1822] JACK WOOD AND BILL BOXHALL. &7 



capital style, and during his time the attendance on his 

 liounds was even larger than that of his predecessor. His 

 highly accomplished manners, added to the great worth of 

 liis character, made him a general favourite, and the 

 reputation of the pack rather increased than suffered in his 

 hands. 



Lord Middleton having given his pack of hounds to 

 Sir Tatton Sykes, it became necessary for the Hunt for the 

 first time to raise a subscription, and to build new kennels, 

 and to purchase a pack of hounds, a considerable under- 

 taking which was liberally carried out ; and Mr. Shirley, in 

 IS.^.^, bought the Cranbourne Chase Hounds, consisting of 

 twenty-four couples. They were a very good looking and 

 steady pack of working hounds, but were rather too small 

 for such a country as Warwickshire. A new kennel was 

 built at Butlers Marston, and a subscription of .2000/. was 

 raised. 



Jack AVood who had been for some time huntsman to 

 Lord Althorpe and Sir Charles Knightley in Northampton- 

 shire, and to the Duke of Beaufort in Oxfordshire, now 

 entered Mr. Shirley's service. He was a first-class hunts- 

 man and a very fine rider. "Nimrod" says that there was 

 no better horseman than Jack Wood. He had a graceful 

 seat and light hands, and rode like a gentleman. He had, 

 however, the bad luck to have some falls which laid him 

 up for some time, and included a broken thigh, leg, and 

 collar-bone. Bill Boxall was the first whip. 



The first good run recorded by "Venator" took place after 

 a meet at Alscot on February 3rd, 18.22. The morning 

 was cloudy, -^Ndth a cold drizzling rain ; the pack found a fox 

 at Fir Grove, and ran by Alderminster, over the Stour, and 

 tlience over Crimscote Downs to Ilmington Hill, and close 

 by Mr. Canning's house at Foxcote ; they then ran down 

 into the Vale by Ditchford, and again over the Stour to 

 Todenham, and killed the fox in a field between there and 

 Wolford Wood. This was a fast run over a good extent 

 of country, and lasted an hour and forty minutes. Mr. 

 Shirley, on his chesnut horse Marmion, Mr. Napier, Mr. 



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