284 THE ESSEX FOXHOUNDS. 



North Warwickshire. He resigned, however, at the 

 end of the season, and this brings us to this year of 

 grace, 1895, when we find Colonel Hornby, who has 

 previously been Field Master of the Queen's Staghounds, 

 and subsequently Master of the Devon and Somerset 

 Staghounds, Master of the Essex Union, keeping on, 

 as huntsman, Goddard, whom Mr. Ashton brought with 

 him from Warwickshire. 



Havine now eiven an account of the various masters 

 and servants who have held office, we may pass on to men- 

 tion a few of the principal landowners in the hunt, the 

 best coverts, and some of the finest runs that have taken 

 place during the last seventy years. Lord Petre is by far 

 the largest landowner in the hunt, an immense tract of 

 country belonging to him, and, like his predecessors, he 

 is the staunchest supporter of foxhunting. Sir Thomas 

 Lennard, of Belhus, is another good supporter and land- 

 owner. The writer remembers how, during the master- 

 ship of Mr. Scratton, the latter used invariably to bring 

 his hounds up to the Belhus Kennels at the commencement 

 of the cubbing season for a whole week, hunting four con- 

 secutive mornings. He used to begin as soon as it was 

 light, and the coverts were full of foxes in those days. 

 They are admirably suited for cub-hunting — not being 



