126 BILSDALE AND SINNINGTON. 



road was impassable with trees and other debris. 

 The damaofe was incalculable. 



January Gth, 1876. Met at Baysdale Abbey. 

 Kan Mr. Kenny to ground in an hour and forty 

 minutes. Got a hound named Woodman poisoned. 

 The poison was laid on the high road, and the 

 dog got it as we came home at night. 



December 13th, 1881. Met at Limekiln House. 

 Had a run of four and a half hours before he was 

 pulled down. 



January, 1888. Met at Osmotherley. The 

 hounds found Mr. Reynard at home. After a 

 run of two hours and twenty minutes, we were 

 overtaken by such a snowstorm as it comes to the 

 lot of few to see. The hounds and we were 

 completely beaten off.'" 



In a country like Bilsdale, where the love of 

 sport is so strongly engrafted in the very nature 

 of the inhabitants, it is only to be expected that 

 some of the runs should have been versified for 

 the edification of admiring audiences, and accord- 

 ingly we find that there is more than one bard in 

 Bilsdale. With some little trouble we have been 

 able to procure an authentic copy of one of these 

 songs, as well as of the famous stag hunt which 



■•'• There can be no doubt about the accuracy of some of the 

 times of these runs ; but we are iucliuecl to think that hounds 

 must have changed foxes in some of the longer ones unknown to 

 their followers, a very easy thing to do in a country where it is 

 impossible to be with them always. 



