2/2 THE ESSEX FOXHOUNDS. 



his hounds met at the Royal Hotel, Southend. They 

 found a fox in what is known as the Shrubbery, on the 

 cliff there (a place where in these days nothing but number- 

 less " 'Arrys and 'Arriets spending a 'appy day at the sea" 

 are to be found), had a gallop and killed him, returned to 

 lunch at the Royal, drew the Shrubbery again, and found 

 another fox and killed him. His servants were Will Cross 

 and Joe Sorrell. Mr. Parker died at the early age of forty. 

 In 1854, succeeding Mr. Parker, Mr. Scratton again took 

 the hounds with Will Cross as huntsman, but in 1857 Mr. 

 Scratton took the horn himself for two seasons, till 1859, 

 when .Shepherd, who had previously been whip in the Essex 

 country, came to him as huntsman. The kennels had been 

 moved to Prittlewell Priory, Mr. Scratton's place, near 

 Southend, in 1857. During this period the South Essex 

 had been hunted by Mr. Abraham Cawston, who came 

 from Suffolk. He was a large yeoman farmer at Mucking, 

 and the kennels were at the latter place on a farm of Mr. 

 Arthur Button's (as his name was then). Mr. Cawston 

 showed fine sport to the farmers in that district, who solely 

 composed the field in those days. He had an almost intui- 

 tive knowledge of the run of a fox, and was so persevering 

 that he frequently made a run where other huntsmen 

 would have thrown up the sponge in sheer disgust. In 



