50 



England's oldest hunt. 



lives at Trenholme. The name Rickitson, I recently discovered is 

 spoken of as Rickaby. No such family of that name having existed 

 here. I am frequently discovering this peculiarity of altering names, 

 i.e., a family known as Bowron is really Bowland. I only found this 

 out on entering a marriage. The present John Temple has his grand- 

 father's whip with a peculiar brass end. I never saw such an end, and 

 the owner says he never did. He also has the couples and the twisted 

 copper horn. It may interest you to know that about a year ago I 



JOHN TEMPLE S COPPEB HORN. 



had a visit from Mr. Walton Rickitson (a well-known American Sculptor) 

 of New Bedford, Mass., U.S.A. He was an elderly man and went up 

 to Whorl Hill Farm. He told me he ran up and down the granary 

 steps delighted to think how his ancestors won their way, and he was 

 treading on the very steps they trod, etc. ! ! He became quite enthu- 

 siastic about these matters. He called on his relations at Trenholme, 

 Stokesley, &c." 



It must be remembered that at this period the hounds 

 were a sort of company affair ; and that whilst there might 

 be a nominal huntsman who carried the horn, still each man 

 in his way was equally capable of hunting the pack, which, 

 being trencher-fed, would be just about as much under the 

 control of each individual follower as the huntsman himself. 

 There would be no salary paid to the huntsman, and it is 

 very clear from stories told that when the dalesfolk wanted 

 hounds upon extraordinary days or in consequence of the 

 knowledge of the whereabouts of a fox, such as were within 

 the hearing of the horn were called up, and away they went, 

 minus scarlet, and possibly without he who at this particular 

 period was nominally huntsman. The early history of the 

 Cleveland Hounds — when they were known as " The Roxby 



