I 



THE EIGHTH DUKE OF BEAUFORT 



connected with the Somersets by ties of marriage, 

 as well as by a common love of sport. The Kings- 

 cotes of Kingscote belong to an ancient and honour- 

 able Gloucestershire house, which received the 

 manor of Kingscote originally as the dower to the 

 first knight on his marriage with Adeva, daughter 

 of Robert Fitzhardinge, whose grandmother was a 

 niece of the Conqueror. Thus the love of sport 

 and war was in the blood. Mr. Thomas Kingscote 

 (1828-1861) married Lady Isabella, a daughter of 

 the sixth Duke. He was considered to be the best 

 heavy-weight rider in the Badminton Hunt. His 

 brother, Robert, was also a good man to hounds. 

 Later in life the latter turned his thoughts to other 

 things than sport, and became a lay evangelist. 



The famous huntsman to Lord Fitzhardinge, 

 Harry Ayris, of whom mention is frequently made 

 in the eighth Duke's hunting diaries, always said 

 Sir William Miles, of Leigh Court, and Sir Belling- 

 ham Graham, were the finest riders to hounds he 

 had ever seen. Among the older men was Mr. 

 Peach, of Tockington, who was full of recollections 

 of Philip Payne, and the exploits of hounds of the 

 Justice Blood. Then there were Mr. Jack Langley, 

 the hard-riding lawyer, Mr. Southcote Austen, the 

 Reverend " Zach " Taylor, one of the quaintest 

 characters of the hunt, a very fine horseman, but 

 possibly somewhat too convivial in his tastes for a 

 wearer of " the cloth," Mr. George Curtice " com- 

 monly called Snarley Yow," another devoted fol- 



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