INTRODUCTION 15 



called the father of English fox-hunting, founded and 

 recruited the Quorn, early in the fifties of the last 

 century, and to this day the Brocklesby Hounds are 

 branded with a P. Mr Meynell hunted the Quorn till 

 1795, and under his rule two important customs were 

 introduced. He initiated late hunting, or drawing for 

 the fox, instead of dragging up to his lair, and Mr 

 Child e, known as " the flying Childe," initiated " riding 

 to heunds," much, as we are told, to Meynell's disgust, so 

 that it would seem that previous to Mr Childe's time 

 the field did not follow the line of hounds, but rode 

 from point to point, probably on account of the poor 

 jumping and galloping powers of their horses. 



But Hugo Meynell has been handed down to pos- 

 terity as the father of fox-hunting, chiefly on account 

 of the number of young sportsmen whom he educated 

 to follow his system. From all parts of the country 

 men came to hunt with Meynell, and then went back 

 to try to do as he did. He had reduced fox-hunting 

 and the breeding of hounds to a science. At first it 

 was only the wealthy few who could afford to imitate 

 him, for in those days men hunted their own hounds, 

 and the modern subscription pack was unknown. 

 Certainly in 1770 the famous Tarporley Hunt Club 

 became a fox-hunting club; but it was not till 1796 

 that the " Cheshire County Subscription Hounds " were 

 founded by Sir Peter Warburton on account of some 

 quarrel amongst the members of the Tarporley Hunt 

 Club. Long previous to 1762, however, hunt clubs 

 were in existence, as in that year Boodle's Club was 

 founded as a London eating-house for members of hunt 

 clubs, but it was long before the hunt clubs lost their 

 character for social exclusiveness, or that fox-hunting 

 became the reason of their existence. Indeed they 



