34 THE EPPING HUNT. 



note in the MS. tells us that, as against this, it was objected that 

 the hunting was only in a wood belonging to the City, and not over 

 the Forest at large ; and that no claim on behalf of the Corporation 

 was ever made at any Justice Seat, when charters of privilege were 

 wont to be put in, enrolled, and allowed. 



At the beginning of the seventeenth century Mr. Common Hunt, 

 as he is civically styled, was in a bad way. First he gets an allow- 

 ance of ^20 "in regard of the charge he hath bene at in remedying 

 the annoyance of the stinking smelles at the dogg house, and 

 towards his relief, his house being now visited with the plague." 

 Then the dog-house is found " verie old and reuinous and not fit 

 for habitation." But not much was done, for a year later Mr. 

 Common Hunt complains "that it doth rayne into the rooms of the 

 Dogge house throughout, and that the same will, in short time, fall 

 downe." However, some repairs must have been finally executed, 

 since, in 1687, the house and stable were still standing, though found 

 to be " irreparable " ; and the rebuilding them is estimated to cost 

 ;^Soo, "after the rate of second-rate building, the house containing 

 20 ft. by 49 ft." Passing over a few other notices, we come to one, 

 dated 1746, when complaint was made that Mr. Common Hunt did 

 not keep a pack of hounds for the use of the City ; and, a few days 

 afterwards, a committee was appointed " to enquire into the nature 

 of his ofifice," etc. The report, dated a month or two later, stated, 

 among other things to be gleaned from the extracts already given, 

 that the remuneration attaching to the ofifice included " a house and 

 garden at the Dog Bar, with a proper kennel . . . with coppers," 

 etc., and a salary and allowances amounting in all to something like 

 ^180 a year. It appeared that a gentleman huntsman provided, 

 on occasion, a pack of hounds, and was paid ^"j per annum in con- 

 sideration thereof, as had, it was alleged, been for some time 

 customary. Mr. Common Hunt exhibited a great disinclination to 

 being obliged to keep a pack at his own expense, " the profifits of 

 his ofifice being not sufificient to defray the charge thereof, and the 

 purchase of his place lost [s/c-] him two thousand guineas." In spite 

 of this a hard-hearted committee reported " that a pack of hounds 

 ought to be kept, in order to support this City's antient right of 

 hunting " ; and the report, moreover, " was well liked of and agreed 

 to " by the Court. 



More than half a century later on, counsel's opinion was sought 

 on the question of abolishing the ofifice of Common Hunt. The 



