SPORT ANCIENT AND MODERN 



born at Courteenhall, near Northampton, 

 and was to liave been brought up as a shoe- 

 maker, but he spurned the lapstone and awl 

 for the horn and spurs. When Lord Spen- 

 cer's diaries commence, Dick Knight was first 

 whip to Mr. Knight (Sam Dumbleton being 

 the second whip) ; he shortly afterwards be- 

 came huntsman, and is the earliest huntsman 

 of the Pytchley of whom we have any know- 

 ledge. 



The Rev. Loraine Smith in 1790 published 

 eight engravings from drawings made by him- 

 self illustrating the life of Knight, The 

 tiiird of these pictures is entitled — 



.... Now, Contract, says Dick, By Jove ! 

 these 

 D . . . d Quornities shall now see the trick, 



and shows Knight jumping his famous horse. 

 Contract, over a great paled fence under the 

 overhanging bough of a tree, with a brook 

 from him, hounds in full cry. The well- 

 known legend connected with this picture is 

 that a stranger one day told Knight that he 

 had heard of his riding, but that if he beat 

 him that day he would give Knight his horse. 

 Dick replied, 'We shall see.' And they did 

 see, for he beat the stranger, as shown in the 

 picture, most handsomely ; and the stranger, 

 as handsomely, next day sent him his horse. 



When Knight retired he went to a small 

 farm near Thrapston, where he lived respected 

 until the commencement of the nineteenth 

 century. 



Lord Spencer, after a mastership of over 

 thirty years, died in 1783. His son, John 

 George, Earl Spencer, of whom he wrote 

 on 15 December, 1773, 'The first time 

 Lord Althorp was out hunting, he rode very 

 gallantly,' took his place. This Lord Spencer 

 was First Lord of the Admiralty, and took a 

 great part in the politics of the period, but, 

 nevertheless, he found time to hunt, and was 

 a very fine horseman. Lord Spencer kept no 

 diary. 



The Pytchley Chase Book records that on 

 Friday, 18 February, 1791, the hounds — 



Met at Pytchley this morning. There was 

 a ballot at Pytchley House (the first ever 

 remembered) when Mr. Thomas Grosvenor 

 and Mr. G. Wrighte were unanimously 

 elected members of the ' Pytchley Hunt Club.' 



In 1796 political duties obliged Lord 

 Spencer to give up the hounds, and Mr. Duller, 

 of Maidwell Hall, became master for one 

 season. 



At this time Stephen Goodall hunted the 

 hounds, and his patience, quietness, and 



thorough knowledge of hunting, together 

 with a good scenting season, produced excel- 

 lent sport. 



In 1797 that eminent sportsman, Mr. John 

 Warde, took the hounds. He removed them 

 from Pytchley to Houghton Hall, near North- 

 ampton, where he erected kennels. The 

 club at Pytchley was then closed, and in 1829 

 the old hall was pulled down. 



During Mr. Warde's mastership, on 



3 February, 1802, there was a remarkably 

 fine run from Marston Wood to Tilton-on- 

 the-Hill in Leicestershire, which lasted \\ 

 hours and ended in a kill ; the distance was 

 estimated at from 35 to 40 miles, and hounds 

 ran through twenty-six parishes. 



Jem Butler was for many years with Mr. 

 Warde, and was considered about the best 

 huntsman of the day. 



From this time until about 18 17 the his- 

 tory of the Pytchley has been told in great 

 detail in the letters written by Lord Althorp 

 to his father, which recently have been pri- 

 vately printed by Lord Spencer, and from 

 which His Lordship has allowed the writer to 

 quote. The first of these letters is dated 



4 February, 1802 ; it records a week's sport, 

 and it is interesting to note the fixtures : — 

 Monday, Abington ; Tuesday, Lamport ; 

 Wednesday, Spratton Bridge ; and Saturday, 

 Lamport again. 



The day they met at Spratton Bridge a 

 good run ensued ; after trying Cank, Holden- 

 by Spinneys, and the Wilderness, they found 

 in Nobottle Wood, ran by Kingsthorpe Mill, 

 pointing towards Abington, and to ground 

 near Billing, after a run of i hour and 25 

 minutes. 



The following rules and regulations of 

 the Pytchley Club, which were adopted at 

 the Thatched House in London, on 29 May, 

 1802, throw considerable light on the 

 management of the hunt in Mr. Warde's 

 time : — 



1. That the number of Members to this 

 Hunt be limited to Forty. 



2. That the Members be chosen by Ballot. 



3. That not less than Eight Members shall 

 be present to ballot at the Annual Meeting 

 in London, when two Black Balls shall be 

 sufficient to exclude any Candidate ; and that 

 it be allowed to ballot for any Candidate at 

 Pytchley House, Twelve Members being 

 present, and one Black Ball to exclude, pro- 

 vided such Candidate be put up a Week 

 before the Ballot. 



4. That the Annual Subscription be Ten 

 Guineas. 



5. That every new Member do upon his 

 Election pay Ten Guineas to the Treasurer in 

 Addition to his Annual Subscription. 



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