SEASON 1870-71 33 



Room," where the celebrated sires and favourites 

 of his pack were drawn for inspection, and he would 

 dwell long in silent contemplation on their beautiful 

 symmetry and colour. A corner of this room at 

 the kennels was railed off so that the hounds should 

 not touch the noble master's gouty leg, aggravated 

 by severe accidents in the field. When young, 

 the Duke could hold his own across country with 

 the boldest and best, and delighted to play a con- 

 spicuous part with such bold spirits and brilliant 

 performers as Asheton Smith, Lord Forester, Lord 

 Jersey, Sir Charles Knightly, Mr. Green, Sir 

 Thomas Whichcote, and Lord Wilton. It was 

 Dick Christian who used to tell how his Grace 

 once jumped Croxton Park wall near the entrance 

 gates, and pounded every pursuer. " It's nigh six 

 feet and a tidy drop on the other side. Will 

 Goodall and none of them would have it ! " Un- 

 fortunately, a series of severe falls crippled him 

 considerably, and in 1863, during a smart run from 

 Casthorpe covert, he had a very heavy fall on his 

 head, when jumping a stake-and-bound fence, the 

 result of the accident being that with all the will of 

 younger days he was after that physically incapable 

 of riding up to hounds. What he could do in early 

 days as Marquis of Granby will always place him 

 in the first rank of those whose performances in 

 the field belong to the period known as the " golden 

 age of fox-hunting.'' A courteous bearing and 

 manner distinguished the Duke, and though a hard 

 rider, full of enthusiasm that danger could not 

 daunt, he had always a marvellous control over 



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