140 ROYAL ROCK BEAGLE HUXT. 



3, 1R. Sbaw, Esq., of Hrrow. 



" Go, sirrah, take them to the buttery. 



And give them friendly welcome every one : 

 Let them want nothing that my house affords." 



J'ami/'x of the S/ire7f, /nrfucfioii, scfiie i. 



A year or two previous to the inauguration of the Royal Rock Beagles, 



the late Mr. John Ralph Shaw had come into possession of Arrow Hall and 



the township of Arrow. The park is an enclosure of about six hundred 



acres, and is surrounded on all sides by a good hunting country. Mr. Shaw 



had a very friendly feeling for the R.R.B. from the first, and readily granted 



them permission to hunt over his outlying estate. He wrote as follows to 



C. Rawson, Chairman of the Committee : — 



December 9th, 1845. 

 My dear Rawson, — Many thanks for your kindness in sending to Neilson 

 and myself the letters on the cultivation of wheat. I feel extremely gratified 

 that the gentlemen of the R.R.B. were pleased with my reception of them, and 

 with their day's sport. I should feel obliged by the dogs being drawn off in 

 future, if the hare enters the park or any of the young plantations round the 

 Hall, within the wall, and on the other side from Mr. Neilson's upper farm 

 down to the keeper's house. This is the only restriction I wish to put upon the 

 R.R.B. I feel also that this will not interfere with your sport, as the hares are 

 too numerous. (Signed) J. R. Shaw. 



This arrangement has been adliered to from that day to tliis, ami Mr. 

 Shaw maintained his friendship witli tlie Masters of the R.R.15. till his 

 death. \\'henever the beagles met at Arrow he received them most liospit- 

 ai)ly, providing a sumptuous lunch, and getting his keeper afterwards to ]):-.t 

 them on to a hare. Many are the records in the Spoit Books of lunches at 

 Arrow Hall. 



13th March, 1847. Arrow Hall. As usual, when this is our meet, we par- 

 took of the hospitality of the owner of the Hall, John R. Shaw. Bscp, who 

 regaled us with an excellent lunch, to which ample justice was done. Crossed 

 the park towards Irby ; soon found, but were obliged to whip off, as she made 

 straight for the Hall covers, ^\'ith two other hares we were obliged to do the 

 same, from the same cause. 



Mr. Sliaw was present at the dinner given to C. Rawson in 1S48, 

 responded to the toast of ''The Landlords of ^Virral,'■ and proposed the 

 toast of "The Royal Rock Beagles.'' 



Mr. Otto Shaw, the present owner of Arrow, is a non-resident landlord, 

 and for the last few years has let the Hall and sporting rights to Mr. Harri- 

 son, who in this year, 1895, has been succeeded by Mr. Dennis. 



