SPORT ANCIENT AND MODERN 



to the left, crossed the road leading to Yel- 

 vertoft, pointed for Winwick, left that on his 

 right and Honey Hill close to his right, and 

 ran on to Herring Bank. There he lay 

 down and we viewed him away with the 

 hounds close at him, we raced across Topham's 

 Farm, and thought he meant the open towards 

 Kilworth, but bending back he went through 

 the Hemploe Coverts and to ground in the 

 gorse; I hour 5 minutes. The Prince rode 

 most gallantly on a dark chestnut mare called 

 Comet ; he followed me most of the day. 

 Drew Yelvertoft Field Side, Winwick, Guils- 

 borough, and Ravensthorp Spinneys blank.' 



The gorse where the fox went to ground 

 was afterwards extended, and has since been 

 called ' The Prince of Wales's Gorse.' 



On Monday, 23 February, the Pytchley 

 held a lawn meet at Holdenby House. 

 ' There was a dense crowd on the terraces of 

 the old castle, horses in a line below, and foot 

 people and carriages above, the hounds being 

 at the end. The house was covered with 

 people. Lord Cardigan, Lord Westmorland, 

 etc., out. Lady Spencer rode to the meet 

 with the Prince. Found at once at Cank, 

 went off in direction of Sander's Farm, turned 

 to the left over Merry Tom, and back to the 

 cover. Could do nothing with him. Went 

 on to Buckby Folly. Found, and ran a smart 

 ring towards Ravensthorpe back to covert, then 

 pointed towards Althorp, but turned back and 

 went to ground on the East Haddon and 

 Ravensthorpe Road. Tried to bolt him, but 

 did not succeed. (Some years after the skele- 

 ton of this fox was dug out of the drain.) 

 The Prince rode Pale Ale ; he got a fall, 

 for the horse slipped in taking off from the 

 side of a hill, but was not hurt. I rode 

 the grey Shooting Star and Freemason. 

 Went to Vanderplank. Found at once, went 

 away towards Percival's very fast, turned 

 there, and made a swing to the right before 

 crossing the turnpike. Went away between 

 West Haddon and Ravensthorpe to Winwick, 

 turned there to the right to Thornby Spinneys, 

 over the road, and left the village on the left, 

 over the bottom and turnpike to Cottesbrooke 

 into Purser's Hills, and on to Maidwell Dale 

 to ground. We had two foxes on foot at 

 Thornby, and two or three at Cottesbrooke ; 

 our hunted fox was reported dead beat at 

 Purser's Hills. The Prince rode Firefly 

 in the last run. It was fast at times, all 

 through a good hunting pace ; 1 1 miles from 

 point to point.' 



When Lord Spencer, in 1864, resolved to 

 give up the hounds, the honorary secretary, 

 Mr. Whyte Melville, poet and novelist, seek- 

 ing a successor, bethought him of Captain 



Anstruther Thomson, then master of the Fife 

 Foxhounds. Captain Thomson, in reply to 

 Mr. Whyte Melville's letter, expressed his 

 willingness to come forward, and wrote to the 

 huntsman Payne proposing that he should 

 hunt one pack and Payne the other. The 

 latter replied that he could not entertain such 

 an arrangement, saying : ' Mine has been a 

 hard-fought battle for 18 years with the 

 wildest field in England — heart-breaking to a 

 good sportsman. Well does poor Lord 

 Spencer know this, who I am very, very sorry 

 to say is far away.' Afterwards Payne con- 

 sented to become huntsman, and Mr. Villiers 

 said that the hunt would pay the rent and 

 repairs of the coverts and subscribe jr3,ooo a 

 year, if Captain Thomson would agree to 

 hunt the country four days a week, weather 

 permitting, during the regular hunting season, 

 and to leave the hounds in as efficient a state 

 as he found them. The preliminaries being 

 arranged, the new master on 9 May, 1864, 

 issued the usual circular to covert owners 

 requesting permission to draw their coverts. 

 Among the favourable replies received. Lord 

 Cardigan wrote ' By all means, by all means. 

 The oftener the better ; I need not send you 

 any further reply — the oftener the better.' 

 The Duke of Buccleuch asked that his coverts 

 should be drawn regularly, and not only for a 

 few times in the autumn and spring. 



The new master took up his abode at 

 Pitsford Hall, but he only remained there 

 for two years, when he moved into the village 

 of Brixworth. 



The hounds belonging to the hunt in June, 

 1864, were 59I couple, and the master's 

 estimate of the pack was : ' The hounds were 

 good-looking, with nice necks and shoulders, i 

 but very light of bone, especially the bitches. 

 In chase they were excellent and not a bit 

 afraid of the horses, but with a bad scent they 

 were not diligent. In gorse cover when they 

 found after running a few times round it they 

 would stand at a smeuse in the fence till hoUo'd 

 away, then rush out, race the horses, and in 

 two fields would be altogether in front. 

 They were capital in chase, but with a bad 

 scent they did not half get on, and bumbled 

 about like pointers.' 



In July Captain Thomson made a further 

 proposal, namely, that he should hunt five days 

 a week instead of four as at first suggested, 

 hunting the hounds on two days himself, and 

 Payne hunting them the other three days ; 

 and that the master should receive one half of 

 the subscription over and above the ;^3,ooo. 

 This proposal was accepted, and the amount 

 of subscription received was ;^3,i40 for the 

 year. 



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