SPORT ANCIENT AND MODERN 



the master generously forwent a subscription — 

 except the poultry and covert funds — and hunted 

 the country three days a week at his own ex- 

 pense, and from this date until he resigned office 

 in 1 88 1 the pack was known as Sir William 

 Eden's Hounds. 



On his retirement, Mr. Ord of Sands Hall ^' 

 was unanimously elected master with a guarantee 

 of j^ 1, 600 per annum. Mr. Ord's mastership 

 lasted till 1884, during which time he showed 

 good sport, and did much to popularize fox-hunt- 

 ing among that most important body, the tenant- 

 farmers. 



When Mr. Ord resigned office Sir William 

 Eden once more came forward, and was ap- 

 pointed master with a subscription of ^"JOO a 

 year. Sir William's second mastership lasted for 

 six seasons, all of which may be deemed above 

 the average. The kennels were retained at 

 Rushyford, and Claxon continued as huntsman 

 until 1887, when he retired, and was succeeded 

 by George Gillson from the York and Ainsty. 



Sir William Eden finally gave up the hounds in 

 1890 when they were taken over by the Hon. 

 Gustavus Hamilton-Russell, the grandnephew 

 of Mr. William Russell, who was master of the 

 South Durham Hounds in 1843. He has re- 

 tained them ever since to the great satisfaction 

 of all concerned, hunting the country three days 

 a week on a subscription of ^T 1,000 a year, 

 which includes poultry and covert funds. On 

 Mr. Hamilton-Russell's assuming office, the old 

 kennels at his residence, Hardwick Park, were 

 again utilized, and W. Sheppard was appointed 

 huntsman until 1894, since when the master has 

 hunted hounds himself with Will Goodall as 

 kennel-huntsman and first whipper-in. Mr. 

 Hamilton-Russell has shown admirable sport 

 during his sixteen years' mastership, but for 

 the past two or three seasons there has been a 

 scarcity of foxes owing to the epidemic of mange 

 that has devastated every country in England. 

 It appears, happily, to have died out, and to be 

 quite extinct now in the county of Durham. 

 The South Durham country is still a first-rate 

 hunting district. It may justly be termed a 

 flying country, though in places it contains a 

 certain amount of bank and ditch. Two-thirds 

 of it are sound old pasture ; it has no big wood- 

 lands, and landowners and farmers are staunch 

 fox-preservers. Six new coverts were planted 

 during the ' eighties,' namely Kap's Hill near 



'* Mr. Ord represents a family long connected with 

 hunting in Durham, his great-uncle Mr. Ben. Ord 

 having been one of Ralph Lambton's chief supporters, 

 and hon. sec. to the Lambton Hunt. Mr. Ord has 

 done much to help fox-hunting, not only in his own 

 country, but throughout England, by his admirable 

 little work, The Foxhunter's Vade Mecum, the profits 

 derived from which every year go to swell the funds 

 of the Hunt Servants' Benefit Society and Royal 

 Agricultural Benevolent Institution. 



Rushyford, Brierton New Whin, and Firtree, 

 Bradbury, and Black Plantation Whins — the 

 latter three being all Mr. Ord's property.'*^ 



THE NORTH DURHAM FOXHOUNDS 



On the establishment of the North Durham 

 Hunt in 1872, the Durham County Hounds 

 were divided between Mr. Harvey and Mr. 

 Maynard, the former being allowed priority of 

 choice ; while Mr. Maynard further strength- 

 ened his pack by a draft of fifteen couples 

 from Lord Eglinton. The pack thus formed 

 has ever since remained the property of the 

 North Durham Hunt, each retiring master being 

 bound to hand over to his successor the number 

 of hounds which he received on assuming office. 

 Mr. Anthony Lax Maynard, the master of the 

 newly-formed pack, came of a family long con- 

 nected with sport and agriculture in the north of 

 England. He was a very good man to hounds, 

 wonderfully popular with all classes, and showing 

 remarkable tact in dealing with an unruly field. 

 Many of his quaint, dry sayings are remembered 

 and quoted to this day. 



Mr. Maynard undertook to hunt the country 

 three days a week,*' with Henry Haverson — 

 who had previously been first whipper-in to the 

 Bedale — as huntsman and T. Noble and W. 

 Hawkeswell as first and second whippers-in. 

 The hounds were kennelled at Mr. Maynard's 

 residence, Newton Hall, near Durham. 



Mr. Maynard's mastership lasted until 1884, 

 when advancing years obliged him to resign. 

 He had shown consistent good sport for twelve 

 years, and, what is more important still, had 

 established fox-hunting on a firm basis in the face 

 of great natural difficulties in a district where 

 but for him it might easily have died out. Per- 

 haps his best season was 1873, and almost his 

 most remarkable run one from Broomshields to 

 Dukesfield in the Haydon country. 



Mr. Maynard was succeeded by a committee 

 consisting of the Earl of Durham, Mr. (now Sir) 

 Lindsay Wood, and Messrs. P. H. Chapman, 

 and N. W. Apperley, the kennels being moved 

 to Viewley Grange near Plawsworth, with 

 Richard Freeman, who had succeeded Haverson 

 in 1880, as huntsman. This arrangement 

 lasted until 1888, when Mr. J. E. Rogerson 

 was elected master, with a guarantee of /^8oo a 

 year. He has now held the post for eighteen 

 years, to the great satisfaction of all concerned, 

 sparing no pains to ensure sport and to popularize 

 hunting among the farmers of the country. It 



" Mr. Ord, to whom, and to whose interesting 

 book The Sedgffield Country, we are indebted for 

 much valuable information, is honorary secretary to 

 the South Durham Hunt. 



" This was subsequently reduced to two days a 

 week. 



397 



