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in the days of the first duke, but they were kept purely for 

 stag-hunting, which was then deemed the highest form 

 of the sport. It was by a mere accident, if the legend 

 be true, that the discovery was made that the fox 

 afforded more sport than the stag. In the year 1762, 

 during the reign of the fifth duke, the hounds were 

 passing through Silkwood, the covert there was drawn, a 

 fox was found who gallantly faced the open and gave them 

 such a capital run that the young duke was delighted, 

 and from that moment the hounds were steadied from deer 

 and encouraged to fox. But foxes were not plentiful 

 enough then in the Badminton country to afford sport 

 for a whole season, even at two days' hunting a week, 

 and the sixth duke therefore rented Cornbury Park and 

 subsequently Heythrop House in order to hunt that 

 country alternately with his own. When, however, 

 Heythrop House was completely destroyed by fire, the 

 duke removed the kennels to Badminton, and, with 

 Philip Payne as his huntsman, raised the Badminton 

 Hunt to a celebrity which it has maintained ever since. 

 The sixth duke was ' the good Lord ' of the House of 

 Somerset. No kindlier-hearted, more gentle, chivalrous, 

 charitable, lovable man could have been found among 

 his contemporaries. No one ever heard him utter a harsh 

 word to any human being, but he could sometimes put 

 such irony into his courtesy as made it serve the purpose 

 of the most stinging rebuke. On one occasion when he 

 was hunting the Heythrop country a reckless young 

 Oxonian so pressed upon the hounds that they lost 

 their fox. The duke rode up to the offender and 

 taking off his hat, said, in his suavest manner, ' Sir, 

 I have to thank you, and I beg every gentleman 

 in the field will follow my example, take off their hats 



