48 



present issue, but it has ever been the case with clubs and 

 societies, whether sporting or social, that from differences 

 of opinion, or albeit jealousy — the root of much evil — there 

 were occasionally partial splits even amongst such excellent 

 sportsmen as these early Bilsdaleites. Now a split, however, 

 little it may influence the welfare of those on " t'other 

 side," is still a division, and in a double sense to divide means 

 to separate, for it not infrequently carries with it documents 

 and trophies of bygone days. In the Bilsdale, Farndale, 

 and Sinnington Hunts of yore, each of " t'main men " were 

 responsible not only for the safeguarding and rearing of one 

 or two hounds, but scattered amongst them were also hunting 

 horns, books, presents to the Hunt, and trophies won at the 

 old hound trails once so popular. These were often brought 

 each year to the annual hunt dinner, and actually belonged 

 to the committee of the hunt, not to the holder, or the master 

 when such there was, but to " t'hoont " as represented by 

 the committee. 



Whether or not this old minute book, containing, as I 

 am told it did, old-time recipes for every manner of hound 

 ailment, from jaundice (or " yellows ") to " Ye best way to 

 make a hound carry his stern in a fitting manner," was lost 

 to the Hunt during one of these temporary little feuds, I 

 cannot say. It had in a list of the hound names, accounts 

 of sport, and the names of officials. Search was made without 

 success for the old MS. volume when the dispute as to the 

 ownership of country arose between the Hurworth and the 

 Bilsdale. This is most unfortunate, for it would have pro- 

 vided most interesting and useful data for the present history. 

 So far as can be roughly gathered, J. Dawson — the grandsire 

 of old " Bobbie," was followed, in 1770, by J. Hughill. He 

 was a yeoman farmer of means, fond of sport, and a good 

 fellow with hounds. I have heard it said in the dale, " he 

 was a hard beast across a country," and no day was too long 

 for him, no run too fast. Records regarding this period 

 are, however, scant in the extreme, and even legendary 

 matter is not easy to obtain, but it is probable some of 



