46 THE ESSEX FOXHOUNDS. 



We have referred to the giving of Fairbrother's portrait 

 in the Sporting Magazine as a singular honour. This is 

 confirmed by the illustrated edition of " Beckford on Hunt- 

 ing" (1796), in which Richard Fairbrother is the only 

 huntsman whose likeness appeared. As he died in 1798, 

 hunted harriers before his death, and had a short notice of 

 his career printed in 1 794, it is clear that he must have left 

 the service of Mr. Newman before that date ; and unless he 

 had been for some time with that good sportsman he would 

 not have been deemed worthy of a place in the magazine ; 

 and this tends to suggest that the Newman family may 

 have kejat hounds longer than we suppose. 



By 1795 the hounds were spoken of as the "Essex 

 Subscription Foxhounds under the firm of Harding New- 

 man and Co." ; and at this date it was that the Broomfield 

 kennel, near Chelmsford, was given up, as also was the 

 sporting partnership which before existed, whatever that 

 may have been. Prior to that, however, that is to 

 say, in 1794, one of the hounds was bitten by a mad 

 dog ; rabies took possession of the kennel, and the pack 

 was destroyed. Thanks, however, to the freemasonry 

 which, in almost every instance, has obtained among 

 hunting men, a fresh pack was got together ; and 

 Mr. Harding Newman, either single-handed, or with 



