46 ROYAL ROCK BEAGLE HUNT. 



l)ijiccnt BsbflclD Ikinov 



" Xo man alive can love, in such a sort, 

 Tiie tiuns he means to kill, more excellently.'' 



J roiiiis and Cremida, act /r', scene i. 



" Ould King" (as lie loved to call himself) is undoubtedly the most 

 striking figure in connection with the Royal Rock Beagles, He was a pro- 

 minent member in the inauguration of the pack, and took the lead at a very 

 early date in the history of the Hunt, retaining the mastership from 1853 till 

 his death in 1882, a period of thirty seasons. 



X. A. King was one of the first members in 1845, ^ committee-man in 

 1846, chairman from 1S49 to 1852, and then master till 1S82, a total active 

 membership of thirty-seven years. Our present senior member (T. Ijanner 

 Newton) must remain with us till 1897 to equal this record ; and among our 

 honorary hfe members we have two well-known gentlemen, J. B. Morgan and 

 J. A. Smith, who, in this year of jubilee, have been thirty-eight years con- 

 nected with the Hunt, though not of late as active members. 



V. A. King, from his connection and influence with the landowners in 

 the northern part of Wirral, was of immense assistance to the promoters of 

 the R.R.B. Hunt in inaugurating the pack, and obtaining the permission of 

 the landowners and farmers to hunt the country. His father, George King, 

 of Higher Bebington Hall, and his uncle, the Rev. Joshua King, Rector of 

 Woodchurch, were the first landowners, after the Rev. R. AI. Feilden, of 

 Bebington, to give their consent. 



The first mention of V. A. King in the records of the Hunt is that he 

 was tlie 80th enrolled member; and that on October 28th, 1846, he was 

 elected a member of the Committee, of which he became Chairman at the 

 annual meeting in 1849. Up to this time V. A. King did not take an 

 active share in the management of the Hunt, nor does lie appear to liave 

 attended any of the Committee meetings, no doubt owing to his absence in 

 Bombay ; but after he was made Chairman, he had the Committee meetings 

 at his office, and was always present, except during his periodical trips to 

 India. During one of these absences the Master, C. Rawson, wished to 

 resign, but was prevailed upon to retain the office till the return of 

 V. A. King. 



At the 8th annual general meeting, i8th August, 1853, V. A. King was 

 unanimously elected Master ("and a right good master too"), and no 

 Chairman of Committee was appointed after this date, but henceforth the 

 Master was the head of the Hunt. For the two following seasons he was 



