SPORT ANCIENT AND MODERN 



Regiment of Blues, when they were stationed 

 at Northampton. Cank Covert is over lOO 

 years old ; it was completely cut down some 

 few years ago, but has since grown up again. 

 Sywell Wood is a very favourite fixture ; it 

 has held many a stout fox, and can be drawn 

 every fortnight (or three weeks) throughout 

 the season. The covert near Church Bramp- 

 ton was established in 1854 by Lord Spencer, 

 who wished to call it ' Balaclava,' but the 

 name did not win popularity, and it has 

 always been known as Sander's Gorse. 



In 1892 an arrangement was made between 

 Mr. A. Mackenzie, master of the Woodland 

 Pytchley, and the Hon. T. Fitzwilliam and 

 Mr. H. Wickham, ex-masters of the Fitz- 

 william, that the line of demarcation between 

 the Pytchley and the Fitzwilliam hunts should 

 be the high road leading from Oundle by 

 Southwick to Bulwick. Laxton Wood is 

 neutral between the hunts, and Wakerley 

 Wood and Wakerley Oaks are neutral with 

 the Cottesmore. 



About 1840 the Pytchley gave the Grafton 

 permission to draw all Sir Rainald Knightley's 

 coverts except Dodford Holt. Stowe Wood 

 and Everdon Stubbs are neutral with the 

 Grafton. Knightley Wood, Mantell's Heath, 

 Badby Wood, and the coverts at Preston 

 belong to the Pytchley. The coverts in the 

 parish of Bosworth are neutral with Mr. 

 Fernie's hounds. 



In The Pytchley Hunt, by the late Mr. H. O. 

 Nethercote, full particulars of the masters 

 and members of this famous hunt will be 

 found. 



THE GRAFTON HOUNDS 



The dukes of Grafton have kept fox- 

 hounds for a great number of years, hunting 

 in the counties of Buckingham, Northampton, 

 Suffolk, and Surrey. 



The Northamptonshire pack appears to 

 have been formed about 1750 by Augustus 

 Henry, third duke of Grafton, who was both 

 master and owner of the hounds. His Grace 

 was assisted in the management of the kennel 

 by Mr. J. Smith, who lived at Steane House, 

 which he rented from Lord Spencer. The 

 hounds at this time hunted either from Steane 

 or Sholebrooke, kennels having been built at 

 both places. The Grafton pack enjoyed 

 such high repute that in 1757 Lord Granby 

 purchased some stallion hounds from the 

 duke for use in the Belvoir kennel. 



Mr. Smith died about 1790, and some 

 time afterwards George Ferdinand, Lord 



Southampton, nephew of the duke, took over 

 the management of the hounds. 



Towards the end of the eighteenth century 

 ' Old Joe Smith ' was the huntsman. He 

 seems to have been a remarkable man, and a 

 wonderfully able breeder of hounds. These 

 were said to be round in the body and nothing 

 tired them ; but they were a very wild skirting 

 lot, running much by ear, and nicking in when 

 they could. When hunting in the forest 

 many of them would leave the body of the 

 pack, and, going to a ride or opening, would 

 wait until the fox was driven up to them by 

 the other hounds, when they would join in 

 the chase, perhaps close to the fox. 



It is related that one day when Joe Smith 

 was hunting at Steane, he heard a boy holloaing 

 crows, and was so pleased with his voice that 

 he took this boy — Tom Rose — into the stables. 

 Tom was eventually appointed whipper-in, 

 and in time he succeeded Joe Smith. 



Tom's cheery voice was proverbial, and his 

 rattling holloa, when coming out of one of the 

 Grafton coverts, lived in the memory of 

 everyone who heard it. 



Lord Southampton's mastership continued 

 until his death in June, 18 10, from which 

 time George Henry, Earl Euston (who be- 

 came the fourth duke of Grafton, on his 

 father's death in 181 1), took the hounds. At 

 this time, foxes being somewhat scarce, the 

 hounds only hunted three days a week. 



When Tom Rose resigned he was succeeded 

 by his son Ned, who in 1827 obtained the 

 services of the celebrated George Carter as 

 whip. George left in 1831 and went to the 

 Hon. Grantley Berkeley, then master of the 

 Oakley. Ned Rose was not altogether suc- 

 cessful as huntsman to the Grafton, so he left 

 in 1833, George Carter coming from the 

 Oakley to carry the horn, with Stevens and 

 Dickens as whips. Carter found the hounds 

 very wild, and much inclined to hunt and kill 

 the deer in the forest, but he soon taught 

 them better manners, and is said to have much 

 improved the pack. 



Mr. J. M. K. Elliott relates that one day 

 he was hunting in Whittlebury Forest, where 

 Carter found a fox ; but before the hounds had 

 hunted him far, they broke away and pursued 

 and killed several deer. Carter rode down 

 the ride blowing his horn, and, aided by his 

 whips, gradually got his unruly pack together. 

 Clark, the royal keeper, came up much dis- 

 tressed, saying, ' You will kill half my deer ! ' 

 Carter replied, ' My dear fellow, I can't help 

 it ; I have hounds out to-day which will run 

 anything from an earwig to an elephant 1 ' 



In February, 184O, the Grafton hounds 

 consisted of 45 couple, 32^ couple being old, 



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