FATAL ACCIDENT TO LORD SOMERVILLE. 1 27 



a Century's Hunting," which appeared in " Baily " in 1906, 

 referring to the tragedy says : — 



We were out with Mr. Tailby, and were running from 

 Manton Gorse ; the ground was greasy to a degree ; poor 

 Somerville, Captain Smith and I all rode, I may say, together, 

 at a low post and rails, but wide of each other. I never knew 

 that anyone had fallen, but Somerville's horse, a favourite 

 mare called Honesty, slipped, chested the rail, and landed 

 completely on to him. Death must have been instantaneous. 



Undoubtedly it was, blood emerging from his eyes, 

 ears and nose. Dicl^ Webster, that cheery, noisy rough- 

 rider from Hallaton, so long familiar with the Billesdon 

 Hunt, said he had ridden the horse last, and that it was 

 not his fault but solely that of the ground, just recovering 

 from a hard frost. 



Poor Hugh Owen's fatal accident as Mr. Fernie's 

 hounds were going from Kibworth way to draw Langton 

 Caldwell in March igo8, is probably too fresh in everyone's 

 memory to call for any details, besides which it is outside 

 the period within which I must confine my own recollec- 

 tions. He is buried in a picturesque little cemetery just 

 outside Great Bowden village, in a grave surmounted by a 

 stone border of abnormal length. There is also a very 

 remarkable allegorical memorial window to him in Great 

 Bowden Church, which is worth inspecting by the passer-by. 



Vol. LXXXV. of Baily not only contained " Half a 

 Century's Hunting Recollections," by "Terror" King, but 

 also two particularly interesting articles entitled " Recol- 

 lections of Seventy-five Years' Sport," by the veteran 

 Robert Fellowes, who resided at Bitteswell, near Lutter- 

 worth, in the sixties, and was a keen follower of Mr. 

 Tailby's hounds as well as the Pytchley. Both these 

 writers have lots to say about the " Billesdon Hunt," its 

 runs and its riders. The last named referring to my old 

 home, wrote : " Gumley Wood was at one time unin- 

 tentionally spoiled as a covert by the Clergyman of 



