The Farmers — Fox Preservers, &c. 201 



mentioned, of Whitfield, which parish was but 

 ill-provided with a church, and was besides very 

 small and poor, being anxious to remedy this 

 state of things, and finding it impossible to raise 

 the necessary funds in the usual way, made a 

 collection in the hunting field, with the result that 

 the bulk of the money was provided by hunting 

 gentlemen, which fact is commemorated by the 

 church, which was duly built, being called " The 

 Hunting Church." 



In the year 1871 the farmers and friends of 

 Frank Beers subscribed at the rate of -£\ each 

 towards a wedding present for him ; the sum 

 collected amounted to ;^383. 



No country could be more highly favoured than 

 the Grafton country was by noblemen and gentle- 

 men in the way of shooting ; his Grace the Duke 

 of Grafton only preserved the outlying coverts 

 for foxes and the Forest from trespassers. Sir 

 Robert Loder had great shootings with any 

 number of foxes and was a staunch fox-hunter. 

 Sir Henry Dryden was for many years most kind 

 in preserving foxes, although he did not partici- 

 pate in the sport. Colonel Morgan, of Biddlesden, 

 has always been good, and Mrs. FitzGerald, of 

 Shalstone, cannot be surpassed. 



Yardley Chase, and the woods on that side, I 



