30 THE ESSEX FOXHOUNDS. 



the surrounding neighbourhood. In Essex, however, the 

 beginning of foxhunting must be sought for, not in the 

 history of some famous family pack, but in the doings of a 

 number of unpretentious establishments. Some of them 

 were certainly maintained by different landowners, while 

 others were kept by farmers ; and some, again, were doubt- 

 less trencher fed. 



Roughly speaking, little or nothing is known of fox- 

 hunting in Essex till about 1785 ; but, as a sport, it had then 

 celebrated its centenary — and something more besides — and 

 we may not suppose that during this period Essex had not 

 known the music of horn and hound. An important pack 

 of foxhounds in early times was that of Sir William 

 Rowley, who hunted the Eastern part of our county, from 

 outlying kennels at Witham, though his chief kennels (re- 

 built in 1794) were at Tendring Hall, Suffolk. The illus- 

 trated edition of Beckford's " Thoughts upon Hunting," 

 published in 1796, contains a picturesque view of Sir W. 

 Rowley's kennels, with a ground plan and detailed de- 

 scription — the latter stating that the hunt had been estab- 

 lished about seven years (it was founded in 1777), and that 

 with regard to the excellence of the hounds, the regulation 

 and management of the pack, which consisted of thirty-six 

 couples (the original pack was, it is said, bought from the 



