition to do this at a fair pace and over a distance of ground, are the chief elements of speed. The fox-hound is a quick-scenting animal ; directly he gets one whiff he dashes forward in pursuit of another, and so catches it, as it were, before it has time to fade. Now this tendency of a pack of hounds to carry ahead instead of to string, like stag-hounds, shows that perfection of emulation with combination which makes up a good pack. All these natural instincts of the hounds are strengthened and developed by favouring conditions in the country hunted over, and ac- cumulated generation after generation when a pack of the same race hunts over the same country for a long period of time. How well the foundation of these qualities was laid we may gather from a run which Shaw had with a pack made up of hounds which were chiefly Beaufort and Meynell grafted on to the original Belvoir stock, with an admixture of a few hounds which had come from the Duke of Leeds' pack. This run, which took place from Clawson Thorns on a still, fine day in 1806, was little less wonderful than the famous chase of which I have already written, and has often been quoted as an instance of the stoutness of the pack. Hounds ran fairly well to Holwell, but from there they descended into the vale. Then they began to race, the fox crossing the middle of each field. Only three men — Mr. T. Assheton Smith, Lords Delamere and Templetown — went down the hill with hounds. Of the rest only three saw hounds again. 281 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT After passing Lodge-on-the- Wolds (in the Quorn country) the pack wavered for a moment, but casting themselves before Shaw could get to them, hit off the line and ran right up to Cotgrave. The fox here turned to the left, and hounds, swinging round on the line without a pause, ran past Clipston to Normanton town, where they drove their fox from scent to view and killed him (the 103rd that season) after a run lasting one hour and three minutes. The Duke of Rutland and Lord Charles Manners reached hounds at Hickling, and Mr. Robert Grosvenor came up during the run.^ On this run a note in the " Journal of the Operations of the Belvoir Hounds " remarks : " In consequence of this circum- stance [the momentary check near Lodge-on-the-Wolds] it was supposed to have been one of the most severe strains upon wind that a pack of hounds could have, there never having been, except at this time, one instant when they could experience any relief. In effect, some of the stoutest of the whole pack, viz., Bluebell, Crony, Ruffler, Empress, and Nimrod, were so distressed within that they could not go out again for a fortnight afterwards. The running of the pack, during the whole period, was beautiful, not one hound being ever away from the body, which was so compact that at any time a sheet might have covered them all. Considerable credit was consequently due to the huntsman (Shaw) on the score of feeding." These remarks, which were probably written by the Duke himself, show the interest in the pack he felt, and the know- ledge he had acquired. The name of the fifth Duke as a sportsman was so much overshadowed by the great reputation of his immediate successors, Lord Forester and his son the sixth Duke, that this evidence of his real interest in his work as a M.F.H. may be considered noteworthy. It is also of interest to note that Crony was a son of the Duke of Beaufort's Champion, a line which, as I have already pointed out, was destined to be of immense value to the pack, and which had been resorted to on account of the stoutness of the Badminton pack. * Sporiing Review, \o\. ii.^ p. 184. 282 THE BEL VOIR COUNTRY Whether the Belvoir country carried a better scent in old days than it does now would be difficult to say. It appears, after looking over the records of sport, that the run of foxes changes very little, not only from year to year, but even from generation to generation. If wire could be removed, if peace could be patched up between foxes and pheasants, if mange could be stamped out — then fox-hunting might be again what it has been in the past. If these things cannot come to pass, even in Leicestershire, where the benefits of hunting are so obvious, where can it be possible? Some who are now living may yet see hunting exiled to Ireland and the English fox-hound reduced, like his relative the pointer, to a show-bench existence, and given prizes for the length of his ear, the carriage of his tail, or the exact pro- portions of black and tan on his back ; to sit evermore on a narrow bench at a show, with a pink card suspended over his head, which records the glory of his misguided owner in the shame of his dog. But let us hope this vision of the future may never become an actual experience, and that the English fox-hound may still have a future before it worthy of its past. The present kennels were built in 1809. Before that date, from the time of the third Duke, hounds were kennelled at Croxton Park, which, as will be remembered, was a hunting- box built by him. The fifth Duke pulled down the house at Croxton Park, after Mr. Perceval, who had tenanted it during his mastership, had moved to Sproxton ; but the hounds remained in those kennels when they were not at Wilsford, a village convenient for the coverts east of Gran- tham. After the kennels were built at Belvoir, in 1 809, there were also kennels at Ropsley, of which mention has already been made. The Belvoir kennels were very healthy, and since their erection hounds have suffered little from such scourges as kennel lameness, though the pack was ravaged by a disease resembling influenza in 1821. No hounds have sounder constitutions than the Belvoir, and though something is due to a long continuance of first- rate kennel management, so that it is an old Belvoir joke 283 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT that a hound seen to scratch itself is immediately drafted, yet something too must be ascribed to the healthiness of the situation. I have seen many kennels in my day, but none so picturesque as the home of the Belvoir pack, and coming to it, as I did for the first time, along the road which leads through the park from the Knipton side, the eye is first attracted to the Castle, with its absolutely unrivalled position and its splendid grouping of massive towers, amid the rich foliage of the Belvoir woods ; while on the right, near the river Devon, which flows through the park, lie the kennels, with the servants' houses. The present Duke drew my attention to the notes on the kennels by Mr. Horlock (Scru- tator), a most useful writer on all topics of kennel manage- ment, and whose precepts I have seen carried into practice with great advantage.^ The kennels are large and handsome, with convenient houses for the huntsmen and whippers-in near at hand. The entrance faces south, and on either side of it are two stone buildings used respectively for straw-house and granary. In the centre is an octagonal building, in which are the feeding, boiling, and lodging-houses for the hounds, and the feeders' apartments. The length of the passage from north to south is 1 60 feet by 16 feet. Another passage, from the huntsman's house to the whipper-in's, is 130 feet. The area is 20,000 square feet. On the right of the entrance is the large kennel, the court-yard being 70 feet by 45 feet, the lodging-room 18 feet by 16 feet; and at the bottom of the yard are two doors, one leading into a large grass yard and the other to the whipper-in's house. Opposite the large kennel is another court, 64 feet by 62 feet, with boxes on two sides under an open cone for bitches to whelp in. " In this yard," says Mr. Horlock, "eighteen bitches within one week produced one hundred and eighty puppies." Two smaller kennels there are 31 feet by 25 feet each. Beyond are the kennels for the young hounds; the lodging-room, 21 feet by 16 feet, the flagged yard of which is 70 feet by 35 feet ; and beyond again is a grass court. On the other side of the main ^ Practical Lessons in Huntincr and Sporting^ pp. 62, 63, 64. 284 THE BELVOIR COUNTRY passage is the hospital. The boiling-house and feeding-yard are conveniently placed near the longitudinal passage. The courts are paved with square flags, and the system of drainage is complete and effective. But, having written much of the country and of the hounds, it is time something was said of the horses, since they are indeed a most important matter in a country which taxes the powers of the best hunters to the utmost. And indeed many good hunters have been raised in the country from the very earliest times. It seems from a passage already quoted from the Memoirs of the Belvoir Hunt that in the time of the third Duke and Lord Granby the horses for the hunt were mostly home-bred. About 1825, the Waltham Agricultural Society was formed and an annual show held, and this was an im- portant first step in the encouragement of the breeding of horses in the district, which has been continued by the successive Dukes of Rutland and Lord Forester up to the present time. Now Sir Gilbert Greenall, whose judgment and experience in horse-breeding are well known, is doing his best to carry on the work and to help the farmers of his hunt. Hunter-breeding is, and probably always will be, a lottery, and like other games of chance it is most fascinating. " What we want," said a breeder of experience, "is a big brown horse, what we get is a little chestnut filly"; but the big brown horse does make his appearance every now and again, and then the breeder draws a prize in the lottery which probably encourages him to go on for the rest of his life. The Waltham Horse Show was founded in the time of Lord Forester, in order to encourage the breeding of hunters. Nimrod speaks of the backwardness of farmers in raising hunters in his time, but he makes an exception in favour of Leicestershire and Lincolnshire, a fair number of good hunters being bred in those counties. Fryatt, of the George, had several useful horses standing at Melton ; the famous Cannon Ball and Vivalda were among them. Mr. Burbidge, of Thorpe, sold a number of useful horses to the visitors to Melton and Belvoir ; but 1 think that the majority of the 285 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT hunters came from the Brocklesby and the Southwold countries. In these the farmers have always had a gift for making good hunters. Some of these horses were home- bred, but many came from Howden fair, where they were bought, and sold again at a profit in Leicestershire after they had learned their business. Looking at the portraits of the hunters at Aswarby and Belvoir, and wherever the pencil of Ferneley has been em- ployed, we are tempted to wonder whether the hunter of that day was not better than those we can get now. But then the prices were larger, and in our time nothing but a race horse or a polo pony would fetch the sums freely paid by such buyers as Lords Chesterfield and Plymouth, Lord Alvanley, the fifth Duke of Rutland, Lord Wilton, and Lord Forester, though the two last-named sportsmen were good judges and seldom gave much more than the horses were worth. But men rode hard and a trifle jealous in those days. Lords Waterford and Dysart are said to have raced neck to neck for the one practicable place in a fence, and another rider, whose name is not given, Nimrod saw "clear a ditch, a strong hedge, and a cow, all in one leap." The horses indeed came from all parts, though I think as many or more than at present were bought in those days direct from hunting farmers, but then the latter were a much more numerous class in 1825-57 than they are now. Another very well-mounted and hard-riding man was Lord Cardigan. Very unpopular he was, for the gallant spirit in Lord Cardigan was mated to a most impracticable temper. Another desperately hard man was Sir James Musgrave, who occasionally had charge of the Belvoir hounds in the absence of Lord Forester. He was one of Dick Christian's idols, one of the men also who were always in good things. Most of these riders, after riding against one another all the season, met again in silk at Croxton Park, where Nimrod himself earned some credit in the saddle, and when Lord Waterford, Sir David Baird, Lord Wilton, Lord Delamere, Lord Dysart, Sir F. Johnstone, Lord Howth (a constant visitor to Melton), Mr. 286 THE BELVOIR COUNTRY Percy Williams (afterwards master of the Rufiford), and many other well-known riders, tried conclusions over a country and on the flat. Nimrod, however, we gather, like many other sportsmen of his day, disliked steeplechases. What would he have said could he have seen a gate-money chase of our day ? The horses of those times were at least hunters, and not cast-off crocks too bad for the flat. But this chapter might indeed be drawn out to almost any length, so rich is the past of hunting in incidents and interest. It may be that in that comparatively small circle of hunting society exploits were noticed and remembered that would be lost on the crowd of competitors in our own day. But I think perhaps men gave to the sports they loved a more single- hearted devotion than they do amid the many diversities of interests of our own times. At all events we shall cer- tainly never see a finer race of soldiers, statesmen, and men of culture, and sporting squires, yeomen, farmers, and dandies, than those who in the past loved to take their pleasures, by no means sadly, over the Belvoir country. 287 Chapter XVI THE RACE OF BELVOIR WE have, in the course of this history, traced the gradual building up of the Belvoir pack to its present state of excellence. Above all other kennels, the Belvoir is distinguished by the strong family resemblance of its inmates. " What is the use," once said a distinguished visitor, " of bringing me to see these hounds ? I cannot tell one from the other." This great similarity of colour and character is of much interest to breeders, for the outward likeness of the hounds does not by any means signify a dead level of intelligence. There is as much individual character in these hounds as in any other pack. They are, indeed, alike in their stoutness, in their beauty, and in their speed. Every one knows they are famous for getting away quickly with their foxes, for a " Bel- voir burst" is a proverbial expression. But the different hounds have different characteristics. Thus the descendants of Newsman will still feel their way down a road or over a stretch of dry arable land, the descendants of Trojan will still dash out and kill a fox single-handed, and those who trace their descent back to Caroline are as full of hunt and drive as their great ancestress. The Weathergage family are hard workers from morning to night, and Gillard used to tell how, in one or other member of that family, the greatest of fox- hound clans, the listening huntsman would hear ringing out on the misty September air from some puppy of the breed the bell-like note of their forefather, Wonder. The Belvoir need a large pack and require a high standard of 288 THE RACE OF BELVOIR work, yet they need never put on a puppy which has not the black and tan on purest white, which is the uniform colouring of the pack. I have hunted with many other packs and have noted how common this colour is be- coming, showing that, the Belvoir being now a pure and established family, their blood is prepotent to impose its own character in crosses with other strains. But this family likeness which is peculiar to the Belvoir, and which can be seen in the same degree in no other kennel, is, I am convinced, the result of grafting on an original stock which had been established long enough to crystallise its traits into hereditary characteristics. I do not lay much stress on what was done before the time of Newman and Mr. Perceval, when the female line of Rally- wood and the various sub-families of his clan were started by the entrance into the kennel of Beaufort Champion and Topper. Then there was the period when large infusions of Meynell blood came through Mr. Osbaldeston's and Lord Monson's packs, and finally when the fifth Duke purchased Mr. George Heron's pack from Cheshire, in which Meynell blood was paramount. Mr. Meynell's hounds are supposed to have been of great antiquity, as he got them from Mr. Boothby, and Mr. Boothby's kennel traces back to the old sort of Lord Arundell, of Wardour. But in all these specula- tions we tread on very uncertain ground. What is certain is that the Belvoir kennel owes much to four great lines of blood — the Beaufort Champion, Osbaldeston's Furrier (a Bel- voir hound by birth), Sefton's Sultan, Mr. Drake's Duster, and Brocklesby Rallywood. When the Belvoir desired an out cross, they generally went to the Fitzwilliam and the Bad- minton kennels, the different types of these packs at that time showing that they had but little Belvoir blood. Through Mr. Osbaldeston's kennel the Belvoir got back their own blood, mingled, among others, with the beautiful mute hounds of Sir Thomas Mostyn, which, through Lady, transmitted both their qualities and their silence. Thus we see the tap- root of the Belvoir was their own original stock, while the grafts are Meynell (an ancient and pure race), Beaufort (of 289 U THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT which the same may be said), Brocklesby, and in lesser degree Fitzwilliam and the old Lord Lonsdale's Cottesmore pack. To the last two kennels, both of which are supposed to have been somewhat coarse, the Belvoir went, no doubt, for size and bone, as there is evidence to show they had favoured their own sort till they had lost both these qualities. The standard height was twenty-four inches for dogs and twenty- three inches for bitches in Goosey's time, lowered to twenty- three and twenty-two inches during Goodall's term of office, and the height has since remained the same. I am indebted to some of the leading huntsmen of to-day for helping me to form an estimate of the effect of the Belvoir blood on other kennels. Speaking generally, it is not too much to say that there is scarcely a kennel in England which is not indebted directly or indirectly to Belvoir blood for its best hounds. Moreover, it is curious to note that those packs which have kept most nearly to Belvoir are now among the most famous, both for the sport they show and for the good name they have with huntsmen and masters of hounds as sources from whence to improve other packs. Turning now from general remarks to particular instances, Tom Firr, the late huntsman to the Quorn, to whose judgment in breeding that pack owes so much, writes, " There is a good deal of Belvoir blood in the Quorn pack, more of the Weathergage sort than any other. This is certainly the best working sort they have, Belvoir legs and feet are worth going for." George Gillson, the Cottesmore huntsman, says " the Cottesmore hounds are chiefly by the Belvoir sires " ; and those who have seen Mr. Baird's beautiful pack at work, or who have listened to the charming melody of these hounds in the field, will agree that they do the utmost credit to their parentage. Then, to go somewhat farther afield, we should find that few packs of the present day are the superior of the Grafton, whether for work or appearance. The sport they have shown of late has been remarkably good. Their late huntsman, Frank Beers, was known to be very fond of Belvoir blood, and his excellent successor, Tom Bishopp, is of the same opinion, for he writes, " The Grafton are all Belvoir 290 THE RACE OF BELVOIR blood, and we seldom go anywhere else. Belvoir Weather- gage is our tap-root, and we look to him as sire as much as possible for tongue and drive. They are all-round honest fox- hounds, including constitution. We find them the best, and our forests find them out quickly." The famous Warwickshire hounds have not had much' Belvoir blood of late years, for Lord Willoughby de Broke has built up a pack which combines nearly all the most famous strains, and the hounds have an individuality of their own. The Belvoir, with the Fitzwilliam, Brocklesby, and Quorn, have the honour of contributing to this result, but even so it will be noted that most of the packs named have Belvoir blood in their veins. The same maybe said of the Bramham Moor, the Middleton, the Holderness, the Pytchley, and the Blankney, all of which kennels are largely indebted to the Duke of Rutland's hounds for their fame and excellence. In a very interesting letter from Harry Bonner, late huntsman to the Meynell and formerly whipper-in at Belvoir, it is said " quite one-half of the Meynell hounds have Belvoir blood in their veins " ; and further, Bonner says, " My belief is, no hound ever lived to be so great a benefit to sport as Weathergage. During a good run when I was at Belvoir, I counted eleven couples of Weathergage blood all at the front." Not less complimentary is German Shepherd, the well-known kennel huntsman to Lord Harrington, " Our hounds are nearly all Belvoir. . . . I like the Gambler sort best, and have had more wonderful hounds by the much-abused Shamrock. We have scarcely a hound in the kennel three generations from Belvoir, and don't think they ought to be farther away." If from the midlands we turn to the north, I have a letter telling me of the South Durham, whose kennel huntsman has the honoured name of Will Goodall. This letter is of par- ticular interest to us, for it will be noted that Goodall's opinion coincides with that of German Shepherd, as to Belvoir Shamrock. " You will see," writes Will Goodall, " that our kennel is full of Belvoir blood. We have a lot of the Shamrock blood, though many huntsmen dislike it, saying his stock were slack. All the Shamrocks we have 291 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT had have been good workers, full of drive and with plenty of tongue, and they can use their noses ; what we have by Glancer are all wonders in their work and ' hard drivers." The following are Belvoir sires that have been used by this kennel since 1878 — Brusher, Struggler, Fallible, Guardian, Templar, Founder, Wenlock, Denmark, Weathergage (the best of blood), Dashwood, Syntax, Procter, Glancer, Sham- rock, Dryden, Grappler, Forecast, Discount, Gordon, Harlequin, Dolphin, and Delegate. T. Smith of the Bramham Moor, in a particularly useful letter, which the reputation of his pack makes very important, tells me that while " we have not a great deal of Belvoir blood in the present pack, they trace back a good deal into Belvoir blood," a fact which some of the foregoing correspondence will make plain to us. After narrating some of their various fortunes and misfortunes with Belvoir blood, he says of the descendants of Discount, " they are all good in work, capital noses, with plenty of drive and stout." The Bramham Moor, indeed, in 1862 came back a good deal to Belvoir blood, for Mr. Lane Fox got a couple of dogs in a draft which were very much used in the kennel, viz., Lucifer, by Belvoir Fairplay — Belvoir Rapture, and Rocket, by Belvoir Rallywood. Pastime and Fuse, too, were capital in their work, and have a great many descendants in the Bramham kennel at the present time. The celebrated lines of Stormer, 1 864, and Senator (Cooper's favourite hound) were also had recourse to with good results. My friend, Mr. Scarth Dixon, than whom there is no sounder judge of horse or hound, and who has written a delightful book called In the North Countree, which is full of sporting lore, writes to me thus, " About Belvoir Weathergage, I think his blood has done wonders, and I look upon him as one of the foremost fox-hounds of all time." In the kennels of the Badsworth, where, as the huntsman Grant truly says, they do not keep any bad hounds, they have used the Belvoir blood with almost uniform success. There is no hunt which has had more attention paid for a length of time to the breeding of the hounds than Lord Middleton's, and Grant, his huntsman, gave me some in- 292 THE RACE OF BELVOIR teresting information. He says, " For years I have kept to the Weathergage strain. I do not think they have anything to beat it at Belvoir since he came on the flags. I have also used Gambler, Watchman, Forecast, Gordon, Dexter, Nomi- nal, Batchelor, also Pirate and Fencer, but like the former better. In years gone by Senator, Warrior and Comus were very celebrated. There is no kennel in England where you can get so much quality, substance, and colour combined. Gillard must have studied them well to carry it out as he did, and they reflect the highest credit on him." No less emphatic is the approval of the huntsman of the York and Ainsty, and of the Morpeth, both kennels which have earned a great and just reputation. William Dale, now huntsman at Badminton, was formerly with the Brocklesby, and is well known as a thoughtful student of hound-breeding. His letter is of peculiar value, as showing the opinion of an able man who has bred and hunted hounds. " I always maintain that there were no two packs that hit so well together as Belvoir and Brocklesby, or showed such a family likeness." He then refers to the fact that " Rallywood's descendants, however remote, always showed signs of their descent. The Weather- gage strain proved successful at Brocklesby, also Fencer. I think that Weathergage was one of the most wonderful sires that ever existed ; his offspring were always good workers, and the same of his son Gambler." Then referring to Brock- lesby Rally wood, he goes on, " I could trace his good qualities in the hounds I used years afterwards, showing clearly how hounds strain back." Returning once more to the north, Lord Zetland's hounds show a considerable infusion of Belvoir blood. An important contribution to the subject under con- sideration comes from Arthur Wilson of the Essex and Suffolk, whose previous experience in the York and Ainsty and Atherstone and Belvoir kennels gives weight to his opinion. " To give you a history of hounds I have known in the Belvoir kennels would fill up a book, and I have notes of the Belvoir hounds for the last twenty years. My favourite line is Warrior, the son of Weathergage, and every hound I bred 293 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT at York and Ainsty, and the Atherstone, can be traced back to that strain." I was naturally anxious to get an opinion from Tom Whitemore, now of the Shropshire, to whom the Oakley owe so much of their success at Peterborough and in the field. He, too, sends me a list of Belvoir sires used while he was with the Oakley hounds, showing that, like other good judges, he has a liking for the Weathergage sort. Another hunt is the Cotswold, whose huntsman, Charles Travess, an excellent judge, says that he has " used Belvoir sires for many years with the best results." Coming back to the midlands, we find the Rufford — a pack which has had a very successful period of sport, under the mastership of Mr. Lancelot Rolleston, since 1889, and before that had Mr. Harvy Bayley, a renowned sportsman, as master — have been greatly indebted to the Belvoir pack, especially since the year 1886. The following are the lines to which this kennel has gone, as given to me by F. Scorey, the kennel huntsman to the pack : — 1886— Belvoir Founder was used with success. Belvoir Fencer was used with much success. Belvoir Weathergage was used with success. 1887 — Founder, Fencer, and Weathergage were all used again with success. 1888— Founder, Fencer, and Weathergage were used again with success. 1889 — Belvoir Gordon and Pirate were used with success. 1890) 1 89 1 > — Nothing was used from Belvoir. 1892 ) 1893 — Belvoir Grasper and Graphic were used with success. 1894 — Graphic, Grasper, and Taper were all used with success freely. 189s — All used again freely. 