THE ORIGINAL QUORN COUNTRY. 



The original Quorn country (as hunted b}^ Mr. JNleynell 

 for forty-seven years) comprised the country subsequently 

 hunted by Mr. Coupland ; Bosworth, Kirby, and Raven- 

 stone, afterwards hunted by the Atherstone hounds ; 

 Keddlestone and Shirley, part of the Meynell country, 

 afterwards hunted by the second Lord Waterpark ; the 

 Donington side by Lord Ferrers ; and the Billesdon country, 

 with which latter, although not exclusively, it is proposed 

 to treat. 



From an interesting old diary of the Quorndon Hunt, 

 written long prior to the intersection of the country by the 

 iron-road (1791-1800), kept by Thomas Jones, whipper-in to 

 Hugo Meynell, Esq., to which all writers upon hunting in 

 Leicestershire seem to have had recourse and to be indebted, 

 it appears that in those far away days the Billesdon side, or 

 that part of it which, being at a distance of from fifteen to 

 twenty miles from the kennels might be termed the out- 

 lying country, was only partially hunted. There were 

 considerable intervals, reynard frequently being undisturbed 

 for weeks together, with the usual result that (like a half- 

 shot rookery) sport in the badly hunted country varied 

 greatly. The distance being so great, it seems to have 

 been the usual practice for the hounds to pay occasional 

 visits of several days' duration to the southern portion, 

 putting up at the supplementary kennels at Little Bowden, 

 and at any village inn where sufficient accommodation 

 could be obtained for men, horses, and hounds, the latter 

 being supplemented by any specimens that had been 

 " walked " or were to be found in the immediate neighbour- 

 hood ; horses also being frequently borrowed for the 

 occasion, likewise a mount locally provided to enable the 

 huntsman to get home ! 



After hunting within a radius of several miles until the 



