Some more Hunting Parsons. 109 



recalls that they fought the whole way home. Of these about 

 eight couple proved useful. Mr. Parrington did much to 

 improve the pack by introducing fresh blood, and when the 

 Duke of Cleveland's subscription of ;/^500 a year came in his 

 (Mr. Parrington's) second season, they had a little more money 

 to work with. 



For the first two seasons Mr. Parrington lived in rooms at 

 Hurworth, and the other two he had a furnished house. The 

 Spa, at Croft, at this time was at the height of its popularity, 

 and the Spa Hotel was full of water-drinkers and hunting men, 

 all " jovial fellows," more fond of wine, fun, and good dinners 

 than water drinking, and still retaining some of the wildness of 

 the old Tom and Jerry days. There was a dinner party every 

 night, and Mr. Parrington and Squire Wilkinson often went 

 down. Squire Wilkinson and several of the others drank the 

 strongest, blackest port, and did not stint themselves either. 

 As the evenings advanced, and the dew of vintage had fallen 

 pretty heavily, it was a regular practice to see who could put a 

 champagne or port bottle on his head, and, by stages, lie down 

 and rise up again with the bottle still in position. The result 

 was that there was a good deal of broken glass on the floor. 

 These were the days of " the Merry Past," the days of many 

 bumper toasts, and " no heel taps." If they took their liquor 

 at this day they also took any amount of exercise as an antidote 

 — no travelling in motor-cars to the meeting place, and none of 

 the ease and luxury of this epoch ! 



They had a number of sporting parsons with them in the 

 Hurworth field at this period. There was Parson Dyke, of 

 Long Newton, whom Mr. Parrington describes as " a most 

 handsome man and a good horseman." Then there was 

 Parson Gooch, of Stainton-in-Cleveland, and the Rev. John 

 Newton, of Kirby-in-Cleveland, who divided his affections 