1896— Tapster and Rusticus were used freely with success. 1897 — Graphic, Grasper, Tapster, Watchman, Resolute, and Rusticus were all used freely with much success. 1898— Rebel, Vanguard, Rustic, and Dexter all doing well for us. My friend Mr. Wrangham, of the Crome, does " not con- sider you can better them [the Belvoir] for breeding from, for 294 THE RACE OF BEL VOIR bone, hunting powers, nose, symmetry, and colour." He has at present three dog hounds which in their year won first prizes when they were judged as puppies : Melton by Sham- rock, Lucifer by Gordon, and Valiant by Valiant. Charles Brackley, the veteran huntsman of Mr. Garth's, pays a tribute to the excellence of some young hounds by Victor, which came to the Twyford kennels in a draft from Belvoir. Robert Cotesworth, now huntsman to Lord Bathurst (V.W.H.), was formerly whipper-in to F. Gillard at Belvoir, and finds that blood suits him well in the beautiful little country he hunts over. His testimony runs : " The best strains, I think, from Belvoir are in the old Weathergage Hne. We have hounds by Gambler — he is by Weathergage ; Nominal — he is by Gambler ; and some by Graphic — he is also by Gambler, — all excellent hounds. Belvoir Donovan has also been used here, but I cannot say I quite care for the sort ; he was sired by Rufiford Galliard, who everybody knows was a ' wrong un,' and the fault is bound to come out in one generation or another. We have some by Belvoir Prodigal — he was by Pirate. Those do not do so well as they might, and I must adhere to the Weathergage Gambler sort, in preference to any others. I have two couple of bitches in this year's entry by Belvoir Watchman — he is by Nominal, and they are wonder- ful smart hounds in chase ; as well as getting working qualities, one gets good looks also. Belvoir Gambler was, I should think, in his day, the best-looking hound ever bred at Belvoir. In the season '90-91 I believe he had eighty-one or ninety- one bitches from different kennels, independent of his service at home. I have some ' clinking ' bitches by Brocklesby Acrobat — he was by Belvoir Grappler, and Grappler by Fencer, out of Gratitude, Gambler's dam." John Scott, of the Albrighton, " sticks to the Gambler and Nominal sort as much as he can." T. Stratton, of the South and West Wilts, " likes Belvoir blood as a rule ; they get good workers and good constitutions." Frank Bartlett, Lord Fitzwilliam's huntsman, goes to Belvoir now, as the Fitzwilliam used to help Belvoir in bygone times. " I used both Gambler and Gameboy, brothers, by Weathergage, which there is no doubt 295 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT is a good strain of blood for stoutness, etc. I have also a capital litter of this year's entry by Vanguard — he is by Valiant sire Gameboy. I always find the Belvoir blood mix well with Fitzwilliam, as, of course, this is the same blood as they had at Melton in their palmy days." In Essex they all favour Belvoir blood, so far as I have been able to ascertain, and Cokayne, the very successful young huntsman of the Puckeridge, would like more than he has. I notice that the Gambler and Gameboy sort seem to do well in cold scenting and difficult countries like the Tick- ham and the Albrighton. Ned Farmer, of the East Essex, a plough country, has much Belvoir blood, especially from Gordon, Nominal, and Traitor. Frank Goodall, so well known as the royal huntsman, and, before that, the much-valued huntsman to Mr, Tailby, and brother of William Goodall, of the Belvoir, writes : — " When I was at Ascot, and during Lord Cork's mastership, we had the pick of the Belvoir draft, and I put nineteen couple for- ward, which I consider were the making of the Queen's pack, and I remember when I was with Lord Portsmouth, in 1854, he took it also, which did him great service." The name of Frank Goodall recalls to our minds the palmy days of Mr. Tailby's mastership of the South Quorn, when he ruled over what was without doubt the best four-days-a- week country in England. Mr. Tailby himself, to show his view of Belvoir blood, sent me his hound list from the year 1872. The celebrated pack of bitches that used almost to fly over high Leicestershire were almost entirely Belvoir. In the entries before me there are but three sires — two of Milton, and one of Mr. Muster's — not of Belvoir blood. Senator and Rallywood were the favourites with Mr. Tailby and his huntsman. Mr. Tailby's country — now Mr. Fernie's — is a good scent- ing country, nearly all grass, and when I had the pleasure of riding over it I can hardly remember seeing a ploughed field. But it was not only in such a country as this, where every- thing is in favour of hounds, that Belvoir was so effective. The York and Ainsty is a very good example of a difficult 296 GROUP OF BELVOIR HOUNDS. Fiom a Photograph by Rev. F. V. Knox THE RACE OF BELVOIR country, and, Mr. Scarth Dixon says, " can scarcely be said to carry a good scent. A great deal of it is plough, and of this the greater part is cold, stiff clay. There are also some big woodlands, especially about Pilmore, and foxes frequently run from the low country to the higher lands, and thus add considerably to a huntsman's difficulties. The best country is about Askham Bogs, whence a fox generally goes away pretty quickly. . . . It is a trying country for hounds as well as huntsmen, and very stout hounds are necessary, whilst good noses are indispensable." ^ These qualities the Belvoir were found to possess, more particularly in the blood of Weathergage, Gambler, and Gordon, the last being a great favourite, by Stainless, and combining the Belvoir Fallible ^ and Warrior blood, a line that cannot be beaten for work and hard running. The Oakley hounds, too, have some good performances to tell of Belvoir, and have several hounds by Dexter, one of the best shaped hounds of our day, and Belvoir Shamrock, Dancer, and Valiant. Jack Press, of the old Berkshire, writes, " I have a few hounds in kennel by Belvoir sires, notably a very handsome bitch called Necklace, by Belvoir Nominal, entered in 1887. Necklace entered 1895, a real good bitch in her work, good nose, and lots of tongue. I also have Friendly, Faithful, Fallacy, and Fearless, entered 1895 ; these four are the very best I ever saw in my life experience, for one litter, can hunt like beagles, and no day too long for them ; they are by Belvoir Sponsor, entered 1888 ; and I have a dog called Darter, also entered 1895, a fair dog, nothing extraordinary, by Belvoir Discount." James Moss, of Lord Portman's hunt, who has a woodland country, and, as he himself says, " needs tongue as well as nose," has proved that these are brought into the kennel by Belvoir sires. If we turn to Scotland, the Duke of Buccleuch's pack, of which the hound lists are a perfect model, is full of Belvoir * In the North Countree, Scarth Dixon, pp. 109, no. * Fallible, by Milton Furrier. 297 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT blood, and William Shore, his Grace's huntsman, has evi- dently given very careful thought to the pack. He, too, has great liking for Weathergage. The Fife follow, as their huntsman tells me, the same lines of blood as the Duke of Buccleuch, drawing the best of their sires from that kennel. Lord Longford tells me, " We have had Holderness hounds here on three occasions, all full of Belvoir blood (descendants of Gambler) " — here is the Weathergage strain again — " and they have proved of great use to us. We have one now. Assheton Biddulph, of the King's County, has always been very glad to send bitches to them. Matthews likes the blood." The carefully compiled hound list Matthews sent me does not indeed show any predominance of Belvoir blood, though it is of course impossible to get away from it. Even in Wales and Devonshire, and in Hampshire, the three districts where the Belvoir has had least influence, there are a good many indirect derivative strains, and I take this to be nearly universal. But I have given instances enough to show that the weight of opinion of the best huntsmen of our day is in favour of Belvoir, and that with Weathergage that celebrated pack culminated as it were. It matters not whether the country be grass or plough, cold-scenting, stony hills, or deep, forbid- ding woodlands, there the race of Belvoir drives along after the fox, and puzzles out his wiles like beagles, and rings his death-knell with the music of the Wonder — Susan clan. Everywhere, in the power of transmitting their stoutness, their soundness of constitution, their rare shape and swiftness, the Belvoir hounds are the greatest triumphs of breeding. We have seen how the ability of the owners and their ser- vants, the variety of the country they hunt over, and the stoutness of the foxes have combined to bring about such a result of the skill and thoughtfulness of the breeder as the Belvoir fox-hound. 298 Chapter XVII LOYAL GRANTHAM THE connection of the historic town of Grantham both with the Manners family and the Belvoir Hunt has been long and close. Grantham is an ancient town, and appears to have had particular privileges in very early times, and has a royal foundation. The greatest name in its annals is that of Sir Isaac Newton, who was born in 1642, at Woolsthorpe. His family were lords of the manor until the property passed by purchase into the hands of Edmund Turnor, of Stoke Rochford, in 1727, who erected the tablet to Sir Isaac's memory now to be seen in Colsterworth Church. The Tumors were a family of note, both in the hunting field and in the country, and Edmund Tumor's daughter, Diana, married Dr. Johnson's friend, Benet Langton, of Langton. Grantham lies on the great north road, and it was to that town that Jeannie Deans was making her weary way when she was stopped by the two foot pads ! "Jeannie resumed her solitary walk, and was somewhat alarmed when evening and twilight overtook her in the open ground which extends to the foot of Gunnerby Hill, and is intersected with patches of copse and with swampy spots." ^ The present Duke told me that he could remember when much of the country was wild and unenclosed. In 1800, Grantham had a population of some three thousand souls, and returned two members to Parliament. As a rule, one of them was of the Manners family, which shows that the influence of the Duke was considerable in the borough. The celebrated Lord Granby, and his brothers, the Suttons, were * Heart of Midlothian, p. 260. 299 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT members in succession for thirty-four years. But trouble was to come over this representation. Lord William Manners, the second son of the second Duke and of Katherine, daughter of Lord William Russell, the patriot, bought the Manor of Grantham and rebuilt the Grange. He was succeeded by his son John, and he again by his son Sir William Manners, a perverse and troublesome person who quarrelled about the borough with his kinsman, the fifth Duke. The cause of the quarrel was that Sir William considered he was entitled to at least one seat for Grantham, but had only once been able to carry his candidate against the Duke's man. Not only did this amiable relation warn off the hounds from his own lands, but he incited some of the farmers to bring actions against the Duke, and in 1810 the latter had no less than thirty-five actions for trespass brought against him at the summer assizes. This was too much, and the Duke compromised matters by allowing Sir William to return a member. So Sir William got his way, and the Grantham people got their hunting. This is a pleasure to which the residents of that town have ever been ardently devoted from very early days. One of the leading names in the latter part of the period I have called " the golden age " was Mr. Hardy, the banker, one of the hardest riders and best stayers of the day. If a run was long and severe, Mr. Hardy was sure to be one of those who got to the end. " He knew how to go and when to go." Keen and good are the other Grantham men, such as Colonel Parker, Mr. Edgar Lubbock, and the members of the family of Hornsby, who have done so much of late years for the town of Grantham and the cause of hunting. The Hornsbys have a love and knowledge of sport of all kinds, so that there is generally at least one representative of the family present when hounds are within reach. They love coaching too, and Mr. Hornsby, of Barrowby Grange, is a supporter of polo, the natural summer recreation of the hunting man. Those who live in the country houses round Grantham have always been friendly rivals of the men of the town over the stiff Lincolnshire fences. At Boothby Hall, now the resi- 300 THE REV. J. HOUSON. Late Rector of Brant Broughton. From a Sketcli at Belvoir Castle. LOYAL GRANTHAM dence of Mr. Cecil Thorold, there lived a certain squire of the old school, Mr. Litchford, who was rather a character in many ways. The following letter to Cooper is too characteristic to be missed : — "BooTHBY Hall, ''March 29, 1862. " Cooper, — " Let me beg of you not to come up to the Woods on Monday from Little Ponton. I would go down on my knees to you sooner than you should do so, for if you do, you will put me in a higher feavor than I have been in all the time of my illness. In the first place, the woods are in such a state they are not fit for a horse to go into them, they are more than leg deep, but up to the neck in many of the rides ; the heavy rains having sent all the foxes into the woods, they are all nicely settled in them, and if you come with the hounds you will drive them out again, and then they will lay their cubs up under some stack or hedge-row, and be sure to get distroyed. Why not go at once for the School plots and Heath Covers, and then if you kill a fox or two it will not matter, but a Woodland fox we cannot spare, you know well a good Boothby wood cub, in the cub-hunting season, to be worth a dozen in the Heath Covers, for young hounds. I hope and trust you will not think of coming. " I am happy to be able to inform you to-day, I am very much better than I have been all the week, I hope and trust with the assistance of God Almighty I shall soon be restored to my usual good health again, and that you may hear my old voice in my Great Wood making it ring again, next cub-hunting season. I am glad to hear you have the Humby bitch forward ; you will find her to have a first-rate nose, and a good cry in chace, which I think two good quali- fications for a fox hound to have. Hoping that Smart's dog and Batesmun bitch may get over the distemper, and that both of them will turn out well. And ever " Believe me to be a well breed old sportsman yet, "J. Litchford." 301 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT He was a great authority on hunting, and had no superior in the woods, for he could tell in a moment when a fox turned. Parson Houson in the open, and old Litchford in the woods, were not to be equalled. Three Messrs. Gordon, sons of the rector of Muston, were grand horsemen, and quite undefeated in their time. George and Frank are still alive, and the latter hunts with the Fitzwilliam. It is indeed difficult to name one of the followers of the hunt more than another, yet, of the Lincolnshire squires, some stand out by reason of their long connection with the hunt. Mr. John Earle Welby, of AlHngton, for instance, to whose labours in the history of the hunt this book is so greatly indebted, was in his day one of the foremost riders with the Belvoir pack, taking his place beside such sportsmen of the past and present as Sir John Thorold, Major Longstaffe, Mr. Christopher Tumor, and the Rev. J. Houson, of Brant Broughton. All these men were able to get to the end of the longest runs, and could be, in their best day, stopped by no fence in Lincolnshire or Leicestershire. They were not merely followers of the pack, but each and all had a real knowledge of hound lore and hunting science. Then there were Colonel Reeve, of Leadenham, quite a fox-hunter of the older school, and his friend, the Rev. T. Heathcote, rector of Lenton, the parish which afterwards had the author of Verdant Green for its incumbent. The tower of Lenton Church may often be seen in Mr. Cuthbert Bradley's clever pictures, and is, too, a prominent landmark in many a good run, while the Lenton Brook is known to all the Belvoir men, and is not without its terrors for the less daring or the less well-mounted of the field. The Earl of Brownlow is a good supporter of the hounds, and so is the Earl of Dysart, whose dislike of trees is well known, a peculiarity which is, as the Druid reminds us, hereditary. The late Lord Winchilsea, the man who did so much to form the agricultural party, owned coverts at Haver- holme, at the extreme limit of the county. Colonel Wilson, of Rauceby, is a great fox-preserver, and Sir William Earle 302 LOYAL GRANTHAM Gregory, of Denton, who died while this book was being written, was a keen hunting man till he gave up his sport to a sense of duty. On the borders of the South Notts is Mr. R. Millington Knowles, of Colston Bassett, who has owned some of the best timber jumpers in the hunt. " I thought once I had pounded him over some stiff timber," said a well-known hard- riding member of the hunt ; " but he had a wonderful horse and got over without mistake." Then, too, there are the farmers who made the fences and rode over them fearlessly in every period of the hunt's history — the Guys, Mr. W. Sills, Mr. Downing, Mr. Hind, and many others. The famous John Wing has been already referred to. Then there was Mr. Gale, of Scalford, who rode as hard as any one. Messrs. Bland, Brewster, and Hutchinson, of Foston, were a group of keen hard men to hounds, and Mr. Tom Caswell, who was entered to the sport in that famous Southwold country where I believe the farmers cannot be surpassed. It is fifteen years or more since I hunted there, but I have not forgotten the way the farmers rode, or the horses they bred and schooled. I fear bad times have overtaken them since then, but I shall always remember what kind, friendly hearts they were, what sportsmen, how hospitable, and how justly proud of their flying bitch pack, and their celebrated master and huntsman, Mr. Rawnsley. But this is a digression. Yet let it stand, for the Lincolnshire farmer is everywhere and always the same good sportsman. If we look back on the splendid record of the Belvoir farmers from the day when Shaw, eager to get to his hounds on a tired horse, changed with Mr. Sharp, of Welby, there is always something to tell. The old Belvoir records are no respecters of persons. The man who rode hard and rode well was handed down to posterity, and he only. The huntsman sometimes puts down the names of very distinguished royal or other visitors, but he never says they rode well if he had no facts to go on. There was much real respect for rank and royalty in old times, but much less flattery of the conventional newspaper paragraph kind than we have now. Again we read that in Goosey's early days 303 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT hounds ran clean away from everybody, only Mr. Drum- mond, the Duke's brother-in-law, and Mr. Stringer, a farmer, being able to live with them. Then again in the great run from Folkingham Gorse : — " He ran by Threekingham to Spanby and Swaton, turned to Thorpe Latimer for Car Dyke, up to which point Lord Forester, Lords C. and R. Manners, Mr. Houson, Sir Thomas Whichcote, and a few more were well with the hounds. The dyke was a stopper, and Mr. Willerton was the only one who crossed it — the others made for a place which was fordable — but the hounds got far ahead, to the Helpringham drain. Mr. Willerton got over this, but the hounds were out of sight. The second whip followed Mr. Willerton, and with the excep- tion of Goosey and Mr. Tindall, who got up the road, no one saw the hounds again." ^ In the Sproxton Thorns run Lord Forester found himself alone with the pack on his celebrated Julius Caesar mare. He had viewed the fox, but the mare was beat, and it was a farmer unnamed on a grey horse who got to their heads and stopped them for him. Again it was a farmer, Mr. John Woods, who was alone with the hounds and Lord Forester in a wonderful run from the good little fifty-acre covert, Freeby Wood. In 1856, coming nearer to our own time, Goodall and Mr. Burbidge, of Thorpe Arnold, were left with hounds after a hard run. The good feeling in the hunt was wonderful, and when the troubles took place round Coston Gorse, all the neighbour- hood shunned the culprit and with one accord sent him to Coventry, not because the man in question opposed or disliked fox-hunting, but because he showed his dislike in a spiteful and un-English way by putting down poison in the coverts. When Gillard took the horn he found the same race of farmers, and, indeed, many of the old school were yet living, such as Mr. Bemrose, Mr. T. Caswell, and Mr. Bur- bidge, of Thorpe Arnold, after whom the well-known covert was named by Lord Forester. Mr. Burbidge well deserved the immortality which he has received, and which is a more • Memoirs of the Belvoir Hounds^ p. 63. 304 LOYAL GRANTHAM enduring memorial than any tablet. If, instead of placing expensive brasses or statues, which scarcely ever remind us of the original, to the memory of our minor poets and second- class statesmen, we bought land in their native county, and planted a good gorse covert, how much longer would they be remembered ! Indeed, if such memorials of the literary and political celebrities of the day were scattered over the country, might they not be an indirect means of conveying culture to sportsmen ? Thus Freeman's Gorse would remind us of the great historian who so faithfully reproduced the barbarous manners of that great Nimrod, William Rufus, and Cobden's Covert of the repealer of the Corn Laws, perhaps even more certainly than the books of the historian or the parliamentary reports of the politician. Another very remarkable group of men were the clergy of the Belvoir country. In Lincolnshire the hunting parson survived long, and, indeed, still does so with the respect and approbation of his parishioners. I have already said some- thing of the good side of having a clergy who are not living secluded in a narrow world of their own, and thus entirely cut off from the interests of their parishioners, nor have I any doubt that the prejudices about clerical recreation, which were the result of a now decaying school of thought, will gradually die out. The faults of the hunting clergy did not arise from their sports, but were the failings of their class and of their age, and the general esteem and respect for the clergy thirty or forty years ago was at least as great in country districts as it is now. One of the most original figures in our gallery of clerical sportsmen was the Rev. J.' Houson, whose portrait is given above, and who was one of the best horsemen of his day. For many years his means were not large, for he began life as a minor canon of Lincoln on iS"ioo a year. Later he became Rector of Brant Broughton and Great Coates in Lincolnshire. The two livings were then worth over ^1,500 a year together. This preferment he held for upwards of fifty years. He married Miss Chaplin, of Riseholme, who brought him a fortune. Parson Houson was a remarkable man and a grand 305 X THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT horseman, and went well late in life. " From Folkingham Gorse to Aslackby Wood in forty minutes. This looked much like the fox that gave us the run last week. He took us from the big gorse at a great pace by the little gorse up to Ponton drain, which was stopped, thence over the brook up to Dunsby as if for Dunsby Wood, but turning to the right ran into Aslackby Wood. This was done in forty minutes, and as the ground was very deep all the horses were blown. If any one had the best of it, Mr, Houson had on his old grey horse, Mr. Houson being in his seventy-fourth year."^ " I have seen him," writes Major Longstaffe, " lead the Belvoir field at eighty years of age." With his perfect seat, his accurate judgment, and the lightest of hands, he could add something to his income by making hunters, for when a young horse had been through his hands it was worth a good sum. When he became Rector of Brant Broughton it was at first as what was called a " warming pan " for Mr. Banks Wright, a nephew of the patron, Sir Richard Sutton. The story goes that Sir Richard, who was a friend of Mr. Houson, arrived at Brant Broughton Rectory just about the time when the Rector's resignation was due. When he got out of the carriage he found the seven little Housons ranged solemnly in the hall with their mouths open like young sparrows in a nest. "What does this mean, Houson?" said Sir Richard. " It means," replied the Rector, " that you are going to take the bread out of those children's mouths to give it to your nephew, who is well off already." Sir Richard took the hint, and Mr. Banks Wright had another living found for him, while Mr. Houson died Rector of Brant Broughton. Mr. Banks Wright was also somewhat of a character, as the following verses tell : — * Memoirs of the Belvoir Hounds, pp. 127, 128. 306 LOYAL GRANTHAM Banks's Soliloquy.^ Fame, lasting fame, shall be my meed, With honours I have won the trick ; For twenty minutes I held the lead, And beat her Ladyship ^ on Dick. At Cream a gallant fox we found — No doubt was there about the pace ; At Rearsby, when he ran to ground, Full five miles straight had been the race. Who now can say of me in scorn, " Banks in the front can never stick " ? Who'll say I cannot beat the Quorn ; Aye, and the Belvoir fast ones lick? Or who will say 'tis all my eye? — Tho' black my eye as any sloe — For thrusting coves who "Forwards" cry Regard but little cut or blow. Mount me but on my thoroughbred, I'll show you how I earn my fame ; The black can always beat the red. And score the honours of the game. Was I not reared on classic ground? With Sutton in both shires tried? For many a year the country round With all the crack ones could I ride. What if the hounds I sometimes pressed? Let envious scarlets have their say; " My wearied limbs I faintly rest. And think I've done a feat to-day." You Buttons — Harry, Frank, and Dick — No longer at your uncle laugh ; For of the basket he's the pick. And you, you're nothing else but chaff. In vain the bullfinch rears its head. In vain the postern rails look new ; When mounted on my thoroughbred, My boys, I'll give you lots to do. ' Lays of Belvoir^ p. 14. ^ Countess of Wilton. 307 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT Dick Lloyd and Gilmour near I viewed, His Grace of Belvoir struggling nigh ; My steed I shook, his pace renewed, And left them all without a sigh. I Tredwell^ left, and Cheney neat. Lord Grey 2 on horse no longer pulling, And Charlie Leslie well nigh beat, And raking, spurting little Bullen. No longer runs will I bewail — On this alone shall rest my fame — Dirt cheap I hold the Belvoir Vale, This only is crime de la creme. My vale, my native vale, I own. No longer charms for me retains ; My thoroughbred, fastidious grown, A run from Croxton Park disdains. Only the Coplow, Cream and Crick For me — all others I resign — There let me wield my hunting stick, There let my azure breeches shine. 'Tis past ! 'tis o'er ! just like a dream ; In future days my sons shall hear How from the favourite gorse of Cream Their father did the honours bear. And whilst I tell them all about The style in which I made the play, Shall Shelton's * merry bells ring onX, " Banks was the hero of the day." He was ambitious of distinction in the hunting field, but could never stay to the end of a long run. A Belvoir burst just suited him. His riding has been described to me by one who knew him. " He rode as hard or harder than any one for twenty minutes, jumped all the biggest places he could find, ate a ginger-bread nut, and went home." Other well-mounted clergy were Mr. J. Sloane Stanley, of Branston, who married the sister of Mr. Assheton Smith, * The Quorn huntsman. " Lord Grey de Wilton. ^ Living held by Mr. Banks Wright. 