1817-1818] EADBOURNE GOESE. 57 



Radbourne pai'ish, as Ave understand, belongiug to the Earl of Guildford, at 

 present uninclosed, we entreat your good offices witli Lord Guildford to let 

 us one or both of these gorses on lease, in order that it may be inclosed and 

 preserved. As a sportsman, I feel that you will enter into our views, and 

 promote the wish of any man Imnting within reach of so desirable, and in 

 many respects so superior, a part of the Warwickshire Hunt. If I have not 

 described the situation of these places so intelligibly to you, I think, perhaps, 

 a ride thither any morning that you would appoint next week (when I shall 

 be happy to meet you) would enable us better to judge of the expediency of 

 appropriating one or both of these gorses for the purpose I have mentioned, 

 before any application should be made to Lord Guildford. 



I rt>main, dear Sir, yours very much, 



Henry Wyatt. 

 To William Walford, Esq., Panlniry. 



Sir James Musgrave seems to have been also a prime 

 mover in the acquisition of this favourite covert. He writes 

 to Mr. Walford, under date Wellesljourne, January 29th 

 (I presume in the same year, 1817), to say that he had 

 been to Eadbourne {-sic) and seen Bond (the tenant), and 

 had marked out a j^iece of land of about fifteen acres : 



Part of it is already covered with gorse sufficient to become a cover 

 vei*y soon ; the remaining part of it it will be necessary to plough and sow 

 with gorse seed, as the plants are not at present thick enough. Bond seems 

 perfectly well disposed to meet the wishes of the Hunt, and promises to pay 

 all the attention in his power to the preservation of foxes, &c. He is to 

 receive fifty shillings an acre, and the inclosure to begin as soon as he has 

 received Mr. Walford's permission. 



Mr. Wyitt also writes to Mr. Walford, under date 

 April 25th, ottering to show him Lord Middleton's hounds 

 in kennel, and inviting him to " eat his beefsteak " at his 

 house, which he calls " quite a cottage, wdth no spare stall," 

 but he adds that he hopes soon " to have a larger house." 



Lord Middleton's Hounds had a very fast run in 1817 

 from Pillerton Grorse, down the A^ale, over Herd Hill to 

 Compton Yerney, thence to Moreton Wood, and through 

 Oakley Wood, and over Highdown Hill to Whitnash 

 Fields, where the fox was killed. This run lasted an hour 

 and twenty minutes. Mr. R. Barnard, Mr. Hancox, and 

 Mr. H. Campbell went well, and were up at the death. 

 Lord Middleton staked his favourite grey horse, for which 

 he had given 500 guineas, near Moreton Morrell, and the 

 horse, although he reached his stable, afterwards died. 



