A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



Bank to the left to Woodend, where hounds 

 checked ; found the line again and ran through 

 Plumpton Wood, Canons Ashby Church and 

 Louseland to the left, Little Preston on the 

 right, close past the inn, Preston Capes, straight 

 down the grass fields, leaving Hogstaff to the 

 right, to Fawsley Laurels ; did not enter, but 

 ran on leaving Charwelton osier bed to the 

 left, over Sharman's Hill to Prior's Marston. 

 Hounds ran from scent to view, and killed at 

 Napton-on-the-Hill after a grand run of 

 nearly 3 hours over a magnificent country ; 

 14 miles as the crow flies, but probably 

 nearer 20 as hounds ran. 



A curious incident happened at the end of 

 February, 1885, when the Grafton brought a 

 fox from the forest into Nash village, and 

 killed in an orchard there. Mr. Selby 

 Lowndes' hounds at the same moment were 

 drawing Beachampton Grove, and the hunts- 

 man Bentley, hearing Beers' ' VVhoo-hoop,' 

 thought it was a ' View holloa ' and immedi- 

 ately got his hounds together and hunted the 

 line of the Grafton fox up to the spot where 

 the Grafton had broken him up. 



In 1888 Tom Bishopp came as second 

 whip from Lord Yarborough's hounds. 



On 26 December, 1888, when hounds 

 met at Chackmore, they found their second fox 

 at Whitfield Wood, and had a wonderful night 

 run. Beersgot up to them at Geddington Mill 

 after they had run for nearly an hour almost 

 in the dark. It was a fine starlight night. 

 Hounds, as it afterwards transpired, killed 

 their fox in the river, where he sank. He 

 was fished up next day. 



One day at the end of January, 1890, both 

 huntsman and whips had a very anxious expe- 

 rience. Hounds ran down into the cutting at 

 Roade ; Beers, with both whippers-in, followed 

 on foot, and ran with the pack through the 

 cutting northwards. Two express trains being 

 due, the hounds might have been cut to pieces 

 every minute, but they were got out of the 

 cutting just in time. This was the last season 

 that Frank Beers hunted ; his health gave 

 way and he was obliged to retire, though he 

 tried once more in the autumn to resume his 

 place with the hounds. Tom Smith, the first 

 whip, was then appointed huntsman, with 

 Tom Bishopp as first whip. During the three 

 seasons that Smith hunted the hounds, good 

 sport was enjoyed and a large number of foxes 

 were killed, but it does not appear that there 

 were any runs above the average. 



In January, 189 1, Lord Penrhyn resigned 

 the mastership, not having time to attend to 

 the onerous duties of the post, and Mr. Robarts 

 and the Hon. Edward S. Douglas-Pennant 

 were then appointed joint masters. In 1893 



Tom Bishopp was promoted to the post of 

 huntsman, with Charles Morris as first and 

 F. Dare as second whip. Mr. Robarts and 

 Mr. Douglas-Pennant continued as joint 

 masters until 1895, when Mr. Robarts retired, 

 and Mr. Douglas-Pennant became sole master. 



On 23 March, 1896, a curious inci- 

 dent occurred. Hounds ran from Salcey to 

 Horton, where they joined the Oakley Hounds, 

 and both packs went on together for about 

 two hours, the Oakley eventually drawing 

 off their pack at Stoke Goldington. A simi- 

 lar incident occurred on 27 February, 1 904, 

 when the Whaddon Chase Hounds ran up to 

 the Grafton in Gayhurst Wood, and hunted 

 with them in the evening. 



A meet at Wakefield on 1 1 December, 

 1896, was notable for the fact that one hound 

 practically did all the work. From the 

 spinneys at Grafton Regis a fox went away, 

 chased by a bitch said to be Dauntless, far 

 in advance of the pack. The rest followed 

 to the river and railway, where the fox turned 

 back with Dauntless still in pursuit; the rest 

 of the pack did not hit off the line, and 

 were proceeding to draw the covert at 

 Cosgrove when the whip viewed the 

 hunted fox with Dauntless still at his brush ; 

 hounds were then brought on, and soon 

 killed. In 1905 Mr. Douglas-Pennant was 

 succeeded by Lord Southampton, who is his 

 own huntsman. 



THE GRAFTON COUNTRY 



The Grafton country is bounded on the 

 north by the Pytchley, on the north-east by 

 the Oakley, on the south-east by the 

 Whaddon Chase, and on the south-west and 

 west by the Bicester and Warden Hill. The 

 country is almost entirely in Northampton- 

 shire, a small portion only being in Bucking- 

 hamshire ; it is not very large in extent, but 

 is of a very sporting character. 



Whistley Wood, Whittlewood Forest, the 

 woods and copses adjoining, and Salcey Forest 

 together form a strong chain of woodland 

 running from south-west to north-east, and in 

 these forests it is no easy matter to catch a 

 fox. Salcey Forest alone covers some 1,500 

 acres, and has always been good lying for 

 foxes. Indeed, there is never any lack of 

 foxes in the country, and they seem to be on 

 the increase. In addition to these woods 

 there are many smaller coverts — Plumpton 

 Wood, AUithorn, Kingthorn Grubb's Cop- 

 pice, Nun Wood, Plain Wood, and others 

 famous in the annals of the hunt. 



There is a good deal of grass land, 



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