308 LOYAL GRANTHAM and whose sons have since been well known in the Quorn and Belvoir countries ; Mr, Nuneham, of Colsterworth ; Mr. Young, of Wilsford, a good man to hounds ; Mr. W. Newcome, of Boothby, who was somewhat of a character ; Mr. Heathcote, of Lenton, the bearer of a name which is remembered by the covert he planted for the hunt, and whose love of sport and hospitality are not forgotten in the neighbourhood; Mr. Crofts, of Claythorpe Paine ; and Mr. T. Bullen, whose deeds in his old age are recounted by Brooksby's pleasant pen. " Quite the leader, and one of the most appreciative mem- bers of the little party who watched the day's proceedings, was the Rev. T. Bullen, of Eastwell, now entering on his eightieth season with hounds — his first serious fall having taken place in his second season with his father's pack in Nor- folk only seventy-nine years ago, when he dislocated his knee. Within the last very few winters he has ridden really hard across country ; even now his face of keen enjoyment as hounds drive their fox through covert is a refreshing and admirable sight. He was present at Salamanca, and he went through the retreat from Burgos. See what fox-hunting can do towards prolonging health and life," ^ The Rector of Waltham still keeps up the credit of the cloth when hounds run hard in the Belvoir Vale, " the best country in the world to ride over," as he himself has said. Mr. Seabrooke belongs to the present, but if we turn back to the past there were other names among the clergy whose memory lives in the record of the hunt, such as Parsons Sharp, Disbrow, and Younger, all well-known figures in their day. Grantham has had many distinguished visitors in the past — Lord Gardner, Mr. George Drummond and his friend Major Longstaffe (now of Little Ponton Hall, and a member of the hunt committee), M. Roy, and besides these a share of the patronage of those spring visitors whose descent on Melton and Grantham has been told with characteristic humour in the Lays of Belvoir'^ by Mr. George Stanley. ' The Best Season on Record^ Captain Pennell Elmhirst, p. 17. 2 p. 19. 309 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT But amongst the most remarkable of Grantham visitors was the "Admiral," a certain Captain Micklethwaite. He lodged over the saddler's, and is said to have remained a bachelor in order to have leisure to hunt. He was a bold rider and well-known shiverer of timber in the hunt, as the following lay can tell in words more vivid than mine : — The Admiral.^ Bold tar ! who for so many winters Has knocked our five-bar gates to splinters : We this memorial beg to send, In hopes you will our fences mend. We love to see you stick to hounds, For your ambition knows no bounds ; And be our fences oak or ash, Your horses drive them all to smash. You ride, begirt with scarlet spencer, On many a high-bred, splendid fencer. But if you'll hold them more in hand, They'll higher jump at your command. Full well we know the craven crowd Are in your praises ever loud. For when the hog-backed stile appears, You forwards rush, devoid of fears ; The stile collapses in a heap. And through the wreck the funkers creep. Yet, Admiral, by the covert side We all delight with you to ride, Who with your tales the way beguile And warm the ladies with your smile ; Not black your looks, if blank the wood. Or if the scent be far from good. If Dutiful pursue the hares. Nor what she hunts o'er fallows cares : If huntsmen make their casts up wind. And leave their fox far, far behind : You gallop on, in happy mood. With feelings of content imbued. With each, with all you have your chatter. As down the lanes the riders clatter. ' From an unpublished poem lent by Mr. J. E. Welby. 310 LOYAL GRANTHAM 'Tis only when at fences crost By feeble swells you're tempest-tost ; Then, then the spark bursts into fire, And quails the muff beneath your ire. Ah ! happy tar ! how much we feel To want your well-strung nerves of steel ; Who on your frugal toast and tea Rise healthy as a man should be. What nerves had you ! when Uncle Rous Alike displayed his pluck and " Nous " By bringing home (it makes one shudder) The shattered Pique without a rudder. A middy, you cared not a button. And cracked your jokes with Dicky Sutton ; You took the Atlantic in your stride, And high on foaming waves did ride. How glad we are you've settled down At saddler's shop in Grantham town. Long may we hope upon our grounds To see you with the Belvoir hounds. Ride o'er our wheat, and never stop But only try our rails to top ; And when the hunting season's ended, And all our gates and fences mended, Farewell ! with hopes for many a year Amongst us all you'll reappear. Indeed, Grantham has always been a favourite resort for those who desire to hunt with the Duke of Rutland's hounds. The hotels consider the wants of the hunting man. The G.N.R. will convey him swiftly to London, or place their trains at his service to act as covert hacks. The distances home at night are not as long as at Rugby, the expenses are less than Melton, and the climate milder than Market Har- borough. That the town may long prosper, as it deserves, and that its men may be the same gallant race as ever, must be the wish of every sportsman. 3" Chapter XVIII THE OLD ORDER CHANGES 1870-1888 THE year 1870 may be taken as marking a distinct change in the fortunes of hunting. The sport was making long strides towards the great and dangerous popu- larity which it enjoys to-day. The immense diffusion of wealth, the decrease of the Puritan prejudice against sport, tended to set the middle classes free from the limits which public opinion had imposed on them. Any one could hunt now without opprobrium from his fellows, whether on 'Change or at a chapel meeting. Four novelists depicted hunting for us in its three stages. Surtees gave us the coarser and lower types, which, out- side circles like those of Melton and Belvoir, were found in hunting society ; and Mr. Lister, in Granby^ voiced the early Victorian view of the fox-hunter by the non-sporting public, which, as the book is little known, I quote : — " * Egad ! Courtenay,' said Charlecote, ' you did the thing in proper style — and a devilish ugly place it was. 'Gad ! you gathered him up, and crammed him at it ! There was no denial — go he must. You remember old Toby's rules for leaping. " Keep his head straight, and go over," says Toby. You know old Toby — Tennyson's Toby ? as good a hunts- man as ever crossed a horse. But why did not you follow us ? We had a real good day, I promise you. You saw what a pretty burst we had. Well, sir, Pug went straight away for Westwood Gorse, and a steady, hard run we had of it — not a single check, and a burning scent, and all of us fresh as four-year-olds. It was as good a part of the day as 312 THE I.OKl) Kli\V\KI) MANNERS, M. P. Late Field Master of the Belvoir Iliiiit. THE OLD ORDER CHANGES any. But when we got to the gorse we lost him, and we lost time too, which was quite as bad — drawing, and drawing, and all to no purpose. So then we went to Campley Wood, and before the hounds were half through it, 'gad ! sir, out there came a big old fox. So we laid them on, and away, like fun, by Claverton Grange, and over the hill above Baddesley Pool, and down again by Nether Twycross, and then we came to a sort of check — and once we thought we had fairly lost him ; but old Cutty made a cast — a devilish good one — and again we were on him, and away across the grass fields by Craw- ford. 'Gad ! you should have seen us then ! We all streamed down in rank — no choosing or gap-hunting, every man took his fence as it lay before him, and away we went, like devils, over the new enclosures on Penderton Edge. 'Gad ! sir, didn't we go the pace ! The pace kills — nothing like going it. Ah ! you should have been with us then. But we had not much of that, for then he took us across the low grounds by Muddyford and Sludgeley Bottom — stiff, heavy country — infernal bad going — up to the shoulders pretty nearly — most of the horses were dead beat before they came out of it. Well, then we got up on Dartington higher level, and the Badsworth country — ugly work so late in the day — but no matter, nothing stopped us. Didn't we charge them ! ox fences, double fences, and all, my boy. You should only have seen us — that's all ! Well, sir, here we gained upon Pug, and within half a mile of Dingley Coppice we viewed him, sir, we viewed him — beat, quite beat. I knew he was — I said he was. " Fifty to one," says I, " he does not reach the wood." No more he did. On we went, and in two minutes more ran into him, in the middle of a grass field. Wh-hoop ! glorious, by Jove ! Have not seen a better thing this twelve- month. There was nobody in but I, Jack Hammer, old Cutty, Floxton, Dick Derby, and Cutty's Ned. You should only have seen the fellows behind, scattered, by two or three in a field, over the country for the last two miles. Oh, it was a regular hard run. That second fox was such a tough one ! Look here, I've brought away one of his holders^ and so saying, he pulled a tooth out of his waistcoat pocket. * An old stager, wasn't 313 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT he ? By the bye, I'll tell you a good thing of old Cutty. George Johnson (he had been riding at me — going it, like smoke) — well, he got a regular fall, horse and all, down to- gether neck and crop, in a deep, dry ditch. Johnson was for scrambling out. Old Cutty was just behind. " Lie still, you fool," says Cutty. " D you, lie still, till I get over." So Johnson lay down in the ditch, frightened out of his life, and old Cutty leaped clean over him. O Lord ! you should have been with us.' " ^ Then came the golden age, of which Whyte Melville was the painter and laureate ; while, if the reader will turn to the various hunting scenes which are scattered through Anthony Trollope's novels, he will find admirable sketches of the hunt- ing field as it was in the fifties and sixties. Perhaps Anthony Trollope will be the novelist whom future historians will consult on the manners and customs of the Victorian era, and, like Miss Austen, his novels will see a revival with the help of some Macaulay of the twentieth century. When the Duke of Rutland was looking out for a hunts- man there were many points he had to consider in making his choice. The crowd following the more fashionable packs was already becoming overwhelming, nor were the followers as open to reproof and restraint as of old. The Belvoir were just then at the height of fashion. Mr. Coupland, of the Quorn, had not yet had time to show what a good master he was, and Mr. Musters had taken some of the fame and fashion of the hunt with him on his departure. A quick huntsman was needed for the Belvoir, and since the Duke's health was even then uncertain, and it was not probable he could always be in command, a courteous one was wanted. Above all, it was important to choose a man who was thoroughly imbued with the traditions of the Belvoir kennel, and who could be trusted to keep up the standard of the pack. The Duke's choice fell on Frank Gillard, who had come under his observation as whipper-in in i860, and who had afterwards left Belvoir to go to Mr. Musters, and from whose service he had been chosen as huntsman to the Quorn. By the courtesy of Mr. ' Granby, by Lister, vol. iii., p. 174 et seq. ; pub. 1831. THE OLD ORDER CHANGES Coupland, Gillard was allowed to go to the Duke — a fortu- nate circumstance for the Belvoir, as the history of the next twenty-six years was to show. No huntsman ever filled so difficult a post as Gillard, or was more successful in doing so. The Duke was often absent from the field, and no deputy master was available as in the days of Lord Forester, who was now unable to hunt much, if at all, and was indeed nearing the end of his happy and useful life. Thus Gillard was often huntsman and master too. The Duke took great pleasure and interest in the hunt, and did not wish to have any one between himself and his servants. The feeling was natural, but it was a severe trial for any man, and though Gillard came out of it with great credit, yet there is no doubt that he often felt the want of some authority to back him up in the field. After the failure of the sixth Duke's health, it was not till Lord Edward Manners became the deputy of his father, the present Duke, that the Belvoir had a master regu- larly in the field. Gillard is still living in honourable retire- ment after his long services to the Belvoir and to fox-hunting. He has given his reminiscences to the world in an attractive form with Mr. Cuthbert Bradley's help, so that there is no need to tell again the story told so well by the man who knew it best. Yet, Gillard's reminiscences are rather material for history than history itself, and we may thus sketch the succession of events and study the growth of the pack without fearing to step on well-trodden ground. The first thing that de- manded the attention of the new huntsman was the condition of the pack. James Cooper had shown wonderful sport, and he had, as one of the letters of the Duke has shown, pleased the master in the breeding of the hounds. They were indeed a most beautiful pack, and contained in themselves the possi- bility of still greater improvement. Cooper was one of the finest horsemen and the most daring riders that ever crossed Lincolnshire and Leicestershire. He was always with his hounds, but like many very hard riders he did not value the musical qualities of the pack so highly as their speed. Senator, a hound of rare courage but of a somewhat im- 315 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT patient temper, was Cooper's favourite, and the kennel was full of his blood, and having been used with great freedom the pack showed his two failings. They were rather inclined to be wild, a fault common to all high-bred dogs, and they were somewhat wanting in tongue, a failing which recurred at Belvoir from time to time. Yarborough Rallywood, however, in Goodall's time had corrected that tendency, and it was through him that the beautiful bell-like tongues were restored. The reader may perhaps remember that there were two remarkable sons of Brocklesby Rallywood — Willing, Clinker and Chaser, of which something has already been said. Chaser had in due course a son. Chanticleer, and the latter gave the kennel Wonder. It may be doubted if, of the benefits of the great Rallywood to the pack, any were greater than his being the forbear of Wonder. When others were silent, or giving vent only to a smothered whimper, Gillard would hear Wonder's deep, rich, bell-like note ring up out of the depths of the coverts true and clear. The other hounds flew to it as hounds will when a truthful one speaks, and the Wonder-Susan family became the leading line of the Belvoir kennel, for did not the alliance produce Weathergage, the best fox-hound that ever was bred ? Not the handsomest, for he was so plain that Gillard for some time was unwilling to breed from him. He was from the first day of entering so good in his work that he was regarded with suspicion, as such excellence was considered too good to last. Precocious hounds, like precocious children, often develop vices in a most disappointing way. But Weathergage never was any- thing but perfection, and his descendants, now to be found in half the kennels of England, are as good as can be. Hard- working, hard-running, clear of voice and keen of nose, they are the huntsman's friends wherever they are, and they often have the beauty their great ancestor lacked. Alas ! no picture of him remains, only in the smoking-room at Belvoir a stuffed head is to be seen ; but, as all dog-lovers know, a dog cannot so be preserved, for that wonderful, wise, affectionate, wilful canine spirit which gives such a marvellous expression to the rather rigid outlines of his face fades into vacancy when life 316 THE OLD ORDER CHANGES is passed, therefore I have attempted no reproduction of Weathergage here. What could be done in this way has been accomplished in Mr. Bradley's and Gillard's book, to which reference has been made above. Frank Gillard will always be remembered by his success as a hound-breeder. He thoroughly understood the principles of the science, and left behind him a reputation for judicious selection and combination of hereditary qualities. He had so studied his hounds that if he wanted a particular quality he knew where to go for it. Thus the Guardian-Needless family were celebrated through Newsman for their power of carry- ing a line down a road ; the Weathergage line for hard work, drive, stoutness, and beautiful tongue, of which family Gambler (1884) was, and Dexter is, the most famous representative. The late Duke took a keen interest in all that pertained to his hounds, and had a room at the kennel where, seated on a chair, with a rail round him to keep the hounds from him, when he was crippled with the gout, he could look at the entry and feel with pride that no other kennel could show such make and shape, such necks and shoulders, such legs and feet, or such rare quality and grand bone. Gillard, too, was an excellent huntsman in the field. In his time was started the hound van, with the pickaxe team, in which the pack were taken to their more distant fixtures. The institu- tion of the van enabled the pack to be reduced to sixty-two couples for the five days a week they now hunted, and the Ropsley kennels were given up. In the first year (i 870-1) of Gillard's time the Prince of Wales was the guest of Sir Frederick Johnstone at Melton Mowbray, and saw a capital run with the Belvoir from Hose Gorse. The present Duke, then Lord John Manners, just then out of office, found time to come down and enjoy some hunting, being often mounted by Mr. Ferrand — a cheery old gentleman, who was wont to cheer on the hounds from a position far in the rear, and whose horses must have been astonished when the future Postmaster-General sent them along like the limited mail. Lord John Manners always loved hunting, and gave as much time to it as he could spare 317 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT from politics, though he did not care for the horses his brother, the late Duke, liked best. The latter loved a horse to " catch hold," and delighted in animals which many men would reject as being too determined pullers. The best mounted man of the period was Sir Thomas Which- cote of Aswarby, so often mentioned before, whose big, long-tailed blood horses were kept in such admirable con- dition by Tom Wincup, his stud groom. Then there were Mr. George Drummond and Major Longstaffe, who kept their horses at Grantham. Mr. Drummond would go hard, though he loved shooting too. There is a legend that he once shot a fox by mistake for a hare, and the mistake, real or supposed, was for long a joke at the Castle. Sir F. Grant, at that time President of the Academy, still loved hunting, and having married Miss Norman, a cousin of the Duke's, was a visitor at the Castle. He still rode hard at times among the heavy-weights of the hunt. How much time and how many events had passed since he was the gay young stripling who spent his little patrimony right royally among the Melton bloods of his day ! The Prince of Wales always enjoyed his visits to Belvoir, and has probably not forgotten the gallop in which he jumped over a prostrate farmer, nor has the characteristic kindly courtesy with which he pulled up and returned to apologise been forgotten either. This visit of the Prince is remembered too in the Quorn, for he sowed the first seeds of that covert at Baggrave which has done so well for the hunt. In 1874 death was busy among the older members of the hunt. Lord George Manners, the Duke's brother, well known on the turf and one of the best dressed men in town and a smart soldier, passed away. He hunted too sometimes, but loved the racecourse better than the hunting field. But from the point of view of this book the death of Lord Forester in that year was the most important event. No one had hunted more or ridden harder. No master did so much for the hounds as he did, for no fault or irregularity was permitted to mar the symmetry of the pack in his time. 318 THE OLD ORDER CHANGES His twenty-eight years' mastership, the golden age of the Belvoir and of fox-hunting, is somewhat lightly described in Gillard's Renimiscences. Lord Forester is said to have been a " warming pan " between the masterships of the two Dukes. This is hardly accurate. From letters before me I can say that the fifth Duke was unwilling to keep on the mastership in 1828, and that Lord Granby never even thought of taking it at that time. Lord Forester took the pack, as we have seen, with a subscription from Grantham and a contribution from the Duke, and spent some ;^2,500 per annum on the hounds. Lord Forester was born in 1801, and, of the brilliant band of Christ Church men who used to hunt with Sir Thomas Mostyn, Lords Clanricarde and Chesterfield and Mr. Biddulph of Churk, he was during the latter part of his life the sole survivor. No finer horseman ever crossed a horse, no better master ever ruled a pack of hounds. His name is still remembered in the Belvoir country with respect and affec- tion. Royal visitors were never uncommon at Belvoir, and the Empress of Austria came out several times in the course of the season. In 1874 Will Goodall, the younger, left to carry the horn with the Pytchley, an event which was full of good results both for the kennel and the sport of that favoured country. This season was remarkable both for its being the year of Weathergage's entry and for the number of first-rate fathers of the pack in the kennels. In 1877, on April 10, the Duke received a presentation from the members of the hunt. There were two hundred and fifty subscribers, and a sum of ;^2,500 was collected. The testimonial, says the Grantham Journal of that date, took the form of splendid candelabra, beautiful alike in design and workmanship and presenting a most magnifi- cent appearance. The centrepiece stood over five feet high, the top forming a beautiful cluster of twenty-one lights, supporting in the centre an exquisitely modelled figure of Diana. On the presentation plate was the following inscrip- tion : " Presented to Charles Cecil John, sixth Duke of Rut- land, by the gentlemen and farmers of the Belvoir Hunt, as a 319 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT token of their esteemand respect, also of their grateful appre- ciation of the sport which during twenty years his liberality has provided them. 1877." The presentation was made in the fine old guard-room of the Castle by Sir William Welby Gregory, Bart., and the brilliant scene will never be forgotten by those present. The late Duke, in his reply, struck the right key when he enthusiastically declared that " I hope that so long as this Castle remains the Belvoir hounds may wake the echoes of its woods and of its vales." He then alluded to what was owing to the preservers of foxes, the owners of coverts, and the tenant farmers who allowed their land to be ridden over. His happiest remarks were, however, when he spoke of the pleasures of the chase. " I should like to give expression," he said, " to my conviction that hunting is the noblest, is the finest, is the most unselfish sport I know. Long may it flourish ! All are welcome. All classes meet together — the peer, the landowner, the yeoman and the pea- sant. You see them all enjoy it. All shake hands — they are all as one body. We rejoice in a good run, we regret over a bad scent. We clear the fence together, we fall into the brook and we laugh together. I hope that hunting will long con- tinue to flourish." And then the loud cheers which arose as his Grace spiritedly recited the lines of the old hunting song, " There is only one cure for all maladies," etc., may be better imagined than described. Belvoir's lordly towers were well- nigh shaken by the sound, and no happier moment was there in the sixth Duke of Rutland's life than when he stood surrounded by his many intimate friends and friendly tenants. From time to time in all hunts questions arise on the sub- ject of boundaries, and we have seen that a difficulty arose with the Ouorn during Lord Stamford's mastership about Holwell Mouth, which was happily settled by the personal intervention of the Duke. In 1878 some slight difficulty arose with the Blankney Hunt about Bloxholm Gorse. General Reeve had apparently asked Gillard to find out the exact position of the two hunts with regard to this neutral covert. Frank Gillard wrote as follows : — 320 THE OLD ORDER CHANGES " I find that a copy of a letter from the late Lord Forester to his Grace the Duke of Rutland, writing upon neutral rights, explains that Bloxholm belongs to the Belvoir Hunt and that he — the late Lord Forester — gave the late Sir Richard Sutton leave to draw it upon the understanding that it was to be given up to the Belvoir when required, who should alone have the right to draw it. The same letter also mentions that Ashby Thorns and the covert made by the old Mr. Chaplin beyond Byard's Leap were neutral between the Burton and the Belvoir." In 1 88 1 some leading members of the hunt on the Lincolnshire side called a meeting for February 24th, at the Town Hall, Grantham. This step was taken in consequence of the following communication from the Duke of Rutland to Colonel Reeve. " I have written," the Duke says, "to Lord Brownlow, telling him that after this year I must reduce my hunting days to three instead of five, and that this will oblige me to give up a great portion of the Lincolnshire country. Increasing age, infirmity and the present agricultural depression force me to do this, but you will understand what pain and sorrow it gives me to break what has been through so many years the source of so much pleasure and enjoyment. It is indeed very painful to me, but I shall always remember the kindness I have re- ceived from you and so many kind friends and supporters." Mr. John Welby, Sir John Thorold, Mr. Broke Turnor, Sir Thomas Whichcote, Captain Thorold, the Rev. W. Newcome, and last, but not least, that ever good friend and liberal supporter of the hunt, Lord Brownlow, determined to avert this misfortune. The Lincolnshire men were averse from a division of the hunt then, as they were in 1896. Eventually the following proposals were made by the Duke and accepted by the meeting. 