A HISTORY OF SUFFOLK 



Pytchley, between 1S27 and 1834, hacking to 

 and fro between the two. In those days the 

 Thurlow territory extended up to Ickworth 

 Park, and the squire considered it one of the 

 finest plough countries in England. Shortness 

 of foxes appears to have been the reason of his 

 giving up, as witness the speech attributed to 

 him at the end of his last day at Plumpton : he 

 said 'Good-night; there is not a fox or a gentle- 

 man left in Suffolk,' and sticking spurs into his 

 old grey horse he left the district for good. 1 



On the resignation of Squire Osbaldeston 

 Mr. Mure took over the Thurlow ; hunting 

 with his own hounds. He had established the 

 pack in 1S25 to hunt the Suffolk side, having as 

 his huntsman Will Rose, and as first whipper-in 

 Sam Hibbs, who occupied that post for seventeen 

 seasons till Mr. Mure gave up in 1845. There 

 are few records of the sport enjoyed ; the run 

 afforded by a fox found in a willow tree on 

 Pakenham Fen nearly to Colchester, where lie 

 beat hounds, probably belongs to the region of 

 fable. Mr. Charles Newman appears to have 

 kept hounds at one time at Coggeshall. A fine 

 run on 18 February, 1834, is chronicled. Find- 

 ing in Boxted Old Park (now in the Suffolk 

 country), hounds ran their fox nearly to Thurston 

 Park, turning right-handed over the Somerton 

 Hills, through Brockley, Hawstead, Stanningfield, 

 and Welnetham to the Link at Rushbrooke. 

 Through Free Wood, Mill Field, Monk Wood, 

 Drinkstone Park and the Bromley Groves, killing 

 him at Gedding Old Hall, a distance of about 

 sixteen miles. On Mr. Mute's retirement in 

 1845 Mr. John Josselyn got together a pack 

 of hounds, and with Sam Hibbs as huntsman 

 hunted the Suffolk and Thurlow countries till 

 1864. Mr. Josselyn's first season, albeit his 

 pack consisted of draft hounds got together in a 

 hurry, was considered by many one of the best 

 during his long tenure of office. A notable run 

 in February, 1846, took place in the Thurlow 

 country. Finding in The Lawn, hounds ran 

 through nearly all the coverts on the Thurlow 

 side and killed their fox at last at Weston Col- 

 ville ; about eighteen miles as hounds ran. 

 Another very fast run was from Shadwell to 

 Stanton Low Wood, where they killed their fox 

 after a nine-mile run ; time about forty minutes. 

 In the early part of Mr. Josselyn's time Hitcham 

 Wood on the Bildcston side of the country was 

 noted for a fox who gave the hounds many a 

 good run ; they were never able to catch him. 

 At the crack of a whip or the sound of horses on 

 the road this fox would go away at once, nearly 

 always from the same place. Hibbs, taking 

 advantage of this habit, one day got away nearly 



1 It was on 5 Nov. I 83 I, while he was master of 

 the Thurlow, that the squire rode his famous match 

 against time at Newmarket : for 1,000 guineas to 

 ride 200 miles in ten hours, which he performed in 

 eight hours forty-two minutes, riding on the round 

 course in four-mile heats. 



in view, and hounds ran very fast indeed through 

 Thorpe, Monk Park, Raw Hall Woods, nearly 

 to the Link, where the fox turned and retraced 

 his steps through Thorpe, eventually beating 

 hounds on the Elmswell side of Woolpit Wood. 

 Mr. W. G. Blake remarked to Hibbs on the 

 way home : ' Sam, if you could not catch him 

 to-day, you never will.' Sam drily replied : 

 ' No, sir, I don't think I ever shall.' Another 

 good run took place on February, 1853. They 

 found in Thclnctham Wood ; going away by 

 Wattisfield through Walsham le Willows, Bad- 

 well, Parker's Groves, East Wood, Broad Border, 

 Northfield Wood, they reached Dales Groves at 

 Finboro, where a fresh fox jumped up and 

 nearly saved the life of the hunted fox. Being 

 put right hounds turned back and killed at the 

 ' Shepherd and Dog,' Onehouse. 



The run from Mr. Thornhill's Carr at Black- 

 water has been considered nearly a 'record.' 

 Three foxes went away r at once. Hounds 

 settled to one which ran through Riddlesworth, 

 the Harlings, Quiddenham, Hargham, and, cross- 

 ing the river about half a mile on the left of the 

 Thctford and Norwich high road, was killed close 

 to Attleborough ; 17^ miles in 1 hour 55 minutes. 

 The death of Sam Hibbs, which followed a fit at 

 Plumpton on 16 February, 1 864, just as hounds 

 were killing their fox, was a great loss both to 

 Mr. Josselyn and the Hunt, as few finer hunts- 

 men ever carried a horn. Will Jarvis, who had 

 long been with Mr. Josselyn as first whipper-in, 

 took Hibbs's place and continued to hunt the 

 hounds when Mr. Josselyn gave them up and 

 was succeeded by Mr. John Ord of Fornham 

 House. Mr. Ord had been for many years 

 secretary to the Suffolk, till 1864, when he be- 

 came master. He retained office for three seasons 

 only. He was fortunate in having a good scent- 

 ing season in 1864 and another particularly good 

 one in 1865, when hounds were hardly at all 

 stopped by frost. In January, 1865, a fox found 

 in Northy Wood, Cavendish, ran to Price's Grove, 

 to the stream below Hawkedon Green, through 

 Christlands, and, bearing to the right through 

 Brockley and Whepstead, was killed close to 

 Hawstead Green. In 1865 sport was exception- 

 ally good. Three fine runs may be noticed. 

 On one occasion finding in Chedburgh Hall 

 hounds ran nearlv to Hawkedon Green before 

 they turned through Somerton, Brockley, Whep- 

 stead, over the meadows (where Mr. Mortlock 

 now lives), and killed in Mr. Wixton's garden at 

 Horsecroft close to Bury. Another very fast 

 gallop was from Rede Groves by Wickham- 

 brook Eastcs, which hounds did not touch, killing 

 at Ouseden. Jarvis and Mr. W. G. Blake had 

 the best of it all the way. Later in the season 

 there was a run from the Link with a good deal 

 of snow on the ground. Hounds went fast 

 through Colville's Grove, Free Wood, Mill Field, 

 Monk Wood, Drinkstone, by He^sett Rectory to 

 Norton Wood, where they divided, 5^ couples 



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