SPORT ANCIENT AND MODERN 



In 1808 'The Althorp Chase Books' 

 commence again. They consist of five 

 volumes, and carry the narrative down to 1 8 1 7 . 



A list of Lord Althorp's^ hounds, dated 

 20 October, 181 5, contains the names of 

 64^ couples, the greater number of which 

 were one or two years old, though two couple 

 were seven, and one bitch eight years old. 

 Amongst the sires of these hounds are the 

 duke of Grafton's Prosper, Rummager, Castor, 

 and Rampart and Lord Fitzwilliam's Presto, 

 Galloper, and Patron. 



In 1 8 1 4 Lord Althorp married Miss Acklom, 

 and went to reside at Dallington Hall ; but 

 the next year he removed to Spratton Hall, 

 which he considered the best possible situation 

 for hunting both the Pytchley and Althorp 

 countries. He wrote from Spratton on 

 31 March, 181 5 : — 'We have had the most 

 extraordinary sport I ever saw in my life. 

 On Tuesday, after a burst from Blueberries of 

 forty minutes and to ground beyond Brix- 

 worth, we found at three o'clock at Purser's 

 Hill, and after a ring by Maidwell and Scot- 

 land Wood, went away and killed our fox 

 beyond Little Harrowden, in two hours. Yes- 

 terday we ran from Sywell Wood to Pipwell, 

 and killed there in an hour and a half.' 



In 1816 Lord Althorp had a fine run 

 from Sywell Wood, the fox being killed at 

 Ashley by Welland, some 1 7 miles as the 

 crow flies. It is said that Sir Justinian 

 Isham carried his knife in his hand for the last 

 twenty minutes, saying that he would cut off 

 the brush ; which he did. 



After the sad death of his wife in June, 

 1 81 8, Lord Althorp resigned the mastership 

 of the hounds and went to live quietly at 

 Wiscton : but he always spoke with affection 

 of the Pytchley, and he used to say he ' should 

 never forget the beautiful music of Sywell 

 Wood.' 'The Druid' (Mr. Henry Hall 

 Dixon) speaks in the most glowing terms of 

 the club at Pytchley during Lord Althorp's 

 time : how ' the morning afforded unmixed 

 pleasure, and nectar crowned the night,' and 

 how the family party generally included Lord 

 Althorp, Frank Forrester, Felton Hervey, 

 Dick Gurney, Hugo Meynell, Charles 

 Knightley, Peter and Charles Allix, John 

 Cook, John Nethercoat, and Davy. 



During the mastership of Lord Althorp, 

 Charles King was huntsman. 'The Druid' 

 says that King had the eye of a lynx, and 

 an intelligent and animated face, that his 

 seat and hands were perfect, and that he 



1 For complete lists of hounds in 1808, 1809, 

 1 8 14, 1817, 1S27, see R. T. Vyner, Notitia 

 Fenatka. 



was a bad one to beat. Jack Wood was 

 whipper-in ; he had a quiet and workmanlike 

 way of entering young hounds. King and 

 Wood made the hounds ' no less remarkable 

 for their steadiness than they were for their 

 stoutness and hunting qualities.' 



Sir Charles Knightley succeeded Lord 

 Althorp as master, but he only remained one 

 season. He was a good judge of hounds and 

 a remarkably fine rider, with a most dashing 

 style of getting to hounds. His love of jump- 

 ing was so great that he wished there was 

 not a bridle-gate in Northamptonshire ; he 

 used to say that ' it is the duty of every man 

 to take care of his health for the sake of 

 riding to hounds.' 'Sir Charles's leap,' a 

 large hedge and brook, on the left of the road 

 leading from Brixworth Station to Creaton, is 

 still pointed out, and is sufficiently formidable 

 to satisfy the most extravagant fencer. It 

 was during the mastership of Sir Charles 

 Knightley that the kennels at Brixworth were 

 erected ; this village is very central, being 

 midway between Oundle and Rockingham, 

 Misterton and Charwelton. 



Lewis Richard, Baron Sondes, was elected 

 master in 18 19, but held office for only one 

 season. He is said to have been of very eccen- 

 tric habits, though a keen sportsman. After 

 Lord Sondes' retirement there was a great dif- 

 ficulty in prevailing on any one to take the 

 hounds ; so great indeed, that Lord Althorp 

 wrote to his father in April, 1820, saying he 

 thought the hounds would be given up 

 altogether. 



In 1820 Sir Bellingham Graham took over 

 the hounds, but like his immediate predecessors 

 only retained them for one season. ' Cecil ' 

 says that as a huntsman Sir Bellingham 

 ranked among the first, whether amateur or 

 professional. 



Mr. John Chaworth Musters of Colwick 

 Hall, Nottinghamshire, became master in 

 1 82 1, bringing with him his own hounds. 

 These, it was said by ' Nimrod,' were not 

 of very good quality. 



Mr. Musters for some years resided at Pits- 

 ford Hall, which is about two miles from the 

 kennels, and has since been occupied by several 

 masters of the Pytchley. It is probable that 

 Mr. Musters resigned the hounds the next 

 year, for it appears that Lord Sondes then 

 again became master, and kept the hounds at 

 the kennels at Rockingham. The late Mr. 

 William Brooke, of Oakley Hall (who suc- 

 ceeded to the baronetcy in 1858), kept a 

 diary 8 at that time, in which he describes 



* This di.iry was kindly lent to the writer by 

 Sir Arthur de Capel Brooke. 



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