1. The Duke would be pleased to hunt the country two days a week on the Lincolnshire side if the county gentlemen guarantee £i,SOO a year. 2. As the Duke would hunt Leicestershire without a sub- scription, he cannot bind himself to hunt five days a week. 321 Y THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT 3. The Duke wishes no subscription from Leicestershire. These proposals form the basis of an arrangement which has subsisted to the present time. By this time Gillard's reputation had been fully established for some years, both by his kennel triumphs and good runs. "The most favoured sires among the stud hounds in 1876-77 were Whynot (1870), in his eighth season, a wonderfully good son of Senator (1862), and Woeful, by Wonder — Susan. His shoulders were perfection and his wise grey face full of intelli- gence. The seven-year-old Royal, son of the younger Rally- wood; the light-faced Admiral and Albion, in their fifth season; the four-year-old Barrister, and the two-year-old Rockwood, were all good ones, who left the mark of high lineage on many a subsequent entry. Saffron, in his seventh season, was the most favoured of the Senator race, though the six-year-old Firebrand, by the same sire, from Frolic, and his brother Brusher, were in great favour. ... Of all the sires, however, none were so generally admired as Fallible (1873), a three- year-old son of Melton Furrier and Prophetess. His bright black-and-tan coat, supple, muscular limbs, clean shoulders, deep, full chest and ribs, and shapely head, show true fox- hound style in every line. His reputation would have been lasting if it had ended with his son Stainless (1881), a hound said to be incomparable by Mr. Chaworth Musters." ^ " Belvoir bursts " became proverbial. This means, of course, that the huntsman had won his hounds' hearts, so that they came to him quickly. I quote here from a letter of a well-known Meltonian. " On many occasions in Gillard's time I have noticed the ' Belvoir burst' Hounds, leaving the covert, bustle up their fox in fifteen to twenty minutes, racing as if for their lives. It wasn't once, but on many occasions. I have never seen other hounds do it so persistently. I think in old times the Belvoir were noted for the hardest riding ' first whips ' in any country. One of the finest horsemen in that capacity I thought was Will Wells. I am sure we owe debts of gratitude to the house of Belvoir, and no one would be more pleased ^ Hunting Retnmiscences, by Frank Gillard, pp. 89, 90. ?a2 THE OLD ORDER CHANGES than myself to see the pack back in their hands. This is my twentieth season here ; of course, there is much change, but the goodness of the farmers, under very trying circumstances, is the same." Of these whippers-in there were of special note, Wells, above-mentioned, now a huntsman of seventeen years* stand- ing, carrying the horn well ; George Gillson, one of the best and soundest huntsmen now at work, and whose wonderful pack of musical bitches at Barleythorpe show that he did not study in vain in the school of Gillard, and learned, as his hound lists show, to value Belvoir blood ; and George Cottrell, the galloping whipper-in, of whom Gillard tells a good story : — " On a particular occasion, when a locked gate with an up- hill take-off and bad landing confronted the field, some one said, ' Now, George, give us a lead, and we'll give you a sovereign if you smash it' Cottrell, riding a mare bought from Mr. Philip Hornsby, humped his back, rammed the mare at it, getting well over without breaking the top bar, but he at once pulled up, and drew the sovereign." ^ For some years the hunt went on in the even tenor of its way — the Duke still able to go out from time to time, and always keen about the pack and looking after its in- terests, and, with the help of Mr. Frederick Sloane Stanley, carrying on a great deal of correspondence. When the Duke was out, nothing escaped his eye, and if the old enemy, the gout, detained him at the Castle, or sent him abroad, he ex- pected from his huntsman an account of each day's proceed- ings. To one who knew the country and the pack so well such narratives were full of interest, but it is difficult to convey the dash and fire of a run to paper. In 1883, when Gillard was driving the van home, one of the horses shied, the wheel going up a bank, and the whole staff, with Champion, the well-known Goodwood huntsman, were rolled over, Gillard being the only one injured. This was bad luck, coming, too, at the close of the cub-hunting season, and Arthur Wilson had to hunt the hounds, with ^ Hunting Reminiscences, by Frank Gillard, p. 121. 323 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT Harry Bonner to whip in to him. It was in this season that wire began to show itself in the country, and Wilson got a bad fall over it, without, however, any serious result. In 1884 among the entries appears the famous name of Gambler, the best of the sons of Weathergage. His portrait has been given many times, and appears once more in this book. When I saw him, he was showing signs of age, but was a splendid hound of magnificent proportions, giving an idea of strength and substance, united with the finest quality. His head had an appearance of great intelligence, with a resolute, determined look. His measurements are remarkable, and as being a standard for fox-hound breeders I quote them from Gillard's book. " Standing twenty-three inches at the shoulder, from the extreme point of his shapely shoulders to the outer turn of his well-turned quarters, he measured twenty-seven inches and a half in length, whilst from elbow to ground his height was only twelve inches. Possessing great depth of rib and room round the heart, he girthed thirty-one inches, and his arm below was eight and a quarter inches round. Below the knee he measured five and a quarter inches of solid bone, while round the thigh he spanned full nine and a quarter inches. The extended neck was ten inches from cranium to shoulder, and the head ten inches and a half long. His colour was of the richest, displaying all the beautiful ' Belvoir tan.' " ^ After he had been pensioned off and allowed his liberty, the old hound would go out with the pack, and the Rev. F. V. Knox has told me that he has often seen the gallant old fellow going home when he had lost the pack in the Belvoir woods, after age had deprived him of his speed, and deafness of the means of reaching his fellows. The fine old hound, then in his sixteenth year, had hunted for fourteen seasons, a remarkable evidence of the extraordinary stoutness of his constitution. His brother, Gameboy, was nearly as good, and, when both were in their third season, might be seen working side by side. " The two brothers were like twins in their work ; where one was, the other was sure to be." ^ Hunting Reminiscences, by Frank Gillard, p. 181. 324 GAMDLEK. From the Picture by Basil Nightingale at Eelvoir Castle. THE OLD ORDER CHANGES But changes were already in the air ; the Duke's health be- came worse, and many of the old members of the hunt had passed away. The stout old race of squires, parsons, and farmers of the Belvoir Vale and the Grantham side were being thinned out by death and age. But Gillard himself held gallantly on his course, still bringing into the field a match- less pack in perfect condition, and handling the hounds with a skill to which each year's experience added something. No one is entirely perfect, and Frank Gillard, though so good in the kennel and the field, was somewhat impatient at times with his men, which may account for the stream of whippers- in through the kennel, the changes being even more rapid and continuous than can be accounted for by the desire of other huntsmen and masters of hounds to obtain men trained in Belvoir ways. Nevertheless, if Gillard was severe, he turned out some good huntsmen, such as Arthur Wilson, Harry Bonner, William Wells, who was, as one who hunted with him writes, " the best whipper-in that ever came to Belvoir." His career is described in a letter which he kindly wrote to me. I give the facts almost in his own words. It will be noted that his training was well calculated to make him the horseman he became. " I made my start in life with Lord Portsmouth at Eggesford, in 1863 ; then I spent ten years in racing stables, the last two with John Porter at King's Clere, where I rode that grand horse Blue Gown in all his work for the Derby of 1868. After the great race was over, I started in the kennels at Melton, under George Carter, as covert lad and jack of all trades. Then I had my first whipper-in's place at Brocklesby, thence to the V.W.H., and the Heythrop (this was Mr. Albert Brassey's first season), and after being first whipper-in to the Quorn, I spent three years at Belvoir." Then Wells goes on to recall his first experiences with Grey Bob, the horse which carried Gillard so well, and of which Wells writes : " This horse had got the better of the men who had ridden him ; he would only go to Croxton Park and back. We were just going to exercise with the hounds when I said to Gillard, ' Master, I should like to get on that grey horse, 325 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT for he is being spoilt' ' So you shall, Will,' he replied, ' if the groom will let you.' So I did. It was then half-past nine in the morning, and I sat on his back until half-past four that afternoon. When I took him home, the stud-groom said, ' Well, now, you shall have him at the kennel,' and so I did. He would get you under trees, into ditches, or throw himself down, but I soon got him out of that, and rode him that season, and nothing was too big for him." Gillard used to say that if Wells had not taken him in hand, he must have been sold for a song as an incurable. In the second season Gillard took to the horse and liked him so well that Will Wells did not get him again. Among other reminiscences Wells recalls the day when he and his famous mare Mrs. Cox used to go so hard over the Quorn country, and the field used to look to Wells, as the generation before them had done to Dick Chris- tian, to make a way through the Ashby Pasture " stitchers." Wells is a great admirer of the Lincolnshire farmer, for he says, " To see some horsemanship, go into Lincolnshire and see the farmers ride." Thus he writes of the great Belvoir huntsman : " Frank Gillard was a very hard man to live with, but one of the very best, good-hearted and kind, but strict. It was a very hard place in my time, five days a week, and such a lot of work in kennels. I have been cleaning my things at two o'clock in the morning so as to be able to see to the hounds next morning before we started to the meet, and often had buns and ginger-beer going through Grantham in the van, because we had had no breakfast. The late Duke of Rutland was the kindest master I ever had. On one occa- sion some one wrote to the Duke and told him that I rode too hard. He wrote to Gillard and told him to tell me to be careful." He was more careful of his men than he was of him- self " Those who have read Mr. Bradley's book will recollect the great run from Sleaford Wood when Colonel Fane ^ took a fall on his wedding day. I was less fortunate, and broke my leg at the same brook, and was laid up for nine weeks — a great hardship to see hounds going out and me at home." ' Colonel Fane and .William Wells both fell at the same place, but during different runs ; the former took place in Cooper's time from Fulbeck. 326 THE OLD ORDER CHANGES But, though Wells was a hard rider, he was, like his fellow- whipper-in, Arthur Wilson, a keen hound man, and has occu- pied the post of huntsman for seventeen years, part under Mr. Gosling, the brother of that hard-riding Colonel who was famous for the length of his hatter's bill, and the rest in the Hertfordshire country. Wells's memory recalls most of the famous hounds of his day. " Fallible [the italics are his], Rockwood, Struggler (good dog, but small), Weathergage, Guardian, Brusker{i^y^) — a nice dog, and used very much, but there never was a bigger skirter, till one day Gillard, myself, and Cottrell were out cub-hunting, and we caught him near a gate and gave him a lesson. After that when I said to him ' Brusher,' he would fly among the pack and remain there. Weathergage was the best fox-hound I ever saw. Founder was a dog I was fond of, he had such bone. (Founder was by Fallible — Glory, Fallible (1874) by Milton Furrier.) Fencer was a nice dog, and found favour with Mr. Harvey Bayly, and did much good to the Rufiford pack. Our Wellington, at Puckeridge, was a son of Wrestler, a dog I liked. Mr. Burbidge, of Thorpe Arnold, walked him. It was at first intended to draft him, as he was rather flat- sided, but I said that when I became a huntsman I would use him. Many masters and huntsmen liked him, and my master, Mr. Gosling, said he was the best hound in the Belvoir kennels. That good judge, the late Lord Portsmouth, got him at last. I like the Weathergage sort better than any other." Weathergage was a plain dog, and he was nearly sharing the fate of his famous ancestor, Furrier, which went in a draft to Mr. Osbaldeston. He was offered for ;!^io to Mr. Albert Brassey, who did not like him. Wells goes on : " The gentlemen of Leicestershire were always trying to get a pull at me. One day I got into one of those little summer garden houses just under the new station at Melton, and could not find a way out Mr. W. Chaplin stood in the newly- made street ; I heard him say to Miss Chaplin, ' Never saw Will done before, but he is clean done this time.' I took hold of my black horse fast by the head, sent him at the rails from the high bank, and landed over the footpath into the middle 327 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT of the street. Hundreds came on Sunday to look at the place. Our groom said I was mad. I had five horses for five days at Belvoir, two a day, and only had one sound one, and that was Grey Bob. I used to tell the stud-groom I would bring them home sound." One day, from Colonel Reeve's gorse at Leadenham, Wells was going down to the bottom to view the fox away. Mr. Clark, the great sheep feeder, was there with a friend. He said, " Will, if we find a fox, how are you going to get over that fence [a very big ditch, with a post and rails] from me ? " " Wait and see," said Will. At that moment a fox broke. " Now, let us see," said Mr. Clark, and Will, giving his horse a ten-yards' run, flew the fence. " Come on," said the whipper-in, " and see me jump the next fence." Whether the invitation was accepted history does not say. But Wells, who was an enthusiastic admirer of good riding, bears testimony to the exploits of others. " Mr. Clark," he says, " was a grand man to hounds, one of the very best. Then the Messrs. Rudkin and the Hayes were splendid men over a country, and good farmers as well, and great friends to foxes. So, too, the Heathcote family : Miss Lucy (now Mrs. C. Bradley) and Miss Gertrude and Mr. Tom were all hard to beat. A very fine horseman was Mr. James Hutchinson, of Munthorpe, Grantham. He would say to me, at a big fence, ' Come on. Will.' He was a good man on a young horse, and often rode colts and fillies three and four year-olds. I rode all sorts of horses the seven years I was in the shires, and had less falls than in any other country. The Puckeridge and Hertfordshire countries were much more difficult to get over without falls." Will Wells has now been for six years huntsman to the Hertfordshire. We may take the year 1886 as perhaps that in which the pack reached the highest point of perfection, which will no doubt be sustained in the future, but can never be surpassed. It was about this time that an admirable series of articles were published in the Field, called " The Kennels of England," written by Mr. G. S. Lowe. All students of hound-breeding will find much useful information in them. Of the Belvoir bitches he writes : — 328 THE OLD ORDER CHANGES " They can truly be called magnificent bitches. It is scarcely credible how these bitches, and also the Belvoir dog hounds, measure for bone, as they average a full seven and three-quarter inches thickness of the forelegs below the elbow, and this is more than usually seen in a grey-hound standing twenty-six inches at the shoulder, and still more marvellously is the bone sustained to the ankles, as I tried several to be six inches below the knees." ^ And I may say that, when in this year Ben Capell showed me the lady pack, I thought that the writer would have repeated his remarks had he been present. There was also at this time (1886) a very famous lot of dog hounds, nearly all of which have made their mark in other kennels : Shiner, Pirate, Fencer, noted by the huntsman for nose and drive ; Traitor, by the Cottesmore Prodigal, said to be one of the finest bred hounds in England ; Spartan, a large powerful hound just over the standard, but sure to find a fox if one was in the covert, and with a deep-toned truthful note, the sound of which allowed of no doubt. Spartan was by Fallible — Speedwell, the former being an instance of the successful introduc- tion of Fitzwilliam blood, and through their Furrier goes back to the Badminton Flyer and Helpful, to renew the ancient connection with the other ducal pack. Another hound of great repute, both in his own kennel and among other breeders, was Stainless, of which dog Mr. Lowe writes : "Stainless, the model of a twenty-three-inch fox-hound." This hound was also by Fallible, which became a very favourite strain of blood in other kennels. At this time the whole kennel were beautifully true to colour and type, as they have been now for many years. I give a list in the appendix of the hounds other than of the Belvoir tan, which was kindly sent to me by Mr. Frank Gillard, who took the trouble to compile it for this work. But the hand of death, which had been busy with the field, and had removed so many of the Duke's supporters and friendly rivals, was now laid on the master himself, and the * Fields July 31st, 1886, p. 162. 329 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT news went forth that the Duke was dying. The end came on a Sunday afternoon. " In the person of the sixth Duke of Rutland there has passed away one who represented some of the very best characteristics of the old school of English noblemen. A kind, considerate landlord, an indulgent master, and a true friend ; in his public life courageous and high-minded ; to the poor and needy, generous and warm-hearted ; a keen sportsman and the liberal patron of all that was calculated to benefit his fellow-men — this was the type of man whose loss is so widely mourned to-day." ^ So came to an end an important chapter in the history of fox-hunting as a national sport, when the gates of the mauso- leum at Belvoir closed, after the burial of one who had made many happier by the kindness of his heart and the graceful courtesy of his manner : a true friend, a good master, and an English gentleman of the best school. ^ The Grantham Journal, March loth, 1888. 330 Chapter XIX YIELDING PLACE TO NEW 1888-1896 THE death of the sixth Duke of Rutland left a great blank in the hunting world and in the hearts of his friends, for no more justly beloved man ever lived than Will Goodall's " kind Lord Duke." Firm and consistent in his political principles, he was careful of the interests of those who followed him in State matters, and faithful to his pledges. The agricultural party lost a natural leader when he passed away. The Duke had all the variety of tastes which give charm to a man in society, and if his heart was more completely with his hounds than with any other sport, he yet loved yachting and shooting, more especially when age and infirmity — for he was always a martyr to gout — made an active share in the working of his pack impossible. But he passed away, and with him the social conditions which had been so favourable to fox-hunting. The owner of the chief of those family packs which have enabled the fox-hound to be bred to the perfection it has now reached, his home was the social centre of the best of the hunting world, and exercised, as we have seen it had done from the first, a great and useful influence on the manners and customs of the hunting field. Some years before the Duke's death he had, with whatever reluctance, taken a sub- scription of ;^i,500 a year from the Lincolnshire side of his country. The evils foreseen by himself and his father, when they resisted the concessions made by their own party, had 331 THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT come to pass, and when the Duke died agriculture was in a state of depression almost unexampled in the history of England. This depression was a blow to all the great territorial houses, for it not only crippled their means, but weakened and destroyed the class of squires, farmers, and yeomen who were their natural supporters, and the founda- tion on which rested much of their power and influence in the State, besides clearing the country districts of the younger labourers, for whom the towns had, and still have, a fatal attraction. This change naturally affected fox-hunting. The Belvoir Hunt was no longer the Duke going out for his pleasure, and sharing it with his friends and neighbours and their guests, but in addition a mob in scarlet and black, not unwilling to ride over both hounds and huntsmen if they did not get out of the way. From all parts of the kingdom, and of the world, that field was gathered, and a Croxton Park assem- blage on a Wednesday became one of the sights of the world. Wire, too, had crept in on many estates. The landlord was now unable to spare the money to keep up the fences, and the tenant could no longer avoid, even in " the Duke's " country, drawing the strand of wire through the hedge to mend the weak place. Everywhere is some covert hostility to hunting, and the fortunes of Coston Covert show that the feeling smouldered even in the Belvoir country with the most popular of masters and huntsmen, and wire is the natural weapon of ill-feeling to sport. The pheasant, too, became a more important element in country life, for the pheasant in numbers on some estates is often like the Irishman's pig, " the gintleman that pays the rent" And foxes no doubt do mischief in a big shooting covert. Thus the Duke's hounds had their troubles and difficulties. The loyal Grantham district, which is the very backbone of the hunt, came forward, and, not unmindful of the generosity of the Duke and his family in the past, gave him without conditions the subscription he expressed himself willing to accept. When the present (seventh) Duke became the master of 333 SIR GILBERT GREENALL, BART. Master of the Belvoir Hounds. BEN CAl'ELL. Huntsman to tlie lielvoir Hounds. YIELDING PLACE TO NEW the Belvoir, this subscription was still being given, and was managed by the secretary of the hunt, Mr. Charles Parker, of Grantham. There was no reason to fear any change in the spirit of the management. The new head of the Manners family was known to share the pleasure his predecessors had always felt in ministering to the enjoyment of others. He it was who had been the first statesman to advocate national holidays, and Saint Lubbock might well have been Saint Manners had public opinion been ripe to follow the lead of Lord John Manners. Duke John was, moreover, well able to measure the social value of hunting, even under its new conditions, for no man had thought more on social problems. He would agree with an acute observer that nugcz in seria ducimt, and that the amusements of any class of the nation are matters of importance. For the true test of a man's character is not what he says, or what he does under the compulsion of circum- stances, but what he chooses to do when free. Our tastes are the key to our characters, and what is true of the individual applies equally to the nation. Duke John was a fox-hunter by predilection. He loved the chase and cared but little for the gun, and he had been in his younger days a hard rider. The first change made under the new rule was to appoint a field master, and thus relieve Gillard, the veteran huntsman, from the somewhat false position in which he had been placed, and one which a less judicious man would have found impossible. But the Duke was already an old man when he succeeded, and though he went out with hounds whenever he could, he was not able to take the active part necessary in restraining the field. A deputy, however, was not far to seek, and for three seasons Lord Edward Manners ruled over the hunt with the title of field master. Every one was pleased, except perhaps a few too ardent spirits from Melton, who were kept in better order than had been possible before, and the farmers were delighted to see a Manners again guiding the hunt. The very name was a guarantee that their wishes and interests would be considered and consulted. Lord Edward was a keen rider, always beautifully turned out, and 333 THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT looked exactly in the right place as master of a Leicestershire pack. But we have passed from the domain of history to that of the present time, from the department of the historian to that of the chronicler, and are on ground already well covered by Mr. Bradley's book. For various reasons the Duke decided to give up the sole responsibility of the hounds in 1896, while still retaining possession of the priceless family pack. This was to be lent to the country for the lifetime of the present Duke, and, as in the past days, a master was sought for who would manage the pack and carry on the hunt in the true spirit of past tra- ditions. Such a master was found in Sir Gilbert Greenall, of whose reign I say but little, as it does not belong to my subject. To describe or to praise it would be to criticise. This much, however, I may say — that, having visited the kennels and seen the hounds, I know that the standard of the pack is as high as ever, and that the stables have never had so fine a collection of high-class hunters as at present. Nor has Sir Gilbert fallen behind his predecessors in care for, and sympathy with, the farmers of the hunt, while in field and kennel his huntsman, Ben Capell, is worthy to carry on the great line of sportsmen which began in the eighteenth century with Newman. Thus, then, we leave the history of the Belvoir Hunt. The closing scenes may give rise to a sigh for the country life of England passing away from us, perhaps for ever. Yet, though we know we cannot stay the movement which is sweeping away so much that is beautiful and picturesque from our midst, we cannot but look back on the life and sports of a day that is past with a pleasure largely mingled with regret at the inevitable change. 334 APPENDICES The following communication from the Duke of Rutland was kindly sent me by him whilst the book was in the press, and is inserted here : — "John Henry, 5Th Duke of Rutland. "Born Jan. 4th, 1778 ; educated , and at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he took his M.A. degree 1797. " On coming of age he took the management of the hounds into his own hands, and kept an accurate journal of their performances for many years. Through a long and active life he was remarkable for the thoroughness with which he did all that his hand found to do. While attached to field sports, especially hunting and shooting, he never allowed them to interfere with the discharge of any duty, and would frequently in the winter rise at 5 or 6 a.m. in order to trans- act his correspondence before breakfast. This correspond- ence, public and private, was most voluminous, and was carried on without the assistance of a private Secretary, or any of the mechanical aids now so frequently used to help a busy man. In those days the offices of Lord Lieutenant of a County and Colonel of its Militia were no sinecures, and in addition to them there was hardly an Institution in the Town or County of Leicester in which he did not take an active interest. " Wherever he had property he founded Medical Clubs, and established the Allotment system, the latter against much opposition from the Political Economists of that day. " On the 50th anniversary of his Lord Lieutenancy, his Statue was erected by public subscription in the Market 335 APPENDICES Place at Leicester, and an Address presented to him by the County. " For many years he acted as Guardian of the Poor for the Parish of Bottesford, and was most attentive to the duties of that office. Gifted with a retentive memory, and keen powers of observation, his conversation was full of charm and interest, while his innate courtesy and kindness of disposition endeared him to all who had access to him. " During many years he kept a racing stable at Newmarket, and won the Derby with Cadland, after a Dead Heat, in 1828. " P.S. — I have left the school at which he was educated blank. I always thought it was Eton, but the last peerage, that by G. E. C, gives it as Harrow." 