mj] THE REV. C. CURTIS. 175 



From \'yner's " Notitia Venatica : " 



The follo\nug- anecdote of a fox having been actually roasted and served 

 up at talde by one of the greatest boa vivants of his day is undoubtedly true, 

 as I have heard it from no less than four different persons : The Rev. Charles 

 Curtis, the vector for many years of Solihull, in Warwickshire, was no less 

 celebrated for his attachment to field sports than for his unboinidcd 

 liospitality and for the excellent table which he always kept. So fond was 

 he of the chase that for many years he kept a pack of harriers hiinself, with 

 which he sometimes drew f<n" a fox. as there were no foxhounds in those days 

 which regularly hunted in that ueiglibourhood. On one occasion, when the 

 hounds accidentally crossed the line of })Oor reynard as he was on his travels, 

 and had given him a dressing of upwards of tAvo hours in the old-fashioned 

 style, which had found the l)ottoui of most of the nags, and anuuigst them 

 had completely sewed up that of the sporting divine, who, fiiuling it almost 

 dark, himself unable to proceed, and that " although the spii-it was willing, 

 the flesh was weak," he gave them a parting cheer, and declared to old Joe 

 Pitchford, his huntsman, tliat if he succeeded in ])ringing home the brush he 

 would. Avithout fail, have the carcass dressed for dinner ; in which he was as 

 ^•ood as his promise, for after running their fox hard for a considerable time 

 longer, the hounds gloriously vaiupxished him ; and accordingly he was 

 actually roasted and brought up to table, where a considerable^ peirtion of him 

 was eaten, there being a large party to dinner on that day. 



A master of harriers, mentioned in the Sporting Magazine for 1824. 

 <mtertained a somewhat difPereut idea as to the claim of a fox to be regarded 

 as a delicacy. His hounds one day got on the line of a fox, whereupon the 

 master called out lustily to his whipper-in, " Stop them ! Stop them ! He's 

 nae meat" — meat. 



Stevens' diary : 



26th Hunniiigfon Tollyafe. — Found H Foxes on Brailes Hill & ran A very 

 t{uick ring round the hill 25 minutes A: Killed him. Drewe Comj)ton Winiate 

 Blank Found in Hitchcox Gorse & ran Pointing to Compton Curved Shorte 

 Back by Epewell village & Mill Leveing shutford earths on tlie right over 

 Wrcixton Field by Taylors Bushes to Hornton village he waited for us A 

 ran very hard the last 10 minutes i^ Killed him in the road by Ratley 1 hour 

 & 25 minutes. 



2Sth Loiver ShnckbnryJi village. — Found 5 Brace of Foxes & Killed A 

 Brace at the Hill & hunted A Fox over New Bold grounds S: Hellidon Hill 

 to Griffins Gorse ^t very (juick l)ack to Shuckburgh &. A ring at the hill A; 

 away over Fleckno Field Pointing to AVilloughby l)ut wlient to ground in 

 Fleckno Field. 



•19th Chesterton Mill 12 o"cloek.- Found in Ladbrook Gorse A; the fox 

 Broake away Pointing to Najjton. Mr Barnard ordered me to take the 

 Hounds home as the field over rode them Shameful drew Ufton did not 

 Finde a fox Distui-bed from there. 



This was no doubt the day after some ball at Leamington 

 or Warwick. The "dancers" must have been in g'reat 

 force. Mr. Barnard ap])arently relented afterwards, as 

 they drew Ufton Wood. 



