110 England's oldest hunt. 



'em on their legs ageean,' as Stephen pub it in his broad 

 mother vernacular. This, then, is the story of the revival 

 of the pack."* 



Squire Barr, a young man, but coming from an old 

 Bilsdale family, was the first Master. He had Nicholas 

 Spink, of whom more later, as whip. Barr resided at Holly 

 Bower, where lives the present huntsman, and gained for 

 himself the name of a hard rider. He had money, and 

 occasionally drove a carriage and pair of greys. He was 

 " thowt a lot on " by the dalesfolk, and named Squire no 

 doubt because of the fact that whilst he was of them, yet 

 he was able to live in a comparatively palatial manner. 

 He kept the hounds at his own expense, and when they 

 had a good day's sport he rewarded them with bread loaves 

 and milk on his return. He left the dale, however, and so 

 had to give up the hounds. He placed the Bilsdale on a 

 firm footing, however, ere he left his native country for 

 near Thirsk. Some idea as to the antiquity of the Barr 

 family in Bilsdale may be gathered from the fo] lowing 

 obituary notice, which appeared in the " Malton Messenger,' 5 

 December 24, 1903, regarding a cousin of Squire Barr's : — 



A link with the past. — " Edward Barr, Laverick Hall, Bilsdale, 

 died Dec., 1903, aged 80 years," so read the plate on the coffin of 

 the dead, whose mortal remains were interred at St. John's Church, 

 on Saturday last, and by whose death a link with the past has been 

 severed. There was a great funeral to witness the last solemn rites 

 performed by the Vicar, the Rev. B. Wilton. . . . He was one of 

 the oldest inhabitants of the dale, not only in age, but also one whose 

 genealogy could be traced back for generations, for it is close upon 400 



*As this book is going to press. Viscount Helmsley tells me the 

 Earl of Feversham remembers the Bilsdale becoming a foxhound pack. 

 The noble Earl argues that they were not foxhounds till they discon- 

 tinued hunting the hare, and that was not till he helped to assist in 

 their reformation. Even then, they were anxious to hunt hare and 

 fox in the dale, but he gave permission only for the fox to be hunted. 

 Were the theory as to hounds which hunted hare as well as the fox 

 being harriers correct, good-bye to my fondly cherished theories here- 

 tofore expressed. 