336 HOUND LIST Got by Entered ijgi. Damsel Dido — spayed Traveller ... Entered 1792. Amadis Amorous Bloomer Bowler Jollity Joyous Whimper ::} Lord Fitzwilliam's Dexter Bumper Actor Twinker Mr. Masters' Freeman Bumper Lord F.'s Jester Entered lygj. Bounty ... ...\ Bluebell — spayed j Fanny Trespass ... Wonder Entered 1794. Desperate Harlot Jasper Plunder Rouzer Rampish Warrior Whimsey Whisper E?itered 1793. , Bangor Jerker .. Blithesome ... Actor ... •Q • J^ "'\\ Dashwood (Sir W. Lowther's) 337 Actor Trueman (Mr. Masters') Bumper Trueman (Mr. Masters') Lord Monson's Dashwood Lord F.'s Hedger Bumper Bumper Rifler Wonder Winder Dam Beauty. Matchless. Bonnylass. Amorous. Blithesome. Jaunty. Wishfort. Brittle. Trespass. ^ . f Twinker. Wishful. Wishfort. Amorous. Jaunty. Placket. Curious. Bashful. Rapid. Buxom. Bashful. Amorous. APPENDIX Name Got by Duster Limner Regent Traitor Tidings Entered lygd. Baffler ... Bluecap ... Briton Drummer ... Fleecer Filcher Finder Frisky Jostler Joker Slider Slasher Stickler ... Tracer Trapper ... Trojan Trimmer ... Thumper ... Taster Wincher ... Wanton ... Wishful ... Entered lygj Collier Dolly ... Deborah... Drowsy ... Flirter Foiler Hopeful . Listener . Lusty Music Twinker . Tuner Twister Wildboy . Warbler . Woodman Whynot . Wisdom . Warn spayed 1 Actor Leader (Lord F.'s) ... Rector Tartar (Lord Monson's) Danger Dancer (Lord Spencer's) Ditto ditto Ditto ditto Ditto ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Amadis Dashwood Laurel Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Dashwood ditto ditto ditto ditto ditto ditto ditto ditto Darling. Wishfort. Damsel. Amazon. Tempest. Bounty. Bashful. Buxom. Daphne. Fanny. Judith. Amorous. Tricksy. Tempest. Trespass. Tragedy. Wishfort. Rapid. Tempest. Fanny. Harlot. Daphne. Damsel. Tragedy. Tidings. Whisper. 338 APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Entered lygS. Bustler \ Buxom J Bonnylass Dashwood Blithesome. Jumper, by Dancer Bounty. Carver Dashwood ... Wishful. Damper ... ...\ Dragon Darter 1 Dealer [ Ditto Fanny. Duchess ... Dainty -' Helper | Hymen J Ditto Harlot. Juggler 1 Jumper ... ... r Jerker Frisky. J UnKcL ... .. . -^ Pillager ] Prodigal ... ... - Printer Fleecer Trespass. Picture Stormer \ Singer i Slider Daphne. Trouncer ... ...I Tuneful / Fleecer Tidings. Wakeful I Winder J Dashwood ... Whimsey. Entered lygg. Beauty Dashwood Beauty. Bridesmaid Trimmer Bounty. Crasher \ Clarionet ... ...J Masker Fortune. Dashaway... Ditto Doubtful. Falstaff 1 Factious ... ...r Dashwood (Lord Yarboro's) Fanny. Gallant I Gamesome ...\ Honesty ... ...J Ditto Woodbine. Hazard ... ...I Hoyden J Ditto Harlot. Jailor Ditto Joyous. Lady Blush Fairplay (Lambton's) Laundress, Lavish Marksman (Sir W. Lowther's) Ditto. Mindall Trimmer (Lambton's) Music. Priam Fairplay Ruin. Rashness Lord Vernon's Masker Rary. Searcher ... Ditto Stormer Madcap. Strumpet Ditto ditto Dainty. 339 APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Tempest ... •] Triumph ... • Trimmer Whimsey. Trinket ... .) Thoughtless Ditto BUthesome. Trusty Truelove ... •J Ditto Whisher. Toilsome ... Tidings ... ;} Dancer (Lord Carlisle's) ... Famous. Willing ... Wonder Wanton. ^ Entered iyg4. Dancer .\ Dasher Darter •[ Duke of Grafton's Ringwood) Daphne. Dainty . j Famous .1 Lord Yarboro's Fearless ... ' 1 Mr. Lambton's Fairplay Frolic. Hazard Harlot :| Duke of Grafton's Ringwood Rifler Lord Vernon's Lord Yarboro's Dainty. Ruin Grafton Ringwood ... Ragwood ... Rockwood Fortune. Entered ijg^. Brilliant ... Mr. Willoughby's Bachelor Fearless. Flourisher Fireaway :} Lambton's Fairplay Lord Darlington's Whimsey. Laundress... Lord Vernon's Ruin Duke of Grafton's Ringwood Lord Y.'s Dainty. Ragwood ... Rockwood Fortune. Entered ijg6. Harmony ... Stormer (Lord Vernon's) ... Harlot. Masterall ... . \ Magic Masker Famous (Mr. Wil- Madcap ... loughby). Rockwood Fairplay Rary. Entered lygS. Capital Masker (Lord Vernon's) Fortune. Gaylass ... Dashwood Woodbine. Tuneable ... Dancer (Mr. Willoughby's)... Famous. Rally Rary :), Carver Random. Woodbine... Grasper ... Bred by Lord Darlington, Marker ' The above, from Dancer downwards, were from Lord Carlisle's. 340 APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Entered 1800. Champion Chider :} Censor, Duke of Beaufort ... Damsel. Cautious ... J Ditto Dainty. Comet :1 Crier Grinder -\ Comus, D.B Trespass. Crimson ... \ Clara .) Charon Cheerful ... :} Comus, D.B Amorous. Chantress... Champion (Mr. Lee's) Wanton, Danger ... Desperate... ;} Dashwood Tidings. Gameboy ... Gayboy ... :} Gameboy (Mr. Lee's) Dolly. Regal Regal (Lord Monson's) Damsel. Tyrant ... Tartar i:) Traitor Wishful. Truant Ditto (Lord F.'s) Wanton. Topper Tomboy ... Trywell Topper, D.B Whimzy. Termagant Tigress Tarquin ... Tuner Trollop ... .. Topper, D.B. Duchess. Transport... Tansy Workman... _/ Worthy ... Worker ... Warlike ... Wildboy Blithesome. Warfare . . . Wrathful — spayed ) Wildair ... Woodman Bounty. Waspish ... Ditto Gaylass. (18^ couple) Entered 1801, Actress Lord F.'s Archer ... His Gaylass. Bhster Blemish ... Bangor Dashaway. Chanter ... Chimer Comus, D.B Willing. Castor Curious ... :::i - Ditto Rally. 341 APPENDIX Name Got by Bajn Capital \ Comrade ... Challenger Conqueror ' r Comus, D.B Wanton. Cruiser Conquest ... Comus "] Chaser .r Censor, D.B Duchess. Careful .] Crowner ... Countess ... ;} Collier Buxom. Damsel ... Darling ... • Dashwood Ruin. Darter Sir W. L.'s Damper His Matchless. Eager Ditto Edgar His Jollity. Endless ... Ditto ditto His Rally. Gayman ... Gamester .., •| Gameboy (Sir W. L.'s) Amorous. Gladsome... Grasper (Lord F.'s) His Whimsy. Hasty Hardwick Sir W. L.'s Emily. Handmaid . Hamlet (Lord F.'s) His Rally. Joyful . Jasper (Sir W. L.'s) His Frantic. Lively . Lifter (Lord F.'s) SirW.L.'s Sanguine. Pleasant ... . Prophet (Lord F.'s) Lord F.'s Lightfoot. Rambler ... ." Rapid Ransom ... ■> Regent Whimsey. Rally . J Splendor ... Sprightly ... '\ Mr. Meynell's Stormer Harlot. Stroker ... . Stickler Madcap. Trinket ... . Traitor (Lord F.'s) His Destiny. Welcome ... . Wildboy Blithesome. (20 couple) Entered 1802. Bobsy ,\ Bloomer ... Brusher ... .1 Tracer Bridesmaid. Bluster ... Bounty . j Charmer ... Crazy Careless ... Champion, D.B Wanton. Cheerful ... Craftsman \ Crony Ditto Rally. Crafty Captious ... .'' 342 APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Comely ... Cleanly ... ::} Collier Dainty. Captain ... Ditto Trollop. Gathard ... Gaiety Gameboy Fearless. Gamesome Rebel Ruffian Regent Ruin. Tipler • •) Toper Trial Tracer Duchess. Tipsy Tantram ... Trouncer ... Truelove ... Ditto Chantress. Timely ... Turpin Ditto Famous. Tragedy . . . ■•\ Torment ... Tarnish ... ■■ Trojan Desperate. Thetis Trueboy ... ••) Tarragon ... •• Ditto Harlot. Tasty ..) Wonder ... Windsor ... ::} Wildair Clarionet. (19I couple) Entered 1803 Boaster ... Banker Bluebell ".'.. Bangor Madcap. Blowsy Conqueror :::1 Contest ... Contract ... ...^ Champion, D.B Careful. Clamorous Columbine Comedy ... "■'■\ • ' • ( Cowslip ... Ditto Darling. Caroline ... ...) Cruel Ditto Blemish. Comfort ... Ditto Curious. Castor Clara iii} Collier Strumpet. Clincher ... Ditto Willing. Emperor ... Edgar Ernest Eager Toilsome. Empress ... 343 APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Envoy Edwin Eager Fearless. Egbert Governor ^ Guardian Gameboy Wanton, Glory J Guilty Ditto Trinket. Ghastly Ditto Transport. Gipsy 1 Ghuzman ... ... , Mr. Meynell's Gwyman Trollop. Gondimer ' Hector Hazard Honesty Handmaid. Harmony .., ...; Ranter I Rarity J Regent Bridesmaid. Random Ruler 1 Restless J Ditto Dainty. Sir G. Heathcote's Ruler ... Cautious. Ravager ,.. ... 1 Ransom J Ditto ditto ... Conquest. Tickler 1 Termagant ... Trusty Ruin. Tawdry ... . . . ) Triton -\ Traitor j- Trimmer Chantress. Tawney j Thisby Tomboy Sprightly. Wafter ^ Whipster J Wildair Gladsome, Warrior ^ Wonder I Ditto ... Tempest. Wishfort J (26 couple) Entered 1804. Baffler ^ Bluster Blaster Beauty j" Bangor Gladsome. Buxom Blithesome ...J Comely "j Cloudy ... ...J Collier Strumpet. Colonel Ditto Dainty, Courteous... ...\ Courtly j Champion, D.B Wanton. Charity Ditto Transport. 344 APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Crimson ... ••1 Costly • Champion, D.B. Cautious. Capable ... ..) Hopeful ... .\ Harper Handsome Honesty Conquest. Heedful ... Heedless ... Richmond \ Rasper Regent Damsel. Ripster Rosy Ranger \ Rosamond A Ditto Dashaway, Ruthless ... ..) Ruffler ... Ratler ::} Ditto Clarionet. Stretcher ... Stroker ... ::] Splendor Toilsome. Songster ... Social :} Ditto Cheerful. Songstress Ditto Willing. Tracer ^ Trier Trywell ... Tyrant Careful. Trial Tarquin . . . •• \ Trajan Tumor Trimmer Chantress. Twinker ... Wilful Wildair Crony. (21 couple) Here Newman ended and Shaw began. Entered 1803. Striver Stately ... Sanguine ... Savory Charmer ... Jilter Junket Juliet Julia Jessa Catchfly ... Tangent ... Trifle Trespass ... Trueboy ... Splendor Chaser Jumper Clincher Lord Sefton's Tamerlane Lord F.'s Truant 345 Crony. Willing. Comfort. Cautious. Madcap. Gypsey. APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Jupiter Jasper Juno Grandison Grandeur... Crowner ... Bangor Banquet ... Wildboy ... Warbler ... Wanton ... Wishfort ... Whimsey ... Bonnylass... Brusher ... Dover Nimrod ... Truelove ... Sultan Solon Science ... Silvia Specious ... Speedwell... (19^ couple) Entered 1806. Archer Barrister ... Bashful ... Bridesmaid Breviary ... Bluecap ... Bellman ... Brilliant ... Blameless... Captain ... Counsellor Cherish ... Charmer ... Cruiser Cryer Coroner ... Champion... Dreadnought Dapster ... Darter Dainty Daphne ... Jumper Lord Sefton's Guzman Caster Bangor Wildboy Boaster Lord Monson's Boaster Lord G.'s Dover Lord Sefton's Nathan Lord F.'s Truant Lord Sefton's Sultan Lord F.'s Admiral Boaster Ditto Ditto Ditto Caster , Capital Lord F.'s Admiral Mr. Calcraft's Dreadnought Rapid. Clamorous. Tempest. Empress. Cheerful. Handmaid. Conquest. Gladsome. Cleanly. CowsHp. Tansy. Pleasant. Gipsy. Termagant. Cheerful. Careful. Conquest. Blowsy. Cowslip. Judith. 34(> APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Gameboy Lord Foley's Chanticleer ... Graceful Gamesome Ghastly. Gravity Gaylass ... Harlequin Hostel [ Caster Handmaid. Nathan 1 Nancy \ Topper Nettle. Nimble J Nestor Mr. Calcraft's Dreadnought Needful. Pleader > Proctor ... ... Prosper - Lord F.'s Pontiff Restless. Primate Prudence ... Reveller ] Ramper ... y Random Clara. Rumsey J Rival Ruby } Ditto Willing. Risker Lord Sefton's Ranter Strumpet. Sweeper ... ' Streamer Sparkler Stroker Ditto Sultan Rapid. Stripling Sally J Stinger Random Sprightly, by Mey- Truant •\ nell's Stormer. Tyrant Traitor Tifter ' Lord F.'s Truant Crazy. Toilet Timely . Tempest Truelass [ Caster Toilsome. Tuneful - Tricky Tomboy " Lord F.'s Truant Crafty. Tartar J (31 couple) Entered iSoy. Baroness \ Betsy \ Lord Foley's Chancellor ... Blowsy. Beldam J 347 APPENDIX Name Got by Dain Careless Conquest ... ... . Conqueror Charon Toper Crazy Comrade ... Censor > Clencher Ditto. Chanticleer Crimson ... ... - Chantress... Signal Careful. Concubine Comus Craftsman ... Chaser Clencher Restless. Chancellor Clarinet Draper ... ..." Dexter Caster Clarinet. Dragon Dagon Lord Lonsdale's Dexter Cloudy. Density ... Desperate Glory \ Golding \ Gager J Trial Guilty. Gaiety ^ Gambol ... ... [ Gaily J Jealousy ^ Juliet \ Jollity J Jericho Limner '\ Lord Foley's Sultan Traveller Jupiter Gipsy. Judy. Strumpet. Lusher \ Leveller J Lucifer Damsel. Nosegay Nelson \ Nightshade ...J Pilot 1 Boaster Ditto Needful. Nettle. Prophet \ Pastime J Piper Costly. Rally 1 Ruler / Lord Foley's Ranter Juliet. Efitered iSog. Stormer \ Skilful J Stretcher Cheerful. Seaman '' Syren Sophy Ditto Buxom. Susan 348 APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Spartan \ Spokesman ... 1- Jupiter Songstress. Spinstress J Tawdry ... ...\ Trimmer / Trial Bluebell. Tamerlane ...] Trywell ... ...( Twister j Topper Sprightly. Trophy > Termagant . . . ~1 Tawny ... ... j- Traveller Toilsome. Trimbush j Topper \ Trueman ... Trespass 1 Truelove ... ... | Topper Clamorous. Truemaid Truelass ) Warbler Castor Wanton. Duke of Leeds is| couple bought. Entered 1807. 7-year-old Traffic 6-year-old Miracle Bumper ... Darling Famous ... 5-year-old Redrose Rosemary... 4-year-old Trojan Rally wood Timely Violet Grappler ... Milliner 3-year-old Piper ...\ Prompter j Hotspur .. Harlequin.. Harpy Sanguine .. Savory Manager ... Garland ... 2-year-old Vesper Goldie \ Gaylove ... ... | Challenger ...) Clio / :::} Traitor Miracle Valiant Dover... Clencher Agent ... Boxer ... Streamer Gallant Boaster Miracle Joker ... Boaster Trusty... Marquis Sultan... Hero ... Glider... Glider... Governor Hardy... Tawdry. Destiny. Brilliant. Melody. Diligent. Redrose. Rosemary. Tidings. Rosy. Traffic. Violet. Ruby. Milliner. Promise. Mr. Meynell's Harpy. Darling. Matchless Redrose. Volatile. Bluebell. Darling. 549 APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Symphony Barmaid .., Amulet Jewel Prowser ... Prowler ... Trouncer ... Entered 1808. Bauble Bravery ... Bloomer Bangor Bellman ... Beauty Bellmaid Bonny Bell Briston Butterfly Cottager Captious ... Cora Concord Countess ... Conqueror Courteous... Caroline Capital Courtly Charity Charmer Cherish ... Gameboy ... Gallant Gamesome Gaylass ... Ghastly ... Gayman Gravity Joker Judgment Jessamine... Jason Racer Ranter Racket Rarity Rachel Rapid Ribster ::} Comus Governor Admiral Trojan Grappler Trusty Castor Duke of Leeds' Hero Random Boaster Castor Boaster Ditto Castor Random Mr. Meynell's Sultan Random Clincher Mr. Smith's Hero ... Trojan... Violet. Destiny. Hasty. Ruin. Charity. Matchless. Blowsy. Duke of Leeds' Billington. Buxom. Cheerful. Blameless. Careful. Costly. Crazy. Gladsome. Guilty. Judy. Juno. Restless. Ruin. 350 APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Splendor .. Skilful .. :} Castor Skilful. Singwell .. Clincher Songstress. Tidings Trial Joyful. Tamerlane Castor Tansey. Tomboy .. •) Trueboy .. Tuneful .. . Ditto Tangent. Trophy .. \ V illLlUb •• • Verity :| Trulliber Vesper. Virtue Viper Voucher .. "1 ;} Lord Lonsdale's Ajax Conyer's Cloudy. Vanquish .. .] Wildair .. •1 Wildman .. .\ Castor Wanton. Welcome .. .) (i9j couple) Entered 180Q. Brusher .. Bluebell .. :} Mr. Smith's Hero Bluebell. Chanticleer Jupiter Crony. Comet CHncher Restless. Critic Ditto (Lord Lonsdale's) ... Timely. Driver Darter :} Lord Lonsdale's Dexter Strumpet. General .. .V Genial Governess Graceful .. Gratitude .. Jupiter Guilty. Guileful .. Grateful . . Gaudy . / Hannibal .. Hasty .) Mr. Smith's Halbert Songstress. Harriet Priam Hostel. Harlequin.. Stroker Harpy. Pillager .. _^ Pander Prosper .. Primrose .. Priam Savory. Pastime .. Priestess .. . Ruin Regent :} Castor Redrose. (19 con pie) 351 APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Saladin -1 Splendor ... •• Mr. Smith's Saladin Costly. Sanguine ... ..) Truelove ... Tifter Toilsome. Tracer Jupiter Tansy. Trimbush ... ••1 Tantrum ... • Castor Tangent. Transport... • J Witchcraft Wisdom ... Mr. Smith's Hero Wanton. Willing ... Wilful ... Entered 1810. Admiral . . . ••I Archer Boaster Amulet. Artful Bilberry ... Nelson Blueberry. Bounty Mr. Chaworth's Lifter Ditto. Bridesmaid Ditto ditto Bluebell. Batchelor ... Mr. Osbaldeston's Wildair... Blameless. Careless ... ::) Mr. Heron's, of the Forest, Conquest. Clasher ... Gilder Contest Ditto Coroner Fortune. Cora Challenger Curious. Careful ... Rally wood Cherish. Cautious ... Stripling Clarionet. Danger ... Mr, Osbaldeston's Danger ... Hyacinth. Daffodil ... Darling ... .•.'} Mr. Heron's Gilder Dainty. Fairplay ... Ditto Marplot Freedom. Galliard ... Trickster Gaiety. Gladsome... Clincher Graceful. Grafton ... Glory Harmony... ::} Mr. Heron's Nelson Gauntlet. Mr. O.'s Joker His Hasty. Hoyden ... Harper ::} Priam Harpy. Jester Jerico Jollity Jezebel "[ Lord Lonsdale's Tester Juno. ) Joiner •1 :/ Jordan Ditto ditto Costly. Joyful Monitor ... Gilder Music. Prophet ... Boaster Prudence. Paragon ... :} Priam (1801) by Piper out of Crony. Pilot Charity 352 Name Got by Da}n Ruin 1 Rantaway / Clincher Duke of Leeds' Redrose. Rampish ... Mr. Meynell's Saladin Restless. Ruffler Racer Garland. Strumpet '\ Sophy \ Mr. Smith's Saladin Nosegay. Spinstress... ...J Sweeper Mr. Chaworth's Dabster ... His Tuneful. Tangent ) Tufter Tyrant Truant ... Songstress. Tragedy ! {2l\ couple) Ten couple of hounds bought by Mr. Templar. Entered July ijth, 1810. Bangor ^ Bonny Bell Busy Bluebell ' D. of R.'s Piper His Costly. Cruiser Pilgrim Pontiff } Lasher Mr. Wyndham's Ploughman Lord Berkeley's Truelove. Madcap. Ramper Ditto ditto Goldfinch Lord F.'s Grecian Lord Sefton's Dab- bler. Guider Ditto ditto Duke of Beaufort's Tasteful. Margaret Ditto Ranter Lord Berkeley's Truelove. Frantic Duke of Beaufort's Cardinal Lord Y.'s Doxy, Crier N Chanter Striver Cruel - Boaster Comedy. Minor Warrior Mangier / Entered iSii. Artist Spider (Lord Lonsdale's) ... Amulet. Bloomer Tester ditto Bashful. Boaster Gallant Beauty. Chorister \ Cruiser \ Lord Vernon's Rallywood ... Cherish. Conqueror ...J Constant Clencher Genial. 353 A A APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Cottager ... Clencher Governess. Dagon Dexter Costly. Dapper " Dashwood Dragon Duster [ Ditto Golding. Draper Dainty Dancer ^ Drubber ... ... l Gallant ... Desperate. Driver ... ...J Guilty Dexter Garland. Gameboy \ Guilsome ... ... 1- Clincher Graceful. Gaylass J Gainer \ Grappler Gladness ... ... Graceless - Lord Lonsdale's Tester Gaiety. Gracious ... Garnish Gipsy / Hermit \ Harlequin J Ditto ditto Hasty. Hostess Mr. Smith's Champion Handsome. Judy Clinker ... Jessamine. Marksman ... Millwood Monarch Madcap - Lord Lonsdale's Millwood ... Juno. Magic Melody Minion Minstrel \ Music \ Ditto ditto Breviary. Modesty J Peeress "^ Pontifif I Ditto Tester ... Prudence. Phoenix j Susan Gallant Songstress. Shepherdess ...\ Selina J Sultan Ruby. Spokesman ...\ Songster J Dexter Strumpet. Wildboy \ Witchcraft ...J Mr. Smith's Pontiff Wanton. Entered 1812. Aimwell ... ...\ Actor j Archer Amulet. 354 APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Brasher ... Dexter Bashful. Capable ... :'} Chancellor Garland. Captious ... Caroline ... Coaster ... :} Lord Lonsdale's Jailor Costly. Fairmaid ... Lord Middleton's Fearnought Primrose. Fencer '•] Freeman ... • Lord Lonsdale's Millwood ... Frantic. Fallacy ... .J Glider ... Dexter Gaiety. Jealousy ... Junket Jollity :} Lord Lonsdale's Jailor Clarinet. J Mr. Chaworth's Champion... Juno. Limner Lord Middleton's Lucifer ... Cautious. Masker ... Merrylass... Matchless... Lord Lonsdale's Millwood ... Tangent. Madrigal ... Sampson ... '■} Sultan... ... Prudence. Shepherdess Royster ... •1 Reveller ... • Lord Middleton's Fearnought Ruby. Rally .J Rector Racer Crony. Ranter Rakish ... ;} Ditto Cherish. Sailor Mr. Chaworth's Painter Sanguine. Topper ^ Tomboy ... ' y Twister ... Bluebell. Trueboy ... Toilet •J Wonder ... Whimsey ... :} Mr. Osbaldeston's Wonder... Desperate. Wildair ... \ Wildman ... . V Lord Lonsdale's Jailor Wanton. Warrior ... •^ Entered 1807. Sir T. Mostyn s Lucifer ... Lord Middleton's Lucifer ... Tidings. Bought of Mr. Chaworth, September 3, ^13 los. Entered 181 2. Blaster ... Driver Dreadnought ;} :} Painter (2-season Hunter by Hotspur — Darling) By Lord Middleton's Cham- Darter Stormer ... pion From Ottaway. 355 Bonny lass. Ditto. APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Workman . . . Whynot ... Wildair ... Woodbine Etitered 1804. Bluebell ... Entered 180^. Strumpet ... Entered 1806. Golden Pleasant ... Entered i8ij Aimwell ... Abelard ... Alderman... Ardent Amazon ... Adamant ... Admiral ... Bluecap ... Bloomer ... Baneful Concord ... Cora Destiny ... Diligent ... Garnet Guilsome ... Gravity Jessica Manager ... Merlin Marplot ... Modish ... Melody ... Piper Random ... Rarity Render Royster ... Risker Rallywood Ramper ... Wildboy Mr. Chawoith, July i, 1813. Barrister Stormer ... , Splendor Lifter ... Archer Ditto Peeress. Lord Lonsdale's Tester Bridesmaid Chancellor Gaiety, Dexter Modesty. Ramper Garnish. Lord Lonsdale's Wonder ... Gambol. Mr. Osbaldeston's Joker ... Clarinet. Lord F.'s Dreadnought Mr. Osbaldeston's Ajax Mr. Chaworth's Rallywood. Ditto Royster Bounty. Ransom. Actress. Guileful. Pastime. Sanguine. Minion. Prudence. Graceful. Desperate. APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Splendor ... ••1 Social -r Lord Lonsdale's Tester Strumpet. Sempstress ..J Sultan Saladin :} Sultan Golden. Sally Mr. Smith's Courtier Sophy. Seaman ... Signal Sweeper Ruby. Singer Stranger ... ■■ Streamer Jordan. Stickler ... ..) Trollop ... Lord F.'s Twister Bravery. Woodman Dexter Wanton. (22| couple) Entered 1814. Batchelor ... "1 Baffler •• Workman Bravery. Bellman ... ..) Castor Lord F.'s Arthur Capable. Denmark ... ••1 Damper ... •• Lord Lonsdale's Jailor Desperate. Doxy ..J Dayman ... Dairymaid "1 Dexter Sanguine. Darter Damsel ... ::} Ditto Jordan. Fleecer ... Factor Fervent ... •• r Lord Lonsdale's Wonder ... Frantic. Freeman ... Fallacy ... .J Gager Ditto Jailor Guilty. Galliard ... ••\ Gameboy ... ••\ Milvvood Golden, Gamesome •J Hotspur ... •1 Hermit ■•r Lord Lonsdale's Wonder ... Hasty. Harlot ..J Ruby Remedy ... Lord Y.'s Rover Garnish. Rally Regent ::} Racer Margaret. Streamer ... -1 Savory • Dagon Sophy. Singwell ... ...J Sprightly ... Symphony :;} Workman Susan. Skilful ... Lord Lonsdale's Jailor SeHna. Woful ... Lord F.'s Charon Woodbine. 357 APPENDIX Name Warbler ... Wonder ... Whipster ... Wanton ... (19 couple) Entered 1815. Beauty Bonny Bell Brilliant Baronet Charon Corsican ... Comfort ... Comedy ... Columbine Clincher Chancellor Castor Dromo Genial Grappler Gossamer... German Jollity Joyful Reveller Rakish Ruler Richmond Racer Sailor Scornful Speedwell Singwell Sergeant Sparkler Sophia Witchcraft Watchful Woful Whisper ... Woodbine (18 couple) Entered 1816. Auditor Actress Arthur Arrogant :::! Got by Lord Lonsdale's Wonder Abelard Lord Lonsdale's Wonder , Mr. Chaworth's Rallywood , Ditto ditto Lord Y.'s Marplot ... Wildair Gazer ... Mr. Chaworth's Rallywood. Lord Lonsdale's Governor . Ditto Jason Lord F.'s Jailor Racer Racer Lord Lonsdale's Jailor Workman Lord L.'s Wonder ... Abelard Wildair Spokesman ... Archer Lord F.'s Trouncer 358 Dam Jessamine. Bounty. Bluebell. Caroline. Constant. Cora. Dainty. Gambol. Gaiety. Guilty. Desperate. Jessamine. Jordan. Frantic. Sanguine. Sophy. Selina. Sally. Garnish. Amazon, ist litter. Doxy. Amazon, 2nd litter. APPENDIX Nattte Clio Captious • Dexter Daphne Diamond ... Desperate... Damsel ... Dashaway Fancy Favorite ... Gracious Gandy Gambol ... Gallant Harbinger Jovial Jessamine... Judgment... Jeweller ... Modish ... Mercury ... Meynell ... Pilot Piper Shifter Songster ... Sempstress Stickler ... Solomon ... Solon Striver Songstress Tomboy ... Trimbush... Trimmer ... Tempest ... (20 couple) Goosey began. Entered 1817. Baroness ... Charmer ... Dashwood Driver Fairplay ... Freeman ... Famous ... Gaylass ... Golding ... Got by I Lord F.'s Arthur Dexter Lord Lonsdale's Jason Fencer Lord Scarboro's Cruiser Lord Lonsdale's Wonder Lord F.'s Danger ... Lord Lonsdale's Wonder Harlequin Rally wood Singer Lord F.'s Trouncer ... Mr. Osbaldeston's Jason Prophet Lord F.'s Arthur Spokesman Saladin Draper Saladin Trywell Singer, 1813 ... Lord F.'s Leader •••|l Dreadnought, 1812 ... Lord Lonsdale's Fairplay Dam Columbine. Rally. Dainty. Rakish. Fallacy. Garnish, 1st litter. Ditto, 2nd litter. Golden. Graceful. Jordan, ist litter. Jollity. Melody. Minion. Selina. Susan. Constant. Hasty. Skilful. Sanguine. Sally. •••| Singer , 1813 Bounty, 18 10. Caroline. Jordan, 18 10. Doxy, 181 1. Gracious, 18 16. 359 APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Monarch ... Mexico ... :} Abelard, 1813 Minion, 181 1. Modesty ... Lord Lonsdale's Lexicon ... Matchless, 181 3. Rarity Ruler, 1807 Speedwell, 181 5. Sparkler ... "•\ Seaman ... .\ Saladin, 1813 Fallacy, 18 14. Salva J Sutton Syren :} Sutton, 1813 Whisper, 181 5. Splendor ... Lord Lonsdale's Wonder ... Sanguine, 1809. Stormer ... Lord F.'s Leader Old Hounds from Mr. Pelham. Susan. Entered i8iy. Actor Bred by Sir T. Mostyn. Darter Dreadnought Venus. Dauntless... Duchess ... ':■} Forester Dashaway. Foreman ... Ditto Splendid. Frolic Dreadnought Fashion. Susan Forester Splendid. (3i couple) Ditto Yotmg Houn ds Barrister ... Batchelor... Mr. Heron's Bedford Elegant. Bridesmaid Bender Bluster ... :} Ditto ditto Vanity. Delver Ditto ditto Dauntless. Limner Lady :) Sailor ... Lavender. Pillager ... Proserpine :} Pilot Duchess. Science Lord Middleton's Marplot ... Susan. Truelass ... . Ditto ditto ... Truelass. Varnish ... Valiant Brilliant. Sportsman Bedford Sappho. (7 couple) Entered 1 8i 8. Amadis ... Abigail ■ J Archer, 1810 Woodbine, 181 5. Adamant ... Actress :} Abelard, 1813 Symphony. Buxom Singer, 1813 Bonnybell, 181 5. Conqueror Chanter ... ;} Saladin, 1813 Capable, 181 2. Cruiser Curious •1 •J Whynot, 1812 Concord, 18 14. 360 APPENDIX Name Got by Dagon Fatal Ferryman... Fervent ... Foiler Foreman ... Fencer Flourish ... Gravity Hero Hazard Hopeful ... Harpy Handmaid Hard wick... Joker Leader Lively Lavish Lounger ... Ladyblush Lightsome Mahce Rummager Rival Racket Ruthless ... Signal Statesman Sprightly ... Sportly Whipster ... Wishful ... Wayward... Willing ... Walter Warrior ... Wildair Wary Entered i8ig. Admiral ... Amulet Bender Collier Crier Chaplet ... Crafty Contest Cheerful ... Singer, 1812 Harlequin Ardent, 1813 Lord Lonsdale's Fairplay ... Harlequin Singer Duke of Grafton's Labyrinth Lord Lonsdale's Lounger ... Ditto ditto Ditto Fairplay ... Ranter, 1813 Fleecer Fearnought Lord Lonsdale's Fairplay ... Wonder, 1814 Abelard, 18 13 Warbler, 18 14 Social, 1813 ... Fleecer, 1814... 361 Dam Doxy. Fallacy, 18 14. Gladsome, 18 14. Harlot, 1 8 14. Amazon, 181 3. Jealousy, 181 2, Constant, 181 1. Bounty, 18 10. Minion, 181 1. Melody, 18 13. Guilesome, 18 13. Susan, 181 1. Sempstress, 1816. Whisper, 18 15. Jessamine, 1816. Mr. Pelham's Susan. Ditto, Bridesmaid. Clio, 18 16. Capable, 181 2. APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Delver Dapster ... " \ Lord Lonsdale's Delver .. \ Ardent, 1813 ■■ '- Abelard, 1813 Matchless, 18 13. Doubtless... Damsel Dorcas Fairplay ... Dashaway, 1816. Freeman ... Factious ... Fallacy, 1814. Fairmaid ... Glancer ... ••1 Guider .. \ Galliard, 1813 Favourite, 1816. Grappler ... J Jasper T J • • ^ Judy Joyful ■[ Ditto Jessamine, 18 16. Joyous Lifter Lusty * \ Corsican, 1815 Lady Blush, 18 18. Pastime ... Mr. Pelham's Proserpine ... Castor, 1815. Rallywood ^ Rummager Royal Rally Remedy ... . ' Mr. Savile's Rallywood Songstress, 1816. J Savory Saladin, 1813 Doxy, 181 1. Stately Ditto Minion, 181 1. Striver Sally ■ \ Saladin Harlot, 1813. Woodman Wildboy ... .1 Wrangler... .\ Fleecer, 181 5 Whisper, 181 5. Worthy ... Wafter _' Welcome ... . Warbler, 1815 Amazon, 1813. (22J couple) Entered 1820. Boaster ... .\ Bloomer ... . I Singer, 1813 Bonnybell, 1815. Blowzy J Bellmaid ... Mr. Chaworth's Bachelor ... Gaylass, 181 7. Contract ... Cruiser Chantress... Fleecer, 1 8 14 Columbine, 1815. Countess ... Chimer .t. Ditto Clio, 1816. Dashwood P'amous ... Frolic Mr. Savile's Statesman Dashaway, 18 16. ■ [ Fearnought, 1814 Actress, 181 8. .^.62 APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Falstaff Frantic Gamester Gayman Glory Gameboy Herdsman Harmony Jupiter Jessy Jezabel Jealousy Lucifer Lexicon Rachel Rapid Shifter Starling Stranger Sweeper Selina Wildair ^17 couple) Entered Bertram Bellman Bedford Benedict Bravery Boundless Duster Cleanly Dragon Dauntless Grandison Guzman Jason Pilot Proctor Rubens Roderick Regent Rector Rover Ruin Rarity Sailor Stately Rantaway 1821. Saladin, 1813 Galliard, 1814 Fearnought, 18 14 Corsican, 1815 Mr. Savile's Ajax Harlequin, 181 1 Duke of Beaufort's Roderic Fleecer, 1814 Warbler, 1814 Mr. Chaworth's Batchelor ... Mr. Savile's Rallywood Wonder, 18 14 Lord Y.'s Woldsman Chanter, 1818 Ditto Saladin, 1813 Mr. Osbaldeston's Proctor D. B., Rallywood ... Lord Lonsdale's Roderic Mr. Savile's Dragon... Lord Lonsdale's Roderic Ruler, 1815 363 Fallacy, 1814. Sportly, 1818. Gravity, 181 8. Handmaid, 1815. Jessamine, 1816. Lively, 1818. Gracious, 1816. Sempstress, 18 16. Willing, 1 8 18. Melody, 1813. Bonnybell, 1815. Damsel, 1819. Columbine, 181 5. Doubtless, 18 19. Golden, 181 7. Jessamine, 1816. Capable, 181 2. Rally, 1 8 19. Songstress, 1816. Symphony, 18 14. Songstress, 18 16. Syren, 181 7. APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Sportsman Abelard, 18 13... Shortly, 18 18. Marplot Mr. Osbaldeston's Wonder... Modish, 1816. Wary Waspish Wanton Abelard, 18 13... Whisper, 1815. Whimsy ... ...-' Watchful D. B., Denmark Woodbine, 181 5. (i7| couple) Entered 1822. Contest \ Craftsman ... 1 Comus Mr. Osbaldeston' s Chorister Songstress, 18 16. Crafty ^ Concord Saladin, 1813... ... CHo, 1816. Crowner ... ...\ Crier J Dreadnought Random, 18 13 Countess, 1820. Fleecer, 18 14 ... Doubtless, 1 8 19. Falstaff " Freeman ... ... . Fearless Frolic ^ Chanter, 181 8 Favorite, 18 16. Justice \ Jester \ Jollity J Jailor Mr. Osbaldeston's Juggler ... Fallacy, 181 1, Rummager, 1819 Joyous, 18 19. Lavish Ditto Lady blush, 18 18. Lionel Chanter, 1818 Lightstone, 1818. Menacer ' Miracle Mischief Merrylass Random, 18 13 ... Modesty, 1817. Malice Mayfly Roman Ditto Wisdom, 1819. Ramper Piper ~ Prompter Ruler, 1813 ... Sally, 1819. Prosper Pastime Mr. Osbaldeston's ; Prompter Jessamine, 18 16. Prudence ... Pleasant - Singer Ruler, 1813 ... Sportly, 1818. Tidings Mr. Osbaldeston's Jupiter ... Juliet. Vanquish Ditto Vaulter ... Harpy, 1818. (17^ couple) Entered 1S23. Bellman "j Barrister ... ... r Baffler J Lord Middleton's Benedict... Jessamine, 1816. 364 APPENDIX Name Got by DajH Coroner ... Cormorant •\ Chanter, 1818 Fallacy, 18 14. Chancellor Comfort ■| Lord Lonsdale's Roderick ... Columbine, 181 5. Commodore Clamorous . I Chanter, 1818 Clio, 1816. Comely •J Hero Handmaid •| Hopeful, 1818 Saladin, 1815 Bonny Bell, 1815. Hermit Harpy, 1818. Judgment... Jargon ■| Jeweller, 1816 Sultan, 1817 Ladyblush, 18 18. Landmark Lightsome, 1818. Ramager ... ■\ Marksman . V Lord Middleton's Damper ... Modesty, 1817. Madcap ... .1 Sparkler ... Saladin, 1813 Whimsey, 1821. Sampson ... . - Lord Middleton's Forester ... Senator ... Splendor ... Siren, 181 7. Sportsman J Statesman Vaulter ... Victory ■ I Ditto, Vanguard Countess, 1820. Woodman Watchman Warble ... . \ Lord Lonsdale's Roderick ... Whisper, 1815. Wavy •1 Woful ] Warrior . , Wonder Wildair Workman . I Lord Middleton's Warrior ... Rally, 1 8 19. Woldsman Whynot ... Willing ... Stripling ... Sultan, 1817 Wisdom, 1812. Lash wood... Sir R. Sutton's Lucifer Sportly. (2o| couple) Entered 1824. Pilgrim •1 Prizer .. V Pilot, 1821 Whisper, 1815. Promise • J Wildman Warbler Worthy Watchful Woodbine ■■ r Shifter, 1820 Waspish, 1 82 1. Warble Worry Watchcraf t 365 APPENDIX Name Crowner .. Cautious .. Curious Pleader Pleasant . . Proserpine Priestess .. Menacer .. Challenger Champion... Topper Truemaid... Bashful .. Bellmaid .. Comet Careful Skilful ., Bondsman Vaulter Victory Benedict .. Broker Bedford ., Brilliant .. Dapster .. Dashaway Darter Diligent .. Painter Plunder .. Prior Primrose ., Playful . Raglan Ravager . (22i couple) Entered 182^. Bluster Barbary Chorister Cannibal Cloister Clasper Charmer Climbank Clincher Comrade Crony Cardinal Got by Shifter, 1820 Pilot, 1821 Miracle, 1821 Rummager, 1819 Trimbush, 18 16 Miracle, 1821 Chanter, 1819 Chimer, 1820... Batchelor, 1817 Mr. Osbaldeston's Vaulter Ditto Ditto Batchelor. ditto Ditto Pontiff Restless Bloomer, 1820 Craftsman, 1822 Chanter, 18 18 Charon, 1817... ?.66 Columbine, 1825. Siren, 1817. Sally, 1 8 19. Chantress, 1820. Pastime, 1822. Boundless, 1821. Ladyblush, 18 19. Songstress, 18 16. Bonnybell, 18 16. Stately, 1820, Buxom, 1818. Damsel, 18 19. Concord, 1822. Joyous, 1819. Comfort, 1823. Whimsey, 1821. Racket, 1818. Woful, 1823. APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Dexter ••"i Dainty .1 Duster, 1821 Pastime, 1822. Delicate ... • j Dashwood } Craftsman, 1822 Damsel, 18 19. Hector Hannibal ... .1 Pilot, 1821 Harpy, 1818. Harbinger •J Juniper Joker Chimer, 1820 Jessamine, 18 19. Juggler ... Joiner .1 Lifter, 1819 Jollity, 1822. Jealousy ... ./ Lasher .\ Layman ... \ Leader, 1818 Chantress, 1820. Lexicon ... ] Limner J Lucifer Leveller ... Roderick, 1821 Ladyblush, 18 iS. Lazy Millwood ... Lord Y.'s Minister Clamorous, 1823. Rival Rosy x Ditto Woldsman Rarity, 1821. Raglan Riot \ Roderick, 1821 Lightsome, 181 8. Ransom ... .] Rampant ... Ruby Ringwood... :} .1 Rover, 1821 Watchful, 1822. Rumsey ... .[ Mr. Osbaldeston's Rasselas Concord, 1822. Remnant ... .J Trueman ... Truelass ... :} Trimbush, 1817 Factious, 1819, Prompter ... Pilot, 1821 Songstress, 18 17. Lounger ... By Lord Middleton's Chanter Ransom. (22J couple) Entered 1826. Barrister ... Buxom :} Pilot, 1821 Bellmaid, 1824. Bender Blameless... :} Boaster, 1820 Countess, 1820. Comus Chorister ... . Justice, 1822 Charmer, 1825. Cormorant .] Damper ... Duster, 1821 Brilliant, 1824, Lusty Lavish ;} Pilot, 1821 Lighthouse, 18 18. Lifter Lawless ... :} Leader, 1818 Curious, 1826. 367 APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Random >, Rocket Rockwood Rapid Ringlet Rover, 1821 Songstress, 1818. Ravager ... ...) Ringwood J Contest, 1822 Rarity, 1821. Stormer ) Sprightly j Bloomer, 1820 Stately, 1821. Valiant ' Victor Volant Voucher ... Pilot, 1821 Vanquish, 1822. Victory Vanity ^ Wildair \ Whipster \ Lifter, 1829 Wanton, 1821. Whimsey J Woodman ...\ Willing [ Wisdom ... ...J Contest, 1822 Wary, 1826. Cottager ~j Capital \ Duster, 1821 Clamorous, 1823. Careful J (i8 couple) Entered 1827. Benedict ... Barmaid ... Banquet ... Brusher ... Bonnybell... Clincher ... Chider Courtly Captious Comedy ... Columbine Collier Chanter ... Chimer Chantress... Comus Champion Conqueror Jovial Judgment Junket Boaster, 1824... Bloomer, 1820 Craftsman, 1822 Plunder, 1824 Craftsman, 1822 Roderick, 1821 Craftsman, 1822 Justice, 1822 ... 368 Riot, 1825. Cautious, 1824. Rarity, 1821. Curious, 1824. Comfort, 1823. Countess, 1820, Blameless, 1826. Ransom, 1825. APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Painter — \ Primer Pontiff ... ... Pilot, 1821 Wary, 1824. Pillager ... ... Regent Rover, 1821 Clamorous, 1823.. Regicide ... Pilot, 1821 Rumsey, 1825. Sparkler ... Singer, 1824 Pleasant, 1824. Trusty Truant Tigress Tasty Timely *■ • Sir R. Sutton's Trimbush ... Woodbine, 1824. Truelass ... .. J Vanguard... ,. Rover, 1821 Vanquish, 1822. Woodman >, Wildboy ... .. Workman... .. - Lord Lonsdale's Palafox ... Wanton, 182 1. Warble ... Welcome ... Wrangler ... Sir R. Sutton's Random Witchcraft, 1824. Ferryman ... Lord Y.'s Finder His Trifle. Benedict ... D.B.Rubens His Brilliant. (2i| couple) Entered 1828. Batchelor... Brilliant ... Bloomer, 1821 Knight, 1826. Caster Rover, 1821 Careful, 1826, Clasher ... Candid :} Proctor, 1821 Curious, 1824. Judy Roman, 1822 Jealousy, 1825. Julian ••1 Jasper •• Lord Y.'s Jailor Clamorous, 1823. Joyful ..J Jessamine Lord F.'s Joiner Stately, 1821. Lucifer Chimer, 1820 Lazy, 1825. Racket Rover, 1821 Cautious, 1824. Random ... • I Rampant ... Royster ... ; Lord Y.'s Reveller Wary, 1824. Restless ... J Rummager Rally Ditto ditto Rumsey, 1825. Solomon ... Signal Singer, 1822 Wanton, 1821. Social Streamer ... . Lord F.'s Shiner Woodbine, 1824. Striver ./ Statesman Susan :} Ditto ditto Sprightly, 1821. 369 BB APPENDIX Name Got by Talisman ... Varnish Warrior ... Windsor ... Worthy ... Willing ... Waspish ... Wishful ... Prior Pliant Famous ... (i8 couple) Entered i82g. Bellman ... Bluster Blameless... Bridesmaid Bluebell ... Bluecap ... Charon Crier Careless ... Hannibal ... Hotspur ... Hopeful ... Jealousy ... Lucifer Leveller ... Luby Lexicon ... Limner Madcap ... Ranter Remedy ... Riot Rector Ruin Rally wood Ruby Rosy Rosamond Rachel Shiner Statesman Singwell ... Try well .... Toilsome ... Trojan Tuneful Topper, 1824 ... Singer, 1822 ... Rover, 1821 Pilot, 1 82 1 Lord F.'s Fairplay Craftsman, 1822 Broker, 1824 Singer, 1822 ... Hero, 1823 ... Hermit, 1823 ... Justice, 1822 ... Layman, 1825 Menacer, 1824 Roderick, 182 1 Ditto ditto Roman, 1822... D. B. Rutland Singer, 1822 ... Craftsman, 1822 Layman, 1825 Topper, 1825 ... 370 Comfort, 1823. Vanquish, 1822. Witchcraft, 1824. Truemaid, 1824. Bellmaid, 1824. Ditto ditto Pleasant, 1824. Chantress, 1827. Courtly, 1827. Banquet, 1827. Clamorous, 1823. Lazy, 1825. Rival, 1825. Vanquish, 1829. Warble, 1827. Woodbine, 1824. Comfort, 1823. Welcome, 1827. Truemaid, 1823. Tasty, 1826. Comedy, 1826. APPENDIX Name Got by Villager ... Whisper ... Wanton ... Wrathful ... Rufus Rallj'wood Topper (20 couple) Entered iSjo. Contest Cruiser Contract ... Castor Cheerful ... Cautious ... Boundless... Fatal Lively Lavish Streamer ... Galliard ... Gameboy ... Gladsome... Gamesome Trifle Wakeful ... Nimrod Rally (9I couple) Eittered i8jt. Bonnylass... Bellmaid ... Crowner ... Conqueror Crafty Conquest ... Collier Comet Clara Churlish ... Crony Coaster Capable ... Countess ... Concord ... Hannibal ... Harmony ... Harlot D. B. Vanguard D. B. Rubens Mr. Foljambe's Random Sir T. Syke's Driver Ditto Barrister Challenger, 1826 Comus, 1827 Wildman, 1824 Roman, 1823 ... Layman, 1825 Mr. Savile's Stroker... Ditto General .. Lord Southampton's Wildboy Ditto ditto Lord Y.'s Fairplay Ditto Reveller Layman, 1825 Ditto ditto Chanter, 1824 Ditto ditto Ditto ditto Clinker, 1825... Hero, 1823 Charmer, 1825. Whimsey, 1826. His Playful. His Rally. His Costly. Witchcraft, 1824. Charmer, 1825. Barmaid, 1827. Famous, 1828. Whimsey, 1826. Curious, 1824. Lazy, 1825. Tasty, 1827. Warble, 1827. His Notable. His Careful. Bridesmaid, 182? Charmer, 1825. Whimsey, 1826. Warble, 1827. Careless, 1829. Wanton, 1829. Remedy, 1829. APPENDIX Name Got by Honesty ... Harpy Piper Pleader Prosper Playful ... Rocket Rasselas ... Ringlet ... Racket Rhapsody... Topper Tempest ... Truelass ... Trespass ... Termagant Wonder ... Warrior ... Wildair Witchcraft Glider Resolute ... Fairplay ... (19^ couple) Entered i8j2. Challenger Cruiser Client Watchman Whipster ... Whynot ... Worthy Ruler Remus Rival Rarity Ransom ... Shifter ... Singwell ... Songstress Syren Lifter Lively Laundress... Pilgrim Pilot Prudence ... Bluecap ... Harbinger... Lord Southampton's Hesperus Ditto Hannibal Layman, 1825 Clasper, 1825... Clinker, 1825... Layman, 1825 Topper, 1824 ... Layman, 1825 Wildman, 1824 Mr. Foljambe's Random ... Ditto ditto Ditto Roderick ... Comus, 1826 Layman, 1825 Mr. Foljambe's E.andoin Ditto Lucifer, 1829 Signal Chanter, 1827 Clasper, 1825 ... Regent, 1827 ... Willing. Woodbine, 1824. Pleasant, 1822. Pliant, 1822. Rival, 1825. Rapid, 1826. Captious, 1827. Toilsome, 1828. Comfort, 1823. His Gaylass. His Racket. His Freedom. Victory, 1827. Willing, 1826. Rapid, 1826. Careless, 1829. Buxom, 1826. Pliant, 1828. Barmaid, 1827. Harlot, 1831. APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Hazard ] Hesperus • Woodman, 1827 Handmaid. Hasty i Tidings Striver, 1828 Toilsome, 1829. Coroner ... ...\ Churlish ... ...J Favorite Lord Y.'s Chaser Brilliant, 1828. Ditto Freeman Pleasant, 1824. Rosy Sir T. Sykes' Barrister Rachel, 1829. Chimer Lord Y.'s Chanticleer Lord Lonsdale's (i6j couple) Careful. Entered 1833. Dragon Lord Y.'s Druid Trifle, 1830. Layman -^ Libertine ... Luther Liberty ... ...)■ Lounger, 1825 Comedy, 1827. Lofty Lightsome Lazy i Lasher ... ...^ Lictor ... ... 1^ Lenity Lawless i Limner, 1829 Captious, 1827. Factor \ Furrier Frolic ... ... ■ Mr. Savile's Carver Famous, 1828.' Frantic Fearless ' Fleecer Lord Y.'s Furrier Rachel, 1829. Governess Lord Lonsdale's Grecian ... Wanton, 1829. Noble Nimrod, 1830 Cheerful, 1830. Songster \ Singer J Sparkler, 1827 Barmaid, 1827. Rector | Rover ... ... r Rummager, 1828 CraftJ^, 183 1. Relish i Roman Ditto Conquest, 1831. Mender Lord Y.'s Chaser Ruby, 1829. Traitor ' Transport... ... _ Trollop j Truelove ... ...-' Chanter, 1827 Tempest, 1831. Try well \ Trespass ... ...J Topper, 1829 Remedy, 1829. Talisman ' Truant Trueboy ... ... - Ditto ditto Rhapsody, 1831. Tuneful Tragedy 573 APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Trimbush ... Topper, 1829 Whimsey, 1826. Senator From Mr, Foljambe (20 couple) Entered 18J4. Active Sir H. Goodricke's Absolute Charmer, 1825. Boaster Mr. Osbaldeston's Boaster ... His Careful. Bluster \ Bounty J Benedict, 1826 Lavish, 1830. Conqueror ...1 Cruiser J Lord Lonsdale's Lictor Crony, 1830, Chanter ) Chantress... ...j Lounger, 1825 Conquest, 1831. Capital -x Contest Comely ... ... I Benedict, 1827 Cheerful, 1830. Cruel Cautious ... ...J Cayman ' Gamester ... Governor ... Guider Gulliver Benedict Gamesome, 1830. Grasper General Glory Gravity ^ Grappler ) Gallant Graceful j Chanter, 1827 Gladsome, 1830. Hero Sir H. Goodricke's Hercules Rarity, 1832. Lucy Lucifer, 1829 Laundress, 1832. Plunder \ Positive J Rockwood, 1826 Playful, 1 83 1. Royal -, Rapid ( Racket ) Nimrod, 1830 Ruby, 1827. Rampant Rockvi'ood, 1826 Rosy, 1832. Tomboy ... ...-n Trouncer ( Rummager, 1828 Tempest, 1831. Tracer ... ...) Woodbine Lucifer, 1829 Whimsey, 1826. (i8| couple) Entered i8jj. Benedict v Boaster Bauble Bashful ■ Benedict, 1827 Crafty, 1830. Boxsome Blameless... Bluebell 374 APPENDIX Got by Dam Bluster Chanticleer Foreman ... Famous Lash wood Leader Prompter ... Promise ... Rustic Raglan Rally Rachel Ruthless ... Solomon ... Sprightly ... Siren Ripster Romulus ... Remnant ... Rapture ... Rakish Remedy ... Ruin Social Stripling ... Trusty Tasty Timely Chaser Careful Captious ... Curious Candid Priestess ... Twister Toilet Vanquish ... Rakish (22J couple) Entered r8j6. Chorister ... Charon Champion... Boundless... Challenger Collier Comedy ... Costly Furrier, 1833... Rummager, 1828 Furrier, 1833 ... Lifter, 1832 ... Regent, 1827,.. Rally wood, 1829 Lucifer, 1829... Wonder, 1831 Leveller Striver, 1828 Leveller, 1827 Rasselas, 1831 Leader, 1831 Sir T. Sykes' Rally wood, 1829 Vanguard Lord Y.'s Chaser Lord Lonsdale's Fencer Nimrod, 1830 Chimer, 1832.., 375 Bonnylass, 1830. Crony, 1831. Gladsome, 1830. Relish, 1833. Prudence, 1832. Bellmaid, 1830. Ruby, 1829. Syren, 1832. Rarity, 1832. Rival, 1832. Truelove, 1833. Clara, 1831. Gamesome, 1830 Tempest, 1831. Laundress, 1832. His Careful. Capable, 1831. Bonnylass, 1831. Conquest, 1831. APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Ferryman... Fairplay ... Flourish ... Fatal, 1830 Rosy, 1832. Factious ... Grecian Gainer Governess... Nimrod, 1830 Gladsome, 1831. Gamesome Gaiety Guilty ;:} Rasselas, 1831 Gamesome, 1830. Luby Lottery ... Lavish ::J Lucifer, 1829 Graceful. Lady Laundress... Nelly Nathan ... Noble Sir R. Sutton's Ringwood ... Nimrod, 1830 Lofty, 1833. Crony, 1831. Nestor Nimble ... Nightshade Nora Ditto ditto Crafty, 1831. Royal Riot Restless ... ;} Rummager, 1828 Rhapsody, 1831. Runaway ... Rosebud ... Lucifer, 1829 Ringlet, 1831, Ransom ... Trimbush... Rally wood, 1831 Rapid, 1834. Tapster ... Tidings Tamerlane Truant Rummager, 1835 Watchman, 1834 Trollop, 1833. Tempest, 1831. Whipster ... Welcome ... Wonder, 1831 Rarity, 1832. Toilsome ... Trespass ... Dexter Roderick ... Redrose ... Sir R. Sutton's Woldsman ... Trifle, 1830. Ditto Darter Rasselas, 1831 Glory, 1 83 1. Ransom, 1832. (24 couple) Entered i8jy. Ardent Artful Active D. B. Abelard Levity, 1833. Bounty Commodore Comfort ... Chimer, 1832 Ditto ditto Bellmaid, 1831. Buxom, 1835. 376 APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Fatal ) Flasher [ Factor, 1833 Bauble, 1833. Favorite ... ...) Foiler ^ Foreman [ Fairmaid ... Famous j Ditto ditto Gladsome, 1830. Lissom Rector, 1833 Lively, 1832. Rafter >. Regicide \ Governor, 1834 Rosy, 1832. Ringwood... ...J Regent ^ Rival 1 Ringlet j Mr. Heron's Romulus Rhapsody, 1831. Rapture -' Saladin 1 Symphony ... [ Nimrod, 1830 Sprightly, 1835. Sempstress ...) Sparkler Ditto ditto Songstress, 1832. Topper Factor, 1833 Transport, 1833. Trimmer \A7ilHman ^ Rector, 1833 Tempest, 1831. Watchman Warrior ... ... r Wonder, 1831 Rehsh, 1833. Watchful Welcome ... ..J Willing Wildair, 1831 Remedy, 1831. Rosamond Bluecap, 1832 Rapid, 1834. Pliant Rector, 1833 Positive, 1834- {\']\ couple) Entered 1838. Barrister ... Bellman ... ... ■ Bluecap, 1832 Relish, 1833. Bonnylass Clasher \ Cheerful j Lasher, 1833 Chantress, 1834. Chider Conqueror Charmer ... ... Factor, 1S33 Careful, 1835. Chanter Crafty Fencer " Ferryman... ... Fairplay Frisky Furrier, 1833 Rhapsody, 1831. Fearnought ..."j Flamer [ Governor, 1834 Flourish, 1836. Fervent i 377 APPENDIX Name Got by Dam General ... ■ \ Rasselas, 1831 Guider Grasper ... Gamesome, 1836. Gravity- Lucifer Lounger ... ■ \ Bluecap, 1832 Lenity, 1833. Lofty Factor, 1833 Lively, 1833. Random ... > Rambler ... Rocket Rally • - Wildair, 1831 Ringlet, 1831. Rival Rarity • J Rallywood Rakish ... '\ Bluecap, 1832 Riot, 1836. Sampson ... • '- Songster, 1833 Shifter Signal Remedy, 1835. Sportly (i8 couple) Entered iSjg. Bloomer ... Boaster ■ \ Bluecap, 1832 Rapture, 1837. Craftsman ■ ^ Rasselas, 1831 Comus Charmer ... Countess, 1831. Clamorous Carver Carnage ... ■ - Trouncer, 1834 Comely, 1834. Combat ... Chimer, 1832 Careful, 1835. Festive Faithful ... •| Factor, 1833 Rachel, 1835. Harmony ... Mr. Drake's Hector Ransom, 1836. Platofif ... Prior Lord Lonsdale's Platoff Racket, 1834. Promise ... Paragon ... Lifter Positive, 1834. Render . r Rasselas, 1831 Racer Rafter Pliant, 1835. Rosy Relish Ranter .^ Ringwood... Rover • \ Ditto ditto Remedy, 1835. Ruin Sampson ... Skilful ... •I Mr. Drake's Sultan Chantress, 1835. 378 APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Trueman ... Telltale ... Trusty Trojan Try well Victor Vanity Vicious Barmaid ... (i8 couple) Entered 1840. Affable ... Banker Clinker Captive Cora Bertram ... Fanciful ... Frantic Flighty Fencer Fabulist ... Fallacy Gamester... Governess Furrier Lifter Liberty Pilgrim Partner Pasture Prudence ... Previous ... Prowler Pleader Pedlar Proctor Primer Pilot Promise ... Policy Remus Rhapsody... Sportsman Splendor ... Tarquin ... Whisper ... Needful ... (18J couple) Factor, 1S33 D.B. Warrior Lord Lonsdale's Vampyre Bluecap, 1832 Rector, 1833 Ditto Capital, 1834 Factor, 1833 ... Prompter, 1835 Ditto Fatal, 1837 Ditto Governor, 1834 Rector, 1833 Prompter, 1835 Factor, 1833 Mr. Lambton's Pedlar Rector, 1833 Factor, 1833 Rector, 1833 Ditto ditto Sir R. Sutton's Seaman Prompter, 1835 379 Toilet, 1835. Toilsome, 1836. Rosamund, 1837. Rapture, 1837. Artful, 1837. Buxom, 1835. Redrose, 1836. Costly, 1836. Comfort. Bauble, 1835. Rachel, 1835. Woodbine, 1834. Comedy, 1836. Factious, 1834. Lissom. Pliant, 1837. Gaylass, 1836. Positive, 1834. Remedy, 1835. Sprightly, 1835. Toilet, 1835. Willing, 1837. Nightshade, 1836. APPENDIX Name Got by Dam E7ifered 1841. Carver Concord . ' c Champion, 1836 Racket, 1834. Clasher Capital, 1834 Festive, 1839. Crony Champion, 1836 Comfort, 1837. Cottager . •1 Comrade . • f Governor, 1834 Crafty, 1839. Capable . J Falstaff . Favorite . ;| Ditto Faithful, 1839. Flasher Conqueror Factious, 1836. General . Gambol . ■} Guider, 1838 Runaway, 1836. Garnish . .] Gaudy .| Fatal, 1839 Gamesome, 1836. Guilty Galliard . Governor, 1834 Rachel, 1835. Glory . Guider, 1838 Rakish, 1838. Royal Champion, 1836 Rarity, 1838. Racer Governor, 1834 Riot, 1836. Tinman 1 Trinket \ Trunmer, 1837 Rally, 1838. Wonder . '\ ^^arbler I Whipster . ■ j Roderick, 1836 Woodbine, 1834. Wildair . Piper '.\ Pontifif . . \ Lord Lonsdale's Lasher Pliant, 1837. Plunder . J Miner Marmion . ■■ \ Lord F.'s Marmion Remedy, 1835. (15 CO uple) Corrected from Mr. Foljambe's book Entered 1842. Chanticleer, 1835 Barrister, 1838 Collier, 1836 ... Comus, 1838 ... Champion, 1836 Aimwell Bluecap Baronet Charity Coroner Freeman Flambeau Factor Fleecer Famous Frolic F"estive Fugleman Fountain Lusty Speedwell Lord F.'s Flambeau , Fatal, 1837 ... Ditto ditto ... Lord F.'s Shiner 380 1842. Active, 1839. Factious, 1836. Carnage, 1839. Remedy, 1835. Flighty, 1840, Gamesome, 1836. Rosebud, 1836. Lottery, 1836. Sempstress, 1837. APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Nathan \ Niobe ... ...J Comus, 1839 Nightshade, 1838. Rally wood ...\ Rosalind Ringworm ... - Commodore, 1837 Rally, 1838. Rampish ... Ransom ) Rufus Roderick, 1836 Fairmaid, 1837. Ready- Lord Lonsdale's Marshal ... Runaway, 1838. Trusty ^ Tracer Topper ... ... - Tamerlane, 1836 Skilful, 1839. Talisman ... Trespass j (15 couple) Goodalfs first entry. Entered 184J. Amulet \ Audrey J Bertram, 1840 Active, 1837. Bluster \ Blucher ... ... 1 Barmaid j Ditto ditto Rosebud, 1836. Bashful J Cruiser Barrister, 1838 Crafty, 1838. Caroline Chaser, 1835 Tasty, 1839. Fervent ... ..." Flourisher Fortune ... ... - Fencer, 1840 Rally, 1838. Flagrant Flasher ... Gleaner ^ German ... ... r Golden J Trueman, 1839 Gaudy, 1841. Glancer ... Grappler Glider " Guilesome Guider, 1838 Carnage, 1839. Hector Chanticleer, 1835 Harmony, 1839. Nimrod Guider, 1S38 Needful, 1840. Prosper ... Plunder Prudence ... ... j Comus, 1839 Pastime, 1840. Parable i Pillager Chanticleer, 1835 Promise, 1840. Songster \ Social 1 Senator ... ... " Stormer ... Saladin, 1837 Glory, 1 84 1. Entering in 1843, 1 5I couples. 45 couple came ir 1. 5^ couple lost by distemper. 22 coup e going, and 5 couple old drafts 381 id. APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Entered 1844. Artist *\ Roderick, 1S36 Active, 1837. Banker Bounty ::} Lord Y.'s Basilisk Clamorous, 1837. Captious Render, 1839 Cheerful, 1838. Coaster Clasper, 1838 Sempstress, 1839. Faithful ■* Fairplay, 1838 Festive, 1842. Forager Furrier, 1840 Ringworm, 1842, Graceful Guider, 1838 Concord, 1841. Mentor Melody ;:} Minor, 1841 Rosalind, 1842. Nectar Lord Y.'s Basilisk Needful, 1840. President Ditto Plunder Flighty, 1840. Palafox _ ■■ Platoff Petulant - Trueman, 1839 Promise, 1840. Plausible Pirate Fearnought, 1838 Policy, 1840. Ruler ' Rhymer Roister - Sportsman, 1840 Rally, 1838. Rancorous .. Ruin Ruthful ;:} Rover, 1839 Crony, 1841. Sultan Comus, 1839 Symphony, 1837. Tomboy Tidesman ::} Conqueror, 1838 Tasty, 1839. 1844, 13 couples entered. Only 2oi came in from being lost at quarters by distemper. 7 couple going ; quarters, 43 couple 2 old were drafted. Efitered 184^. Amorous Bloomer Bluebell Brenda Brilliant Chorister Countess Craftsman Cardinal Driver Factious Freedom Gamester Guider Gainer Gladsome Gamesome Fervent, 1843 Bertram, 1840 General, 1841 Comus, 1839 ... Sir R. Sutton's Driver Roderick, 1836 Trimmer, 1837 General, 1841 382 Audrey, 1843. Symphony, 1837. Charity, 1842. Fanciful, 1840. Capable, 1841, Frolic, 1842. Glory, 1 84 1. Favourite, 1841. APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Jealousy ... •1 Julia 4 Mr. Drake's Jacobin, 1844 ... Festive, 1842. Jargon •J Proctor Piper :} Pedlar, 1840 Ready, 1842. Painter General, 1841 Paragon, 1839. Rustic •, Raglan Royal Trueman, 1839 Rally, 1838. Remnant ... Remus Rufus :} Lord Lonsdale's Lasher Pliant, 1837. Sailor Mr. Green's Shiner ... Clamorous, 1839. Sampson ... '■1 Singwell ... Fencer, 1840 Sempstress, 1837. Songstress Trouncer ... Truelass ... :} Trimmer, 1837 Runaway, 1836. Trimmer ... Timon, 1841 ... Policy, 1840. ' 1 8 couple enters ;d. 58 couple to quarters, and 52 couple came in. 33 couple draft se nt t Lord Shannon, and i couple to Mr. Hodgson. Entered 1846. Rakish Rambler, 1838 Charity, 1842. Sanguine ... Lord F.'s Shiner Golden, 1843. Hermit Ditto Hermit Fallacy, 1840. Messmate... Ditto Monarch ... Gaudy, 1841. Pilot :) Proctor Victor, 1839 Promise, 1840. Pleasant ... Rover Render • Render, 1839 Niobe, 1842. Remedy ... J Rockwood ■1 Regent • Nimrod, 1843 Ready, 1842. Reckless ... .J Freeman ... Render, 1839 Festive, 1842. Fatal Folly :} Fencer, 1840 Carnage, 1839. Fleecer Mr. Foljambe's Fleecer Vanity, 1839. Primer Pedlar Peeress Ditto Plunder ... Favourite, 1841. Policy •J Gamester ... :} Guilty Fencer, 1840 Glory, 1 84 1. Boxer Bauble :} Bertram, 1840 Frohc, 1842. Prodigal ... Pastime ... :} Comus, 1839 Plausible, 1844. 383 APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Bluster ... ...^ Benedict ... Blucher Bonnylass... Barbara ... Falstaff, 1841 Bashful, 1843. Champion Stormer ... -1 Lord F.'s Shiner Concord, 1841 (2nc litter). Singer Solon ::;} Ditto ditto Fortune, 1843. Crony Bounty Blameless... :i} General, 1841 Baronet, 1842 Concord, 1841. Barmaid, 1843. Entered 19I couple, Entered 184^. Actress Bondsman Bajazet Basilisk ... Betsy Charlotte ... Captious ... Ferryman ... Fearnought Fairy Gossip Gaiety Norman ... Needwood Needful ... Nightshade Pilot Prompter ... Pleasant ... Positive . Rocket Rival Rallywood Rosebud . Seaman Telltale . Vicious Vesta 27 couple drafted. 465 couple came in. ;;;} ;;;} Mr. Lumley's Albion Sampson, 1845 Mr. A. Smith's Nabob Ditto Bobadil Guider, 1845 Bertram, 1840 Falstaff, 1841 Mr. Lumley's Fleecer General, 1841 Nimrod, 1843 President, 1844 Comus, 1839 Grapler, 1843... Lord F.'s Rallywood Raglan, 1845 Furrier, 1840 ... Trouncer, 1844 General, 1841 Capable, 1841. Barmaid, 1843. His Termagant. His Concord. Concord, 1841. Fanciful, 1840. Ruthful, 1844. His Buxom. Brenda, 1845. Speedwell, 1842. Golden, 1843. Glory, 1 84 1. Rosalind, 1842. Melody, 1844. Bashful, 1843. Singwell, 1844. Guilesome, 1843. Vanity, 1839. None 14 couple entered. Sent out 60 couple, 40 of which came in. lost at home by distemper. Entered 1848. Buxom Blithesome - L Falstaff, 1 841 Bashful, 1843. Blissful r ' -t ' -fj Bellmaid 384 APPENDIX Name Got by^ Dam Conqueror Chorister ... ■ \ Craftsman, 1845 Bauble, 1846, Clinker Careful . \ Ditto ditto Promise, 1840. Clamorous J Foiler Fugleman, 1842 Frolic, 1842. Furrier Furrier, 1840 Guilesome, 1843. Faithful . Platoff, 1844 Freedom, 1845. Flourish . Falstaff, 1841 Remedy, 1846. Nathan . \ Nectar, 1844 ... Novelty Plausible, 1844. Needless Pilgrim Duke of Beaufort's Potentate Guilty, 1846. Plunder Rock wood, 1846 Policy, 1846. Playful . Platoff, 1844 Gambol, 1844. Ranter Redrose ;| Raglan, 1845 Truelass, 1845. Rambler Rally ■ \ General, 1841 Rakish, 1838, Stormer V Selim Symphony Skilful Mr. Lumley's Stormer Fortune, 1843. Scandal Sprightly .7 Truant Trinket ■ \ Trouncer, 1845 Capable, 1841. Tempest D. B. Potentate Sir R. Sutton's Trespass. 72 couple sent out. couple from distemper, and put 16 couple on after cub-hunting. Entered i84g. Archer Abigail :: :::} Baronet, 1842 Bluecap Ditto ditto Barrister Ditto ditto Chanter Router, 1844 ... Frantic !.' ".'.\ Flighty Fugleman, 1842 Fanciful J Prodigal \ Pleader Proctor, 1846... Purity Prowler Primer, 1846 ... Reveller ".'..\ Roister Falstaff, 1 84 1... Rioter J Sepoy Shiner :: ::;} Mr. Lumley's Sultan 385 Actress, 1847. Vicious, 1847. Jargon, 1845. Charlotte, 1847. Rosebud, 1847. Remedy, 1846. Barmaid, 1843. Remnant, 1845. His Frantic. c c APPENDIX Natne Got by Syren Solitude ... Sempstress Spinster ... Sultan Sprightly ... Sportly Speedwell... Foreman ... Trueman ... Nightshade Rampish ... Rifler Rector Brusher ... Factor (17 couple) 70 couple to quarters. 45 couple came in. Drafted 24 couple. Put forward 21 couple. Lost by distemper, 21 couple. The distemper very bad this season. Stormer, 1848 Mr. Lumley's Singer Ditto Rifler Baronet, 1842 Mr. Lumley's Plunder Ditto Render Ditto Rifler Sir R. Sutton's Trusty Guider, 1845 Dam Bauble, 1846. Guilty, 1846. Fortune, 1843, Truelass, 1845. Niobe, 1843. Blameless, 1845. Bluebell, 1845. His Barmaid. Fairy, 1849. Entered 18^0. Bashful ... Barmaid ... Comus Clasper Chanticleer Candid Costly Concord ... Ferryman... Flamer Fairplay ... Fugleman... Fallacy Fortune ... Fairmaid ... Famous Falstaff ... Gainer Gaylass Partridge ... Rhapsody... Remnant ... Playmate ... Prior Pillager ... Potentate ... Ringlet Mr. Foljambe's Fleecer Bloomer, 1845 Champion, 1846 Mr. Williams' Playmate Ditto Fairplay Gainer, 1845 Mr. Foljambe's Fleecer j- Guider, 1845 Mr. Williams' Playmate Render, 1846 Bauble, 1845. Fortune, 1843. Barmaid, 1843. Factious, 1844. Truelass, 1845. Songstress, 1845. Skilful, 1848. Remnant, 1845. Fairy, 1848. Gamesome, 1845. APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Random ... Ransom \ Bloomer, 1845 Rosalind, 1842. Caroline ... Comfort ... - Grappler, 1843 Caroline, 1843. Trusty ^ Tamerlane Telltale Tuneful Prompter, 1847 Telltale, 1849. Tragedy ... Toilet - Foiler Sampson - Mr. Foljambe's Fleecer /Julia, 1845. \ Sanguine, 1846. (19^ couple) 75 couple sent oi It. 65 couple came in. Draftee 45 couple. A very good entry. Entered i8ji. 1 Junket 1! r Stormer, 1848 Joyful Julia, 1845. Jadish Destiny 1 Dauntless \ Mr. Drake's Duster Barbara, 1846. Dainty J Guider Gladsome j- Ditto ditto Gamesome, 1845. Clinker \ Lord Y.'s Rally wood Contract Chaser Caroline, 1850. Capable Rosy Ditto ditto Redrose, 1848. Fretful Nectar, 1844 Faithful, 1848. Nabob Ditto Solitude, 1849. Notary Nimrod Niobe - Ditto ditto Blithesome, 1848. Nosegay !- Prompter, 1849 Viceroy Victory Vicious, 1849. Blucher Nectar, 1S44 Blameless. Rachel Raglan, 1845 Freedom, 1845. Roderic Ditto ditto Fairy, 1849. Tuneful Toilsome ... \ Trouncer, 1845 Skilful, 1848. Solon Stormer, 1848 Bauble, 1846. Promise Ditto ditto Pleasant, 1847. Rufus Mr. Drake's Duster Mr. Lowndes' Rival. Bertram Stormer, 1848 Betsy, 1847. Stately Ditto ditto Rosebud, 1847. Nicety Nectar, 1844 Buxom, 1848. Capture Fearnought, 1847 Captious, 1847. Sent out 70 coup e. 45 couple came in. Drafted 28-2 couple. 387 APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Entered 18^2. Selim Sylvia • Mr. Drake's Duster Sprightly, 1849. Syren J Songstress Singwell ... :| Ditto ditto Solitude, 1849. Freeman ... Sepoy, 1849 Faithful, 1848. General ... Gamesome '■] Rifler, 1849 Gamesome, 1845. Rector .\ Random ... . Lord Y.'s Rallywood Rosebud, 1847. Ruby J Rasselas ... Ditto ditto Factious, 1845. Royal •1 Regent Rustic, 1845 Fairy, 1847. Ruler Crafty Lord Y.'s Rallywood Captious, 1847. Lictor "\ Limner Lucifer :[ Ditto ditto Barmaid, 1850. Layman ... J Nigel Rustic, 1845 Nightshade, 1849. Banker Rifler, 1849 Bashful, 1850. Toiler Gainer, 1850 ... Fairmaid, 1850. Bedlam Boaster ... Blameless... Mr. Foljambe's Wildair His Bonnylass. :} Stormer, 1848 Bauble, 1846. Bachelor ... Lord Y.'s Rallywood Blameless, 1848. Ferryman ... Sultan, 1849 Freedom, 1845. Painter Painter, 1845 Gaylass, 1850. Tomboy ... Trimbush... :'} Lord Y.'s Rallywood Trinket, 1848. Saladin Ditto ditto Songstress, 1845. Sent out 75 couple. 45 couple came in. Kept 16 couple. A fine entry of dogs. Bitches rather too small. Enteted iSjj. Bloomer ... Bertram ... Byron Bella Betsy Barbara ... Beauty Charity Charmer ... Cheerful ... Countess ... Champion Duster Lord Y.'s Rallywood Ditto ditto Lord H. Bentinck's Contest Champion, 1846 Comus, 1850 ... Champion, 1846 388 Ruin, 1844. Barbara, 1846. Bluebell, 1845. Symphony, 1848. Skilful, 1848. Dainty, 1851. APPENDIX Name Goi by Dam Frantic Sultan, 1849 ... Famous, 1850. Grappler \ Gambler ... ...j Rifler, 1849 Gaylass, 1850. Lady Layman, 1852 Needful, 1847. Pliant Sultan, 1849 Promise, 1851. Phillis Comus, 1850 Charlotte, 1847. Rally wood ...\ Racket \ Ruthless J Lord Y.'s Rally wood Speedwell, 1849. Roguish ... Grove Roister Lord H. Bentinck's Rantipole. Rakish \ Ringlet j Mr. Fox's Ringwood His Ruby. Songster ... Sultan, 1849 Niobe, 185 1. Tragedy Clasper, 1850 Tempest, 1848. Warfare Mr. Willoughby's Clinker ... His Willing. (14 couple) 83 couple sent to quarters. 31 couple only cai ne in. Drafted 16 couple. Entered 18^4. Bluebell Lord Y.'s Bellman Mr. Foljambe's Barbara. Caroline ... ...\ Charlotte - Capture j Sultan, 1849 Capable, 1851. Chanter '\ Comedy ... ... V Lucifer, 1852 Captive, 1851. Careful J Factor ... ...^ Freeman \ Lord H. Bentinck's Charon Famous, 1850. Fanciful ... ...J Gallant \ Governor ... ...J Lord Y.'s Rally wood Gamesome, 1852. Ladyblush ...1 Lenity j Lucifer, 1852 Captious, 1847. Nathan ■ Nigel Needless h Nigel, 1852 Blameless, 1852. Nightshade Rover >, Rosebud ... Redwing I Gainer, 1850 Rosy, 185 1. Redrose ... Rival J Fairplay ... Grove Forester Syren Stormer ... ...\ Scornful I Comus, 1850 Sylvia, 1852. Scandal J 389 APPENDIX Name Got by Datn Sailor " Seaman ... Senator Sempstress Lord Y.'s Rally wood Songstress, 1852. Saladin Lucifer, 1852 Speedwell, 1849. Sparkler Nigel, 1852 Spinster, 1849. Trimbush ... Lord H. Bentinck's Champion Tuneful, 185 1. Trusty Mr. Foljambe's Forester ... Trinket, 1848. (17 couple) Eiitered 1855. Chorister \ Chorus ... ...j Chaser, 1851 Blameless, 1852. Cautious Clinker, 1851 Fairmaid, 1850. Collier Nathan, 1848 Cheerful, 1853. Clasher \ Cromwell ... ...J Ditto ditto Charmer, 1853. Druid S. - Duchess ... Dowager ... ... - Sir R. Sutton's Dryden Tuneful, 1851. Daphne ... Destitute ... Doleful Ditto ditto Famous, 1850. Dihgent \ Dauntless... .../ Mr. Drake's Lucifer Dainty, 1851. Driver Chaser, 1851 Destiny, 185 1. Gamester S. . . . \ Graceful J Guider, 1851 Ruby, 1852. Lifter 1 Lexicon S. ... 1 Lucy Mr. Drake's Lucifer Songstress, 1852. Lofty , Novelty Notary, 1851 Stately, 1851. Remus ... ...\ Rally j Sir R. Sutton's Trojan Rosy, 1 85 1. Ransom ... Nathan, 1848 Roguish, 1853. Singer S ^ Sportly \ Speedwell J Comus, 1850 Syren, 1852. 50 couple came in. Kept 14 couple. Etitered i8j6. Contract ... Challenger ...\ Careless ... ...J Denmark ... Dulcet Fleecer Guider, 185 1 Chaser, 185 1 Duke of Beaufort's Rufus Sir R. Sutton's Dexter Falstaff, 1850... Charmer, 1853. Destiny, 185 1. Dainty, 1851. Tuneful, 1851. Lord Portsmouth's Sportive. APPENDIX Name Got by Gainer Gertrude Gracious Hotspur Harmony Lictor Lively Nectar Norman Needwood Needful Pleasant Rosalind Rockwood ...\ Rampish Remnant ... ... V Rhapsody /. Rarity Rufus Sanguine Starlight 48 couple came in Entered iSjy. Chanticleer Comely Countess Clara Conqueror Cardinal Comrade Herald _ , Harpy ... ...J Hector Hostess ... .../ Lavish Nimrod Nosegay Oscar Proctor Primer Plunder Rector Remus Ruin Raglan Rachel Rapture Statesman. Sportsman (13 couple) Gambler Sir R. Sutton's Hercules Duke of Beaufort's Rufus ... Guider, 1S51 Ditto ditto Ditto ditto Duke of Beaufort's Rufus ... Ditto Ditto ditto ditto ditto Ditto Guider, 1851 Ditto ditto Sir R. Sutton's Dexter Sempstress, 1854. Roguish, 1853. Sprightly, 1849. Ladyblush, 1854. Needless, 1854. Pliant, 1853. Rakish, 1853. Betsy, 1853. Roguish, 1853 (2nd litter). Gladsome, 185 1. Ruby, 1852. Stately, 185 1. Songstress, 1852. 13I couple put forward. Distemper very bad. Chacer, 1851 Comus, 1850 ... Ditto ditto Ditto ditto Lord F.'s Harbinger Duke of Beaufort's Rufus Lucifer, 1852 Guider, 185 1 ... Lord F.'s Ottoman ... Mr. Foljambe's Finder Rally wood, 1855 Duke of Beaufort's Rufus Lord F.'s Singer Ditto ditto Needless, 1854. Destiny, 1851. Gladsome, 185 1. Rosy, 1 85 1. Dainty, 185 1. Niobe, 1851. Stately, 185 1. Novelty, 1855. Redwing, 1854. Phillis, 1853. Gamesome, 1852. Destitute, 1855. Ladyblush, 1854. Rakish, 1853. APPENDIX Name Got by Vain Entered i8j8. Alfred \ Agent J Trusty, 1854 Nightshade, 1S54. Bertram \ Bonnylass J Lord Y.'s Sportsman Blameless, 1852. Bondsman Banker, 1852 Rally, 1855. Craftsman ...\ Cruiser J Mr. Foljambe's Duster Charmer, 1853. Flighty \ Furious V Famous J Ditto Finder Duchess, 1855. Hermit Gamester, 1855 Harmony, 1856. Limner Comus, 1850 Ladyblush, 1854. Nabob \ Norah J Lord Y.'s Noble Dulcet, 1856. Partner Gamester, 1855 Lord H. Bentinck's Patience. Ready \ Rakish J Rallywood, 1853 Needless, 1854. Redcap Comus, 1850 ... Ruby, 1852. Stormer 1 Stripling ... .../ Guider, 1851 Stately, 1851. Striver 1 Stentor / Trusty, 1854 Sanguine, 1856, Trimmer Ditto ditto Ruthless, 1853. Waspish ^ Willing Wanton - Rallywood, 1853 Destiny, 1851. Wishful Woful Wisdom \ Wary / Mr. Foljambe's Wildboy ... Dowager, 1855. (15 J couple) Hounds entered by C hooper. Eftfered iSjg. Candid ^ Capable Chorister - Comus, 1850 Ruby, 1852. Comrade Comus Clinker Ditto ditto Ransom, 1855. Gaylass Gamester, 1855 Rosebud, 1854. Factor Sailor, 1854 Frantic, 1853. Guider \ Glory J Guider, 1851 Roguish, 1853. Hasty Ditto ditto Harmony, 1856. Pilot \ Pastime / Selim, 1852 Phillis, 1853. 592 APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Regent Seltm, 1852 Rachel, 1857. Rosy 1 Ringlet j Rally wood, 1853 Dowager, 1855. Rocket \ Restless j Ditto ditto Needful, 1856. Render \ Roman \ Royalty J Ditto ditto Destitute, 1855. Rasselas Raglan Riot Reckless Ditto ditto Nightshade, 1855 Rapture ... ■RntVifnl I\.UIIUU1 ... ... Ransom ... Rosamond Saladin Singer, 1855 Ruthless. 1853. Sparkler ... Comus, 1850 Songstress, 1852.. Scandal Warwickshire Saffron Rosalind, 1856. (17 couple) 52 couple came Entered Bertram Barmaid Cheerful Clasper Dainty Destiny Duster Finder Fearless Foreman Gamesome Grappler Layman Lictor Nectar Nancy Nimble Niobe Nathan Nelson Paragon Resolute Rarity Racket Ruby Reveller Rover i860. in. Drafted ^iZ couple. Lord F.'s Rasselas ... Rally wood, 1853 Ditto Ditto Mr. Foljambe's Rocket Lexicon, 1835 Fairplay, 1854 Gambler, 1853 Lexicon, 1855 Ditto Rallywood, 1853 Fairplay, 1854 Lifter, 1855 Lexicon, 1855 Fairplay, 1854 Rallywood 393 Betsy, 1853. Clara, 1857. Daphne, 1855. Flighty. His Frantic. Frantic, 1853. Graceful, 1855. Speedwell, 1855. Syren, 1852. Lenity, 1854. Needful, 1856. Nosegay, 1857. Phillis, 1853. Rosalind, 1856. Ready, 1858. Duchess, 1855. APPENDIX Natne Got by Syren ... ...^ Sprightly j Telltale Wrangler ... (15J couple) Sent to quarters, 70 couple. 50 couple came in. Ente7-ed 1861. Bella Barbara Castor Caroline Countess Chaser Chanter Champion Comfort Falstaff Foiler Ferryman Flamer Fairmaid Fortune Fervent Festive Furrier Heedless Hercules Heroine Dimity Delicate Drayman Lady Lucy Layman Statesman Songstress Sylvia Scandal Sportsman Traitor Tomboy ... Trueman ... Truelass ... Tiansit (185 couple) 75 couple sent out Entered 1862. Byron Lord F.'s Fugleman. Trusty, 1854 ... Lifter, 1855 ... Mr. Fitzwilliam's Rasselas . Stormer, 1858 Singer, 1855 Fairplay, 1854 Ditto ditto Mr. Fitzwilliam's Foreman. Gamester, 1855 Rally wood, 1853 Limner, 1858 Singer, 1855 .. Sailor, 1854 .. Gamester, 1855 Trusty, 1854 Ditto Dam 55 couple came in. Rally wood 394 Sportly, 1855. Singwell, 1852. Wisdom, 1858. Bella, 1853. Caroline, 1854. Comedy, 1854. Countess, 1857. Lenity, 1854. Racket, 1853. Harmony, 1856. Destitute, 1855. Syren, 1852. Ladyblush, 1854. Dowager, 1855. Bonnylass, 1858. WilUng, 1858. Rapture, 1859. Bonnylass. APPENDIX Barrister ... Betsy Blissful ... Carver Crony Dexter Dentist Driver Dabster ... Dorcas Dairymaid Dewdrop ... Daffodil ... Dryden Fugleman... Frenzy Flimsy Flighty Freedom ... Fallacy Fatal Fencer Gracious ... Governess... Gaylad Gambler ... General Gainer Gallant Governor ... Graceful . . . Needless ... Lively Lofty Rambler ... Ringwood... Rector Redwing ... Redrose ... Rocket Remedy ... Needful ... Norman ... Nelson Skilful Solon Senator Singwell ... Susan Got by Mr. Foljambe's Bellman Comrade Druid Trusty Rufus ... Fairplay Ditto Mr. Fox's General ... Gamester Fairplay Trimmer Lexicon Lexicon Rallywood Ditto Stormer Singer... Dam Rampish. Lucy. Redcap. Diligent. Duchess. Remnant. Rapture. Pleasant. Dulcet. Norah. Lively. Racket. Ruby. Pastime. Nightshade. Destiny. Destitute. 395 APPENDIX Name Got by Wildboy ... Woful Woodman... (27I couple) Entered i86j. Gamester ... Guilty * . . . Gracious ... Gertrude ... Drydett* ... Darter Dowager ... Dulcet Solon Spinster ... Noble Rosebud Redrose Royal Remus Captious Constant Harpy Heroine Fencer Flasher Furious Seaman Singwell Random Rachel Glory Layman Liberty Trusty Duke of Beaufort's Wonder Render Rally wood — Destitute Druid, 1855 Sir R.'s Dryden— Tuneful Singer, 1855 Comus — Syren Nimrod, 1859 Guider, 1851 — Novelty, 1855 Render Rally wood — Destitute Dryden — Tuneful Chanticleer Chaser— Needless Lord Middleton's Corporal... Challenger Chaser — Needless North Warwick Nimrod ... Singer Lady Forester's Raglan Rally wood — Nightshade Lictor, i860 Lexicon — Lenity, 1854 Those marked * are promising, 396 WiUing. Speedwell. Graceful, 1855 Guider, 1851 — Ruby, 1852 Willing, 1858 Rallywood, 1853 — Destiny Ready, 1858 Rallywood — Needless Nigel, 1852 Norah, 1858 Lord Y.'s Noble— Dulcet 1856 Redcap, 1858 Comus, 1850 — Ruby, 1852 Dulcet, 1856 Sir R. S.'s Dexter— Tuneful, 1851 Trouncer Heedless, i86r Gamester — Harmony 1855 1856 Fortune, 1861 Fairplay,by Grove Forester Syren Sylvia, 1861 < -^ s Singer — Ladyblush 185s 1854 Rapture, 1857 „ ^ Rallywood — Nightshade Gracious, 1856 . — --^ . Gambler — Sempstress Capable, 1859 Comus 1S50 — Ruby, 1852 APPENDIX Name Got by Graceful ... Nestor Norah Nosegay ... Nightshade Furrier Friendly ... Fallacy Harper Harmony ... Rattler Satellite ... Sailor Stranger ... (21J couple) Grappler, i860 Gambler, 1853— Speedwell Lord Yarboro's Nathan Ditto ditto Hermit, i< Gamester — Harmony Rufus, 1856 Guider — Ruby Singer, 1855 Comus — Syren Rakish, 1858 Rallywood — Needless Nimble, i860 , ^ ^ Rallywood — Needful Fairmaid, 1 861 '■ — \ '^ ;-N Fairplay, 1854 — Lenity Lucifer (52)— Captious (47 Daphne, 1855 ^ A ^ Dryden — Tuneful, 1851 Ruby, i860 Entered 1864. Skilful ... Mr. Fitzwilliam's Sportsman OHve Mr. F.'s Orpheus PHant Promise ... ::} Ditto Bloomer Fleecer Fairplay ... Fingal 1 Mr. Fitzwilliam's Forester ... Fencer .. Carver Costly Amazon ... Comrade Abbess Active " Alfred Amorous ... .., Gladsome... Mr. L. Fox's Guider Graceful . . . -1 Genius Gainer :;} Champion Aimwell ... ••1 Actress A Alfred Abigail J Craftsman... Chanticleer Sempstress Symphony Contest, No. 3 Crafty Factor, No. 2 ::} ::} ::} Stripling Challenger Lord Yarboro's Norman, by Frolic Noble, by Ranter 397 Fairplay — Ready, 1858 Rosamond, 1859 Rallywood — Nightshade 1853 Rapture. Ruthful. Pleasant. Rosamond. Comely. Candid. Gamesome Governess. Sylvia. Nosegay. Rarity. Fairmaid. Fortune. APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Duchess 1 Destitute J Lord Yarboro's Nimrod, by Nettler Dulcet. Notable Lord Y.'s Norman Novelty. Stately Singer Ringlet. Lively 1 Li/fer [ Limner Ruby. Lucifer J Caroline ^ Comedy Cheerful Rallywood Caroline. Cromwell Cardinal Wonder \ Wishful J Chanticleer Willing. Shiner | Songstress ... J Singer... Rakish. Ranter \ Rambler / Stormer Redcap. Tarquin Telltale Ditto Truelass. Transit Tuneful (25 couple) - Entered 1863. Pirate* " Proctor* Precious ... ... . Promise Prattle Pilot, by Selim Blissful, by Mr. Foljambe's Bell- Pleasant ^ man. Rubicon Reveller Rockwood ... . Rattler Rallywood Singer, by Comus Royalty, by Rally- wood. Remnant ^ Warrior ' Woodman Welcome Wisdom Waspish Alfred, by Trusty Willing, by Rally- wood. Wanton ... ..J Stormer* ' Sportsman * ... 1 Sportly * j Sir W. Wynn's Royal Sylvia, by Singer. Syren J Rival Ditto ditto Redrose, by Render. * A good lot. • 398 APPENDIX Diligent .. Sportive .. Rufus Rachel Tomboy .. Truemau .. Try well Tuneful Trinket Needwood Nelly Royster Reckless .. Singer Selwin Saffron Skilful Damper* . Fairplay .. Finder Famous .. Fallacy Needful ., Fairy Factious ., Folly Feudal Hermit Harmony . Dexter Duster Dorothy . Daphne . Dexterous. Destitute . Daffodil . Dahlia . Sailor Sinbad Hopeful . Harriet Harbinger Gallant Got by Sir W. Wynn's Royal Stormer, by Guider Champion, by Singer Stormer, by Guider Lord H. Bentinck's Dominant Nathan, by Fairplay Raglan, by Rallywood Stormer, by Guider Nimrod, by Guider Wrangler, by Lifter Nimrod, by Guider ... Harper, by Hermit Singer, by Comus Ditto Lord H. Bentinck's Stormer Render, by Rallywood Wrangler, by Lifter ... 33 couple : lyi bitches, 15I dog * A good lot. 399 Dam Destiny, by Rally- wood. Candid, by Comus Rakish, by Rally- wood. Truelass,by Trusty. Niobe, by Fairplay, Ready, by Rally- wood. Susan, by Singer. Dainty, by Rally- wood. Fairmaid, by Fair- play. Nancy, by Rally- wood. Freedom, by Fair- play. Furious, by Chal- lenger. Divinity, by Rally- wood. Dimity. SingwelljbyNimrod. Heroine, by Lord Middleton's Cupid. Guilty, by Render. APPENDIX Name Got by Entered 1866. Spinster Starlight Forester* Flasher Flourish Folly Marplot Monarch Merlin Marmion Limner Novelty Wizard Wishful Wanton Pirate Parody Posy Bluecap Bellmaid Bluebell Hector Ingleman ... Bloomer, No. 2 Beauty Harper Hardwick. Hotspur Ruby Comus Conqueror Lavish, No. i Lucifer Scornful ... Vocal Volatile ... Prudence, No. 2 Constant ... Saladin, 1864, by Singer Mr. G. Fitzwilliam's Forester, by Foreman G. Fitzwilliam's Marmaduke, by Monarch Larkspur Senator, 1862, by Singer ... G.Fitzwilliam's Harbinger, by Hardwick Raglan, 1859, by Rallywood Mr. Foljambe's Barrister Raglan, 1859 Falstaflf, 1861 Singer, 1855, ^Y Comus G. Fitzwilliam's Harbinger Stormer, 1858, by Guider Nelson, 1862, by Rallywood Wrangler, i860, by Lifter ... Saladin, 1859, by Singer ... Lord Yarboro's Vaulter Chanticleer, 1857, by Chaser Ditto * A good lot. 400 Duchess, 1855, by Dryden. Redwing, 1862, by Lexicon. Nancy, i860, Rallywood. by Remedy, 1862, by Rallywood. Nimble. Woful, 1862, Trusty. by Pliant, 1864, by Bloomer. Fairmaid, 1861, by Fairplay. Heroine, 1861, by Gamester. Nightshade, 1863, by Nathan. Blissful, 1862, by Foljambe'sBellman Comfort, 1 86 1, by Fairplay. Pilot, 1857, by Rallywood. Candid, 1859, by Comus. Lucy, 1861, by Limner. Countess, 1861, by Stormer. Sylvia, 1861, by Singer. Patience, 1859, by Selim. Singwell, 1862, by Singer. APPENDIX Name Got by Dam E7itered iS6y. Argus Agent Audible ... Abbess Caroline ... Dewdrop ... Fireman ... General Grappler ... Guider Nelly Nosegay ... Phillis Prosody ... Ruler Rosemary... Rival Rapture ... Speedwell... Solitude ... Seamstress Susan Sportly Streamer ... Sultan Stentor Seaman ... Sailor Spangle ... Trinket Tragedy ... Transit Entered 1868. Barmaid ... Bella Blooming ... Byron Clasper Druid Driver Delicate ... Furrier Fleecer Flighty Gertrude ... Governess Gulliver ... Gallant Alfred Falstafif Stripling Ferryman Mr. Fitzwilliam's Gambler Ditto ditto Noble Stripling Pilot Nelson Senator Stormer Ditto Stripling Senator Rubicon Contest Senator Nathan Mr. Fitzwilliam's Sampson Falstafif Contest Ditto 401 Duchess. Candid. Dimity. Betsy. Fairmaid. Rosamond. Susan. Norah. Blissful. Rosebud. Gaylass. Sylvia. Singwell. Comfort. Truelass. Betsy. Blissful. Comedy. Dimity. Fairmaid. Sprightly. Glory. Ditto, D D APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Nectar " Nestor Nimrod Senator Norah. Niobe , Needless Ditto Nimble. Pilgrim Lord Gal way's Nimrod Prudence. Prodigy Stormer Precious. Rally Raglan Beauty. Ruthful ^ Ransom j- Rhapsody... ...] Reveller Abigail. Rall)'wood Ranter Remus ... ... . Rambler Senator Remedy. Rosy Ringlet ^ Regulus Mr. Fitzwilliam's Forester ... Rosebud. Singer Stripling Songstress. Willing Wrangler Furious. Warrior ... ...) Winifred / Senator Woful. Entered i86g. Actress Dryden Abigail. Blissful \ Benefit J Stormer Bella. Charon Craftsman Candour ... Contest Speedwell. Comely , Candid \ Concord J Nectar Countess. Destiny Dryden Sylvia. Dorcas Ringwood Dainty. Dainty ... ...1 Drayman / Ditto Ditto. Flasher Rubicon Frolic. Freeman Stranger Friendly. Heroine ... Wrangler Hopeful. Nimble Ringwood Norah. Primate Nectar Pliant. Rufus " Romulus ... Raglan Rubicon Redwing. Restless ^ Trojan Mr. Fitzwilliam's Fencer ... Trinket. Vicious Falstaff Vocal. Whynot ) Warfare J Senator Woful. Woodbine Wrangler Comedy, 402 APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Entered i8yo. Artful Alice Blameless... Bertram ... Beatrice ... Chantress ... Darter Dairymaid Fortune ... Fencer Fleecer Foreman ... Finder Ferryman... Gambler ... Nightshade Needless ... Playmate ... Proctor Paragon ... Prudence ... Purity Render Royal Rosebud ... Resolute ... Rosamond Skilful Saffron Striver Statesman Selina Truelass ... Woodman Warrior ... Woful Welcome ... Whimsey ... Entered i8yi. Roman Royal Rocket Royalty Rarity Ruby Bertha Bracelet ... RafBer Senator Falstafif Contest Falstafif Drayman Ditto Fairplay Falstaff Stormer Gamester Contest Senator Rambler Rallywood Stormer Stranger Senator Drayman Contest Wonder Wonder Rambler, by Senator Rallywood, by Senator Ringwood, by Lexicon Abbess. Beauty. Bella. Comedy. Fairy. Friendly Niobe. Notable. Folly. Glory. Novelty. Prudence. Prodigy. Redwing. Rival. Frolic. Parody. Syren. Trinket. Susan. Ditto. Bella, by Mr. Fitz- william's Rasselas. Bella, by Rasselas. Rosemary, by Nel- 40: APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Remus ' Redcap j ■ Ringwood Rival, by Nelson. Racer Ruler, 1866, by Nelson Ruthful, by Revel- ler. Relish \ Rosamond Ditto ditto Rhapsody, by Re- Ransom J Falcon \ Fenian veller. Stormer, by Sir W. Wynn's Fury. Frisky J Royal Firebrand ) Fearless J Senator, by Singer — Destitute Frolic. Solon ^ Sally I Safety J Ditto ditto Wishful, by F.'s Harbinger. Wanderer ...^ Woldsman ...1 Wonder, by Chanticleer- Sportly,by Stormer. Wedlock " Willing Wisdom , Wellington ..S Waterloo 1 Warbler " Wonder Susan, by Stormer. Waterman Wizard ■ Weathergage Wildman Wildboy, by Trusty — Willing Syren, by Royal. Warwick ... Doremont ■" Duster Dealer - Ditto Delicate. Dandy Danger Dorothy Mr. Lowndes' Druid Flighty, Denmark ... ...) Dutiful / Dexter, by Singer— Dimity... Bella, 1868. Chanter Ditto Captious. Senator Contest, by Challenger — Fair- maid Solitude. Sandal Selim Redwing. Ritualist \ Regulate j Nectar, by Senator Remedy. Niggard ^ Nero Narrative I Lord Kesteven's Seaman ... Niobe. Notable Nosegay j Plunder ] Porter Pastime Primrose J Ditto Primate ... Transit. 404 APPENDIX Name Got by Datn Fallacy •1 Faithful ... Fairplay Stately. (3oi couple) Entered 1872. Albion Admiral :1 Rallywood, by Senator — Audible. Anodyne ... J Remedy Bashful ... Contest, 1864, by Challenger — Fairmaid Blossom. Careful Contest Warfare. Chanter ... Careless ... Ditto Susan. Cardinal ... Stormer Concord, 1865. Cruiser By Sir W. Wynn's Royal— Sylvia, by Singer, by Comus — Ladyblush, 1863. Damsel Dexter Rosemary. Dashwood Discord ... Pirate Dainty. Dexter Dimple Frantic Mr. Muster's Romulus Dorcas. Forester, by Fitzwilliam Destiny. Finder Forester — Redwing Furrier Forester Rosy. Grecian Garnish ... General Dexterous. Graceful ... Hermit Hector Stormer Heroine. Noble Selim ... Needless. Prompter ... Mr. Chaplin's Prompter Delicate. Prior ••1 Prodigal ... •• Rallywood Prodigy. Prophetess .J Regulus ... Ditto Rapture. Roguish ... Rachel ... ::} Stormer Rival. Samson ... Ditto Ransom. Wildrose ... Ditto Wishful. Wary Rallywood Wanton. (16 J couple) Entered iSyj. Abbot Adamant ... ;:} Forester Artful. Absolute ... Rallywood Abbess. Barlow Barrister ... ::} Ditto Blooming. Countess ... Columbine ;:} Craftsman, by Contest 405 Chantress. APPENDIX Name Got by Da7K Dutchman ...\ Diligent J Stormer Delicate. Drummer \ Dashaway J Ditto Dairymaid. Fatal \ Frenzy j Forester Needless. Gambler \ Gaiety J General, by Fitzwilliam Gam- Trinket. bler Hotspur Rallywood Hopeful. Nero \ Nosegay J Whynot Nightshade. Parody Contest, by Challenger — Fairmaid Phillis. Partner ^ Patience - Primrose ... ...J Warrior, by Wonder — Susan Prodigy ,by Senator. Rainbow Ruler Prudence. Rocket Rambler Rhapsody. Redrose ^ Rapid [ Ditto, by Senator — Remedy Selina. Ringdove J Rhoda ) Ruthless / Ditto Ransom. Termagant Cardinal Transit. Watchful \ Waspish J Rallywood Willing. (i6 couple) Entered 1874. Ambrosia Rallywood Actress. Baronet \ Brusher / Saffron, by Senator Blooming. Dorimont... ...\ Dealer \ Decorate J Warrior Delicate. Drastic "J Dauntless \ Ditto Ditto. Dagmar J Desperate Ruler Dexterous. Flourisher ..." Flyer Factor ■ Firebrand, by Senator — Frolic Dorcas. Foreman ... Fervent Fallible ' Federal Fashion Milton Furrier Prophetess. Fancy Gallant 1 Garland j General, by Fitzwilliam Nimble. Gambler 406 APPENDIX Name Grateful Gravity Harlequin Needwood Norma Ritualist Ringworm Rhymer Rarity Rarely Richmond Romeo Remnant ... Rosaline ... Templar ... Twilight Toilsome ... Woldsman Wakeful Wellington Watchman Woodbine (21^ couple) Entered 1875. Caliph Dorothy ... Duchess ... Glider Gaudy Guiltless ... Goldfinch... Garnish ... Gladsome... Gadfly ... Guilesome Gossamer ... Novelist ... Pilgrim Rifleman ... Random ... Rockwood Regent Rosy Rosewood... Ringlet Ruin Runaway ... Reginald ... Got by Whynot, by Senator— Woful Driver General Romulus, by Rubicon Rambler,by Senator— Remedy Pirate, by Raglan Rally wood Regulate Pirate, by Raglan Warrior— Wonder— Susan ... Whynot, by Senator Cardinal, by Stormer Rally wood Regulate Warrior General, by Gambler Fitzwilliam Driver, by Nathan ... Warrior Rallywood, by Senator Ditto Warrior Lord Galway's Reginald Ditto ditto Gertrude. Heroine. Novelty. Ransom. Dewdrop. Ruby. Dainty. Trinket. Warfare. Prodigy,by Stormer. Nightshade. Rhoda. Delicate. Gertrude. Graceful. Diligent. Needless. Prodigy. Redcap. Ditto. Royalty. Rhapsody. Dewdrop. 407 APPENDIX Name Got by Dam Saladin ■1 :/ Struggler ... Ruler, by Nelson Stella. Snowdrop... Waspish ... Woodman, by Wonder Nightshade. Wilful Warrior, by Wonder Rival. Wrangler ... Wildboy ... :} Ditto ditto Relish. (i6 couple) Entered i8y6. Cheerly ... •1 Constance ■ [ Cardinal, by Stormer Wary. Comely ... J Crusty Ditto ditto Whimsey. Charmer Saffron, by Senator Careless. Dolphin Durable :} Whynot Dauntless. Dandy Dahlia . ;} Driver, by Nathan Primrose. Furious Fallible Diligent. Glory Gambler Rosamond. Napier ." Nemo Necklace . - Saffron Nimble. Namesake Narrative ,j Prefect Ditto Prodigy ,by Stormer. Painter Fleecer, by Falstaff Purity. Precious Warrior, by Wonder Portia. Rebel Brocklesby Rocket Stella. Roman Rally wood, by Senator Discord. vSpinster Saffron, by Senator Relish. Tomboy Tuneful Tutoress :} Fallible, by Mr. Fitzwilliam's Furrier Termagant. Weaver Woodman, by Wonder Ringworm. Wenlock Wedlock :) Warrior Graceful. Wildfire •1 Weathergage . • Ditto Royalty. Welladay ... J (i5ic ouple) 408 APPENDIX HOUNDS, OTHER THAN BELVOIR TAN, FROM THE YEAR 1859 Name Sire Dam b Bella ... b Barmaid :} Lord Yarboro's Rally wood . . . Ruin. / Lenity Lucifer Captious. g Trusty Mr. Foljambe's Forester ... Trinket. g Lifter ... Guider Ruby. / Contract Ditto Charmer. g Challenger . Chaser Destiny. g Fleecer Falstafif Lord Scarboro's Sportive. / Harmony Duke of Beaufort's Rufus ... Sprightly. / Needful Guider Needless. w Clara ... Comus Destiny. blk Oscar ... Lord Fitzwilliam's Ottoman Redwing. g Alfred... g Agent... Trusty Nightshade. / Redcap . Comus Ruby. g Stormer g Stripling • 1 Guider Stately. g Wishful Rally wood Destiny. / Contest g Tarquin / Sportsman w Audible g Caroline b Bella ... / Needless 1870. Challenger Stormer Sir W. W. Wynn's Royal Alfred Falstaff Contest Ditto Fairmaid. Truelass. Sylvia. Duchess. Candid. Blissful. Novelty. / Bachelor 1879 TO 1897. Brusher Guilesome. b denotes blue ; <5//^=bIack ; ^=grey ; /=lemon ; w=white. 409 410 ^ ^ •I a I ^ 00 ro 00 << « ^ CO 00 CO oo B a 'T3 2 (/I .s Id c C3 Cu o H t3 C rt fl o 'a. S u c 3 O J3 y, Co pi; « ^ ^ 00 o XI U (/) O s a I" o u oa o s o hJ c > c o O t/i & O , - -a ^ 2 in *' c ^ ^ ba ,>- ■*- ^ - ^ - 3 -a h o o a „ o >-. O 0) a. -d _cn o S r^ -d S. J* ^ t* *^ c I o 3 O bO 3 O H H H 52 & rt 2 S ;S^»^ a; ^ ^ (S -S I ja h & o '•S ^ .:2 -^ -2 t: ■S^ „ ca c> c 3 di o h C3 (U 411 2 N 412 'si O > w O w w o Q w u to 413 PEDIGREE OF FAIRPLAY BY GROVE FORESTER. TBelvoir I Bluecap Ranter] p. ,rOsbaldeston's Ranter [^'""^^tSirT.Sykes Vanish (p,, /Sir T. Sykes' Furrier ^^^^'^^'^i Constant Ti • r Harbinger ■ Princess < -r, „• ^nccLcri ^Promise Grove Forester, FranticJ IConstant-^ I Ti • f Furrier ''^""'^e^nConstant Ld. Y.'s Chaser 414 A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT The Rutland MSS. Journal of the Operations of the Belvoir Hounds (privately printed). The Memoirs of the Belvoir Hounds) / • . , • ^ jn rru J rT3 1 ■ Hprivately printed). The Lays of Belvoir J Random Recollections of the Belvoir Hunt, Hunting Reminiscences, by Frank Gillard. Edited by Cuthbert Bradley. Hunting Countries of England : Brooksby (Part I.) Hunting. Badinititoji Library. By Eighth Duke of Beaufort and A. E. Watson. Further references to the Belvoir Hunt are found in the writings of C. J. Appleby (Nimrod), Scrutator, Cornelius Tongue (Cecil), H. Nevill Fitt (H. H.), The Druid, E. Scarth Dixon, W. C. A. Blew, also old and new sporting magazines. Sporting Review, Davis' Hunter's Annual, Bailfs Magazine, The Field, and Lafid and Water. 415 !^' index: Aiken, Dr., essay on Somervile's Chase quoted, 75 Alvanley, Lord, 18 Hunts with Cottesmore, 105 Sketch of, 1 14 Apperley {see Nimrod) Arundell hounds, 12 Ashley, Lord, 170 Aswarby Park, situation of, 191 Anstruther Thomson, Colonel, opinion of Will Goodall, 156 B Badminton hounds, 2, 12, 14, 70 Distinguishing features, 42 Foreign blood in, 14 Qualities, 8r Bangor, 83 Banks's soliloquy, 307 Barrister, 323 Bartlett, Frank, on Fitzwilliam and Belvoir hounds, 296 Bayley, Harvy, Master of Rufifordj 294, 328 Beaufort Champion, 83, 289 Beaufort, Duke of, 81 Hounds, 74 Legend of fox-hunting, 72 Bedford, Duke of, hounds, 74 Beers, Frank, opinion of Belvoir hounds, 291 Belvoir Castle As social centre, 10, 15, 108, 133, 153, 188,332 Belvoir Castle {continued) Fire at, 99 Picture of fox-hunting in, 3 Situation, 5 Belvoir Hounds At Croxton, 79 Badminton, influence on, 14, 81, 139, 157, 289 Brocklesby, influence on, 42, 61, 126, 128, 157, 289 Calcraft's pack incorporated with, 96 Characteristic colouring, 289 ; whence derived, 80, 129, 132 Continuity of pack, 5 Fitzwilliam, influence on, 61, 81, 290 Hard-working, 1S4 Influence on other kennels, 290 Osbaldeston, influence on, 81, 97, 129, 130, 289 Perfection of, i, 14, 100, 105, 139, 141, 165, 281, 298, 329 Portraits, 100 Race of, 288, seqq. Representatives of old Meynell blood, 139, 289 Sires in 181 1, 97 Sires in 1874, 320 Sires in 1876-77, 323 Stallion hounds in use, 47, 53, 60, 80 Standard height, 290 Steadied from stag and hare and settled on fox, 39 Uniform character, 4, 5, 288 T7 E E INDEX Belvoir Hounds {continued) Warwickshire hounds and, 125, 291 {See also names of various hounds) Belvoir Hunt Agreement between (third) Duke of Rutland and Earl of Car- digan, etc., 32 Arrangement (1878), 322 Balance sheet, 1786, 68 Boundaries, 33, 321 Changes, 326, 333 Clerical sportsmen, 306, 309 Compared with Quorn, 13, 103 County of, 5, z% 54, 247, 273, seqq. Five divisions, 276 Distribution of coverts, 273 Golden age of, 15, loi, 153, seqq. Hunters, 285 Journals of, 83, 124 Masters, 14 Run from Belvoir Woods, 242 Run from Colston Bassett (1842), i66 Run from Folkingham Gorse, 304 Run on December 10, 1805, de- scribed, 88, 91 Run on January 15, 185 1, 175 Runs in 1832, 143, 144 Runs in January, 1862, 230 Runs in January, February, 1863, 232 Season of 1799- 1800, 82 Season of 1817-18, 102 Season of .1821-22, 105 Season of 1822-23, 106 Season of 1824-25, 107 Season of 1843-44, 169 Season of 1849-50, 174 Season of 1854-55, 178, 182, 197 Social influence of, 6, 10, 55, 78, 133, 321 Belvoir Hunt {continued) Sportsmen hunting with, 48, 228, 244, 274, 277, 286, 302 Subscription list, 1847, 174 Belvoir kennels, account of, 283 Belvoir Rallywood (1853), descrip- tion of, 163 Descendants, 164, 250, 293 Bentinck, Lord George, friend of Lord Granby and Disraeli, 251. Bentinck, Lord Henry, 165 Letters to Cooper, 252 Bentinck, Mrs. Cavendish, lost in Belvoir Woods, 240 Bishopp, Tom, opinion of Belvoir hounds, 291 Bland, of Flawborough, presents address to Duke of Rutland, 234 Blankney hounds, 252, 291 Bonner, Harry, 324, 326 On Meynell and Belvoir hounds, 291 Brackley, Charles, opinion of Bel- voir hounds, 295 Bradley, Cuthbert, pictures, 303 Bramham Moor hounds, 291 Broathl/s kennel, 289 Brocklesby pack, 2, 12, 14, 70, 74 Account of, 126 Dog pack sold, 14 ; standard of, 128, 182 Qualities, 42 {See also under Belvoir Hounds) Broke, Lord Willoughby de, hounds 291 Brownlow, Earl of, and Belvoir Hunt, 303, 322 Brummel, George At Belvoir, no, 122 Character, 113 Brusher, 323, 328 Buccleuch, Duke of, hound lists, 298 418 INDEX Bullen, Rev. J., sketch of, 309 Buller, master of Pytchley, 80 Burbidge, of Thorpe Arnold Covert named after, 305 Sells horses to visitors, 285 Burke, recommends Crabbe as chaplain for Belvoir, 62 Burrows and Lord Fitzwilliam's hounds, 180 Calcraft's pack bought by Duke of Rutland, 96 Canterbury, Viscount, 23 Capell, Ben, 330, 335 Carlisle, Lord Hounds at Belvoir, 82 Sketch of, 82 Caroline, 189 Account of, 163 Qualities of descendants, 288 Cavendish, Lord George, deputy Master of Belvoir, 14, 67, 70 Chambers, Tom, sketch of, 209 Chanticleer, 149, 164 Chaser, 150, 164, 189 Cheshire hounds, 74 Chester, "Chig," at Belvoir, 116, 188 Chesterfield, Lord Friendship for Mailtaire, 25 Opinion of country life, 7 Chetwode, Lord, stallion hounds at Belvoir, 47, 53 Childe, of Kinlet, horsemanship, 118 Cholmeley, Sir Hugh, fall while hunting, 237 Cholmondeley (Lord Delance) at Belvoir, 121 Christian, Dick Account of L. Gilmour's riding, U7 Opinion of Shaw, 86 Claggett, Major, supports Belvoir Hunt, 146 Clamorous, account of her death, 184 Clasher, 163, 164 Clinker, 163, 164 Cokayne, huntsman of Puckeridge on Belvoir hounds, 296 Collier, 83 Compton hunts Lord Middleton's country, 82 Cooper, James, huntsman of Bel- voir, 15, 227, 249 Favourite hound, 248, 316 Horsemanship, 208, 227, 316 Letters to, 252, seqq. Retires, 239 Run from Gipple, 23S Sketch of, 227, 249 Visit to Lord Middleton's ken- nels, 254 Whippers-in, 239 Cooper, Jem (younger), huntsman to Warwickshire, 272 Corbet, of Sundorne, 156 Corn Laws, 169 Cotesworth, Robert, on Belvoir sires, 295 Cottesmore country, 33 Best in shires, 247 Hunted by Noel, 57 Cottesmore hounds, 74 Qualities, 105 Cottrell, George, story of, 324 Coupland, Master of Quorn, 315 Cox, Harding, 252 Crabbe, George As chaplain at Belvoir, 63, 122 Describes social circle at Bel- voir Castle, 10 Liking for Brummell, 123 Crony, 282 Croxton pack built by third Duke of Rutland, 22, 65 Croxton Park racecourse, 276 419 INDEX Cumberland, Duke of, as soldier, 42 D Empress of Austria at Belvoir, 320 Errington, Master of Quorn, 203 Dale, William, on Brocklesby and Belvoir hounds, 293 Dashwood, 80 Denison, J. Evelyn, letter to Cooper, 253 Destitute, 250 Devonshire, Duke of, stallion hounds at Belvoir, 47, 53 Dexter, 16, 35, 42, 318, 248 Disraeli, B. (Lord Beaconsfield) At Belvoir Castle, 15, 251 Coni7igsby quoted, 108 Describes social circle at Belvoir Castle, 10 Sketch of Lord John Manners in Coningsby, 170 Dixon, Scarth On Belvoir Weathergage, 292 On York and Ainsty country, 297 Dorset, Duke of, at Belvoir, 116 Douglas, John, at Belvoir, 117 Drake, T., M.P. for Amersham, 157 Goodall, second horseman to, 208 Sale of hounds, 160 Draper, of Beswick Hall, sketch of, 75 Druid Account of Goodall's death, 216 Reminiscences of Goodall, 211 Drummond, Andrew, at Belvoir, 227 Drummond, George, at Belvoir, 227 Duncombe, M.F.H., 82 Dysart, Earl of Dislikes trees, 303 Horsemanship, 286 Fallible, 328 Description of, 323 Fane, Lady Augusta, 245 Fane, Vere, hunting, 102 Fencer, 328, 330 Ferneley, portraits of hunters, 190, 230, 286 Ferrand, Busfield, at Belvoir, 227 Ferranda, mounting Lord John Manners, 318 Fields " Kennels of England " in, 329 Fielding's type of country squire, 7 Firebrand, 323 Firr, Tom, 156 Lifting hounds, 80 On Belvoir and Quorn hounds, 290 Fitt, Nevill, on packs in 1750, 12 Fitzhardinge, Lord, pack of fox- hounds, 14 Fitzwilliam, Lord, Zephyr at Bel- voir, 54, 60 Fitzwilliam (Milton) pack, 61, ^o^ 74 Qualities, 8r Flint, Tom, 158 Foley, Lord, Master of Quorn, 97 Foljambe, O. S., letter on Grove kennel, 160 Folkingham, Heathcote's Gorse, 280 Foot, Ben, 208 Forester, Cecil (first Lord) At Belvoir, 118 Characteristics, 120 Lines on run of December 10, 1805, 91 Sketch of, 119 420 INDEX Forester, George, of Willey Park, 9, 119 Forester, John George, Lord, Master of Belvoir, 13, 15, 134, seqq. Arrangement about Bloxholm, 321 Arrangement for hunt expenses, 138, 320 As judge of horses and hounds, 187 At Melton, 185 Correspondence with General Reeve, 167, 174, 187 Death, 319 Difficulties at Stapleford Park, 146 Drafting, 140 Letters to Cooper, 255, 260 Resolution on two-year-olds, 268 Sketch of, 137, 319 Testimonial to, on his marriage, 175, 187 Foster, W. H., horsemanship, 245 Founder, 328 Foxhounds Descent, 2 Highest result of skill in breed- ing, I, 16 Types, 2 i^See also Belvoir and other packs) Fox-hunting Changes in dress and customs, 18, 19 Changes in 1870, 313 Growth of, 10, 39, 57, 72 Present and past, 145 Rise of, 72 Social effects of, 6, 10, 39, 74 {See also Belvoir Hunt, social influence of) Fronar, 16 Fryatt, Brummell's groom, 112 Furrier, 105, 129, 163, 289 42 Gainsborough, Lord, separates from Belvoir and hunts Cottesmore country, 33 Gambler, 297, 318 Description of, 325 Perfect symmetry, 16 Gameboy, 325 Gillard, Frank, huntsman to South Notts, Quorn, and Belvoir, 15, 239,315 As horseman, 208 Character, 327 Favourite hounds, 248 Letter on Bloxholm Gorse, 321 "Reminiscences," 316; quoted, 323, 325 Story of George Cottrell, 324 Success as hound-breeder, 318 Whippers-in, 239, 326 Gillson, George Musical bitches, 324 On Cottesmore and Belvoir hounds, 290 Gilmour, Walter J. Little, father of Melton Hunt, 245 At Belvoir, 137 Goodall, Frank As huntsman, 181 On Queen's pack and Belvoir hounds, 296 Goodall, Stephen, 96 As kennel huntsman, 156 Goodall, William, huntsman to Belvoir, 15, 156 Account of Lord Fitzwilliam's hounds at Coles' Lodge, 180 Aims of, 159 As horseman, 208 Character, 165, 176, 192, 210 Death, 217 Diaries, 166, 211 ; extracts from, 182, 212 ; last entry, 215 Favourite hounds, 250 Gives final touch to pack, 140, 165 I INDEX Goodall, William {continued) His family, 219, 220 Huntsman to Belvoir, 15, 156 Introduces Rallywood to Belvoir, 161 Last season, 213 Letters to Sir Thomas Which- cote, 193, segq. Sketch of, 156 Standard of pack, 250 Story of baker and, 186 System of marking hounds, 178 Goodall, William (younger), 220, 261, 320 Goodricke, Sir Harry, connection with Belvoir Hunt, 138 Goosey, Thomas, huntsman of Bel- voir, 98, 102, 139 Character, 100 Improves pack, 105, 106, 130 Prejudice against Grove blood, 139 Sketch of, 140, 152 Testimonial to, 147 Gordon, 16, 297 Gordon, Frank, horsemanship, 236, 302 Gordon, George, horsemanship, 236, 302 Grafton, Duke of, hounds, 47, 53, 74, 291 Granby, Lady, 43, 46 Lines on her death, 5 1 Granby, Marquis of At batde of Minden, 49 Character, 14, 2,7, 44, 5°, 53, 54 Delight in hounds, 54 Education, 37 Epigram on, 35 Founds modern Belvoir hound, 43 Fox-hunting during his life, 57 Leads charge at Warburg, 49, 52 Marries Lady Frances Seymour, 43 ; their children, 46 Granby, Marquis oi {continued) Master of Belvoir, 42, 54 M.P. for Grantham, 41 Ode on losing his hat and charging French lines bare- headed, 58 Second in command to Lord George Sackville, 47 Serves as volunteer under Duke of Cumberland, 42, 43 Typical Englishman, 40 Grant, huntsman to Lord Middle- ton, on Belvoir hounds, 293 Grant, Sir Francis At Belvoir, 319 Melton breakfast picture, 135 Grantham, connection w^ith Belvoir, 300 Greaves, Henley, 180, 242, 243 Greenall, Sir Gilbert, Master of Belvoir, 335 Horse-breeding, 285 Gregory, Sir William Welby, pre- sents testimonial to Duke of Rutland, 241 Greville, Charles Account of hospitality at Belvoir Castle, 154 Describes social circle at Belvoir Castle, 10 Greville, Lady Violet, 245 Grove kennel, letter of O. S. Fol- jambe on, 160 H Haggerston, Sir Carnaby, deputy- Master of Belvoir, 14, 67, 71 Harborough, Lady, throws open coverts, 146 Harborough, Lord, warns hounds off his property, 146 Hardy, horsemanship, 300 Hastings, of Woodlands, sketch of, 7 422 INDEX Head, Will, 99 Heathcote, of Lenton, plants covert for Belvoir, 309 Heron, George, hounds purchased by fifth Duke of Rutland, 80, 132, 289 Hills, Jem, and Will Goodall, 157 Holwell Mouth, 255 Honesty, 83 Horlock (Scutator) notes on Bel- voir kennels, 284 Hornsby, of Barro\v-by-Grange, love of sport, 301 Horses bred at Belvoir, 43 Horsley, Matt, sketch of, 76 Houson, Rev. J., sketch of, 306 Howe, Viscount, friendship for Maittaire, 25 Hunter-breeding, 285 Hunting song, 91 Huntsman, evolution of, 72 Hutchinson, James, horsemanship, 329 J Jersey, Lord, sketch of, 117 Johnson,Dr., on Maittaire's writings, 24 Johnstone, Sir Frederick, enter- tains Prince of Wales, 318 Junius, account of Lord Granby quoted, 50, 52 K Key, Sir John, stallion hounds at Belvoir, 47, 53 King John, at Angel Hotel, Gran- tham, 236 Kintore, Lord, as M.F.H., 56 Kipling, Rudyard, insight into national character, 40 Knight, Dick, huntsman of Pytch- ley, IZ, 80 Knowles, R. Millington Hunters, 303 Hunts supported by, 166 Knox, Rev. F. V., on Gambler, 325 Lady, Sir Thomas Mostyn's fa- vourite, 157 Lambton, opinion of Belvoir hounds, 159 Lane Fox gets hounds from Bel- voir, 292 Lawrence, devotion to fox-hunting, 60 Leeds, Duke of, character of country hunted by, 97 Legard, resigns Mastership, 82 Lictor, 179 Lister, sketch of fox-hunter in Granby, 313 Litchford, letter to Cooper, 302 Long, Nimrod, 239 Sketch of, 250 Longford, Lord, on Holderness and Belvoir hounds, 298 Longstaff, Major, opinion of Lord Forester as M.F.H., 165 Lonsdale, (first) Earl of, 105 Hunts Cottesmore country, }y% 144 Lonsdale hounds {see Cottesmore) Lowe, G. S., on Belvoir bitches, 329 Lowndes, Selby, letter to Cooper, 270 Lowther, Colonel, 105 M Macclesfield, Lord, devotion to fox- hunting, 60 Mackenzie, Austen, dog hounds purchased for Badminton, 14 Maittaire, Michael Acts as tutor to John, (third) Duke of Rutland, 23, 25 423 INDEX Maittaire, Michael {continued) Chosen by Lord Chesterfield to educate Philip Stanhope, 25, 34 Death, 34 Letters to Duke of Rutland, 27, seqq. Sketch of career, 24 Story of Hunt of Actason, 28 Manners (Thomas), Baron, 23 Manners, Lord Charles, iii, 122 Ride in Peninsula, 133 Manners, Lord Edward, deputy- master of Belvoir, 316, 334 Manners, Lord George, 227, 319 Manners, Lord John, M.P. for Newark, 153, 227, 318 {See also Rutland, (seventh) Duke of) Manners, Lord Robert, 1 1 r Characteristics, 122 Manners, Sir Robert, marries Eleanor, sister and co-heiress of Edmund, Lord Roos, 22 Manners, Sir William, and Belvoir Hunt, 146, 301 Manners-Sutton, Lord George, 22 Manners-Sutton, Lord Robert, 22 Love for active life, 41 Marriott, G., hunts with Belvoir, 14 Matthews, hound list, 298 Matuscewitz, Count, 137 Mellish, Colonel, horsemanship, 277 Melton Growth of, 104 Hunting and gambling and, 18 Meynell, Charles, 118 Agreement with Noel on bound- aries of hunts, 34 Career as M.F.H. 57, 74 Royal at Belvoir, 53 Run immortalised in Billesdon Coplow poem, 82 Typical fox-hunter, 75 Meynell, Hugo, forms pack of fox- hounds, 12 Micklethwaite, Captain, the "Ad- miral," 310 Middleton, Captain " Bay," 243 Middleton, Lord, hounds, 291. At Belvoir, 125 Mills, John, account of Belvoir hounds and huntsman, 147 Milnes, Moulton, 254 Monson, Lord, Dashwood at Bel- voir, 80 Monson, Lord, reputation of hounds, 70 Moody, Tom, 159 Morgan, Jack, at Belvoir, 179 Moss, James, on Belvoir sires, 298 Mostyn, Sir Thomas, hounds, 157, 159, 290 Mund^s Bustler at Belvoir, 54 Musgrave, Sir James, takes charge of Belvoir hounds, 286 Musters, Chaworth, opinion of Stainless, 323 Musters, John, founder of South Notts pack, 60 Mentor at Belvoir, 54, 60 Pack sold to Sir Harry Harpur, 61 N Necklace, 297 Needless, 178 Newman, huntsman of Belvoir, 15, 1Z, 79 Hounds noted in diary, 82 Newsman, qualities of, 318 Qualities of descendants, 288 Newton, Sir Isaac, 300 Nimrod (Apperley) Account of Belvoir hounds, 5, 131, 141 Day with Lord Kintore's hounds, 56 424 INDEX iNimrod (Apperley) {continued) German princes hunting with Belvoir, 142 Lord Forester, 120 Anecdote of Shaw, 86 As writer, 16 In Leicestershire, 104 Noel, Mr. Hunting Cottesmore country, 57 Agreement with H. Meynell on boundaries of hunts, 34 Victor in Lord Granby's kennel, 42 O Oakley hounds, 294, 297 Osbaldeston hounds, {see under Belvoir Hounds) Osbaldeston, Squire, as hound- breeder, 97, 129 Oxford, Earl of, friendship for Maittaire, 25 Parker, Charles, secretary of Belvoir Hunt, 334 Payne, Charles, 273 Pelham, Charles, Master of Brock- lesby, 126 Pender (" Phantom "), reminis- cences of Belvoir Hunt, 176 Perceval, Deputy-Master of Bel- voir, 14, 67 Changes made in hunt, 79 Pinder, of Barrowby On Goodall as huntsman, 208 Story of hare and quairyman, 210 Pirate, 330 Pope suppressed satire on Mait- taire, 24 Portsmouth, Lord, dog hounds pur- chased for Badminton, 14 Press, Jack, on Belvoir sires, 297 Prince Consort at Belvoir, 170 Pytchley hounds, 74, 291 Hunted by Dick Knight, 80 Queen Adelaide at Belvoir, 171 Queen Victoria at Belvoir, 171 Quorn and Belvoir Hunts com- pared, 13, 103 Quorn hunted by Lord Sefton, 96 R "Race for the Coplovv," 1861, 278 Radclifife, Delmd, at Belvoir, 116 Raglan, 250 Raikes, journals and memoirs, 18 \ Rally wood, 16, 83, 289, 317 Influence on Belvoir kennel, 161 Rasselas, 149, 250 Raven, Jack, huntsman of Quorn, 57, 96, IZ, 79 Reeve, Colonel, of Leadenham, 303 Connection with Belvoir Hunt, 138 Correspondence with Lord For- ester, 167 Enquiries about Bloxholm Gorse, 321 Regent, 83 Reynardson, Birch, Sport and Anecdote quoted on hunting dress and customs, 19 Ringwood, 127, 162 Roberts, R., of Sleaford, letter to Cooper, 256 Robinson, Dr. Louis, Wild Traits in Tame Animals quoted, 4 Rockwood, 323, 328 RoUeston, Lancelot, master of Rufford, 294 Roman, 250 425 INDEX Ropsley, kennels at, i86 Given up, 318 Royal, 323 Rufford kennels, Belvoir sires at, 294 Rufus, 194 Rutland, Duchess of (present) Account of Haddon quoted, 21 Rutland, (first) Duke of Love of country and sports, 21 Rutland, (second) Duke of Died of small-pox, 22 Rutland, (third) Duke of (John of the Hill) Builds house at Croxton, 22, 65 Collection of pictures, 23 Death, 35 Employs Michael Maittaire as tutor, 23, 26 Lives in retirement at Belvoir, 14, 61 Marries Bridget, daughter and heiress of Lord Lexington, 22 Migrates from Haddon Hall to Belvoir, 22 Rutland, (fourth) Duke of Character, 64 Leaves Pitt guardian of his children, 69 Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, 66 Marriage with Lady Mary Isa- bella Somerset, 35, 61 No sportsman, 14,64 Rutland, (fifth) Duke of Entertains Queen and Prince Consort, 169 Interest in hounds, 282 Marries Lady Elizabeth Howard, 82 Minority, 70 Purchases George Heron's hounds, 80, 132, 289 Purchases part of Duke of Leeds' pack, 97 Rutland (fifth), Duke of {continued) Racing, 132 Sketch of his character, 15, 188 Takes mastership of hounds, 85 Rutland, (sixth) Duke of Address to, 234 Advice to Cooper on cub-hunt- ing, 262 Arrangement for hunt (1878), 322 As master of Belvoir, 15, 188, 223, 249, seqq. Character, 224, 247, 250, 332 Death, 330 Fond of shooting, 244, 251 Hunt, testimonial to, 241, 320 Hunters, 230 Hunting costume, 223 Letters to Cooper, 253, 257, 270 Protectionist, 169, 247 Story of man shooting fox and, 233 Rutland, (seventh) Duke of, 153, 170, 318 As Master of Hounds, 333 {See also Lord John Manners) Rutland, Elizabeth, Duchess of Character, 100, 107 Death, 107, 124, 132 Social influence, 10 Rutland, Mary Isabella, Duchess of, 35, 61 Characteristics, 69 Fond of fishing, 65 Friendship for Crabbe, 63, 122 Portraits, 61, 62 Social influence, 10 Sackville, Lord George, at Minden, 49 Saffron, 323 Samuda-Markham,"pink wedding," 241 426 INDEX Scott, John, on Belvoir sires, 296 Sebright, Tom, and Goosey, 180 Sefton, Lord, hunts Quorn country, 96 Senator, 248, 292, 297, 316 Shaftesbury, Lord, sketch of an old sportsman, 7 Shamrock, 131, 291, 292 Shaw, huntsman to Belvoir, 61, 73 Run from Clawson Thorns, 1806, 281 Sketch of, 85 Shepherd, George, 239 Shepherd, German, on Belvoir hounds, 291 Shiner, 330 Shore, William, 298 Slack, George, huntsman of Cottes- more, 105 Smith, Assheton, Master of Quorn, 157 At Belvoir, 122, 185 Hounds at Belvoir, 97 Preference for big hounds, 54 Smith, T., on Bramham and Bel- voir hounds, 292 Smith, Thomas, huntsman of Brock- lesby, 127 Smith, Will, and Belvoir Grappler, 162 Somervile Chase quoted, 1 1 Songstress, 83 South Durham kennels, Belvoir sires in, 292 Spartan, 330 Speedwell, 163 Spencer, Lord, Master of Pytchley, 80 Splendour, 83 Sport affecting English life and character, 39 Sporting Magazine Contents of early numbers, 71 Report of Belvoir entry, 214 Story of terrier in earth, 213 Sporting writers' characteristics, 16, 17 Sportsman, sketch of an old, 7 Stainless, 323, 330 Stanley, Frederick Sloane At Belvoir, 117 Correspondence of hunt, 324 Recollections of Belvoir Hunt and (sixth) Duke of Rutland, 223, seq(/. Stanley, Mrs. Francis Sloane, 245 Stanley, Rev. J. Sloane, 309 Stormer, 292 Stratton, T., on Belvoir sires, 296 Struggler, 328 Suffield, Lord, Master of Quorn, 141 Sultan, 97 Surtees, on hunting committees, 67 Sutton, Sir Richard, Master of Cottesmore, 152 At Belvoir Castle, 181 Opinion of Belvoir hounds and huntsman, 159, 203 Sale of pack, 181 Sykes, Sir Tatton, Driver and Bar- rister, 126 Tailby, W. W., Master of South Quorn, 181, 236 Pack of bitches, 296 Tallyrand, de, story of, 114 Tarquin, 129 Thanet, Lord, Rasper at Belvoir, 53 " The Admiral," 310 Thoroton (Rev. Sir), John, at Bel- voir, 116 Thoroton, Robert, 65, 66 Thoroton, Thomas Manages Belvoir Hunt, 14 Sketch of, 65 427 INDEX Tomlin, " Cap," story of, 226 Townsend, Lord, Captain and Clincher at Belvoir, 53 Traitor, 330 Traveller, 97 Travess, Charles, on Belvoir sires, 294 Trojan, qualities of descendants, 288 Trollope, Anthony, sketches of hunting-field, 315 Tumor, Edmund, 300 Turnor, Halton, 232 Tyrwhitt, Sir John, connection with Brocklesby, 126 Vale of Belvoir, families residing in, 79 Vaulter, 129 Victor in Lord Granby's kennel, 42 Vigo and Rattler at Belvoir, 47, 53 Villiers, Lord {see Jersey, Lord) Vyner, Robert, connection with Brocklesby, 126 W Wales, Prince and Princess, visit to Belvoir, 235 Wales, Prince of, " first gentleman in Europe," at Belvoir, 113 Wales, Prince of, hunts with Bel- voir, 235, 239, 245, 318 Walker, James, 156 Walpole, Horace Letters quoted on Lord Granby's marriage, 46 Story of fashionable life quoted, 44 Waltham Horse Show founded, 285 Warde, liked big hounds, 54 Wardour Castle hounds, 12 Warrior, 164, 293 Warwickshire hounds, 291 Waterford, Lord, horsemanship, 286 Watson, Robert, devotion to fox- hunting, 60 Weathergage, 83, 164, 297, 320, 378 {passim) Benefit to sport, 291 Descendants, 164, 288, 295, 317, 318 Working qualities perfect, 16, 164, 317 Welby, Captain Glynne E., 242 Welby, John Earle, of AUington, 303 Lines on meet at Stonesby, 239 Lines on Will Goodall, 220 On limits of Quorn and Belvoir, 33 On management of Belvoir Hunt, 67 Opinion of sport of present day, 74 "Run from Thorpe Arnold," i860, 275 "The Scalford run " quoted, 232 Welby-Gregory, Sir William Character, 78 Presents testimonial to (sixth) Duke of Rutland, 320 Wellington, 328 Wellington, Duke of At Belvoir, 172 Riding after hounds, 154 Wells, Will, huntsman to Hertford- shire, 329 Career, 326 Whipper-in, 323 Whichcote, Sir George, 280 Whichcote, Sir Thomas Friendship for Goodall, 165, 192, 219 Letters to Cooper, 262, seqq. Sketch of, 190 Visit to Fox and Bramham Moor kennels, 263 428 INDEX Whitemore, Tom, on Oakley and Belvoir hounds, 294 Whynot, 323 Wildair, 83 Wildboy, 259, 270 Willoughby hunts Lord Middleton's country, 82 Wilsford kennels, 79, 82, loi Wilson, Arthur, 326 Hunts for Gillard, 324 Opinion of Belvoir hounds, 294 Wilton, Lady Grey de, 245 Wilton, Lord Grey de, horseman- ship, 245 Wilton, Thomas, Earl of, horse- manship, 244 Winchilsea, Earl of, coverts at Haverholme, 303 Wing, John, of Sedgebrook, 274 Wingfield, Tom, 157 Woeful, 323 Wonder, 164 Note of, 288, 317 Woods, John, hunts with Belvoir Worcester, Marquis of, an enthusi- astic sportsman, 81 Wrangham, of the Crome, opinion of Belvoir sires, 295 Wright, Banks, nephew of Sir Richard Sutton, 307 Wynn, Sir Watkin, at Belvoir, 116 Yarborough, Earl of, letter to Cooper, 255 York, Duke of, at Belvoir and Cheveley, 115 Younger, Mrs., 245 Zetland, Lord, hounds, 293 Butler S: Tanner, The Selwood Printing Works, Frome, and London 429 "A highly entertaining book." — The Scotsman. Two Fortunes and Old Patch T. F. DALE AND F. E. SLAUGHTER Crown 8vo. (iS. -»> " A spirited story, illustrating those scenes which the authors know and love so well. The sporting scenes are of the best, and wonderfully well done." — Country Life. "A flowing style, great livehness, clever character-drawing and cleanly 'human nature pervade it. The sporting scenes are ad- mirably done, whether in the hunting-field or on the polo-ground, whilst the gamekeeper, Simmonds, is a friend in fiction whose acquaintance one would not willingly have missed. This novel is one of the best we have come across for a good while." — The Sportsman. "An extremely pleasant story with a fine fox-hunting flavour about it."— T/ie Lady. " The dialogue is smart, and there is much variety of character in the personages of the story, for all of whom the reader will con- ceive either respect or liking before he lays down the volume." — Pall Mall Gazette. WESTMINSTER ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE & 2 WHITEHALL GARDENS CO The Game of Polo By T. F. DALE Containing a large number of full-page sepia plates, illustrative of celebrated ponies, by Lillian Smythe, many text illustrations, by Crawford Wood and Cuthbert Bradley, and a photogravure portrait of Mr. JOHN WATSON. Demy Zvo. One Guinea net. "One of its great recommendations is that the author has been able to devise a new means of writing on what are practically new lines on polo. . . . There is a great deal of sound advice. There are useful remarks, too, on polo ponies." — The Field. "On all polo matters Mr. Dale writes attractively, and his volume may be read with pleasure even by those who are not enthusiasts in ^o\o."—The Morning Post. " Mr. Dale has had special opportunities of studying his subject, first in India, and then under the guidance of Mr. Moray Brown, and also as polo manager at Ranelagh. . . . The style of the work is charming and the book is most readable." — Daily Chronicle. 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FishingforTarpon Mrs. Contents of the Two Volumes Now Issued :— VOLUME I. Englishwomen and Sport . The Editor Foxhunting ". . . . Mrs. Burn The Editor Lancelot Lowther Murphy- Grimshaw 6. Archery Mrs. Berens and Miss Walrond 7. Skating . . . Miss May Balfour 3. Golf. . . . MissStarkie-Bence 9. Croquet Miss Spong Appendix A. . Golf Rules and Glossary Appendix B. . Croquet Rules VOLUME II I. Cruising and Small Yacht Racing on the Solent . Miss Barbara Hughes 2. Punt Racing . Mrs. W. L. Wyllie 3. In Red Deer Land Mrs. Penn-Curzon 4. Chase of the Carted Deer The Editor 5. Women's Hunters . . The Editor 6. Otter Hunting . . Mrs. Wardell 7. Salmon Fishing, with Notes on Trout and Coarse Fishing Susan, Countess of Malmesbury 8. Fly Fishing .... The Editor 9. Driving . Miss Massey-Mainwaring 10. Cycling. . . Miss A. C. Hills 11. Fancy Figures and Musical Rides Miss Van Wart 12. Tennis . . Miss Maud Marshall Appendix A. Glossary of Nautical Terms Appendix B. 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