THE CASE ON BEHALF OF THE BILLESDON HUNT. I55 



covert owners in the Billesdon country are in favour of that 

 country being hunted by the Ouorn. 



The Committee beg of me to add that they are utterly 

 unaware of the existence of any want of unanimity between 

 landowners and occupiers in the Billesdon country. 



Yours obediently, 

 Ilston Grange, Leicester. A. H. Baillie, 



April 2SriI, J8y8. Hon. Sec. 



Extracts from the Case on Behalf of the Billesdon 

 Hunt, as summarised by the Committee specially appointed, 

 and ultimately submitted to the Masters of Fox Hounds' 

 Committee of Boodles' Club : — 



The conditions upon which Mr. Tailby accepted the Billesdon 

 country (as far as the Ouorn and Lord Stamford are concerned), 

 appear in the following letters addressed to the " Leicester Journal," 

 (April I2th, 1878) : — 



From the Earl of Stamford and Warrington, 



30th March, 1878. 

 When I took the hounds it was with the distinct under- 

 standing that I could hunt the whole Quorn country, viz : — the 

 part hunted by Mr. Tailby, at any time I wished, by, of course, 

 giving him proper notice. That part of the country was 

 originally comprised in the Old Quorn Hunt, and has for time 

 immemorial belonged to it. 



The same remark (time immemorial) applies to the greater 

 part of the Atherstone, and much of what is now called the 

 'Meynell country,' both of which belonged at no very distant time 

 to the Quorn. 



Mr. Tailby wrote to the " Leicester Journal ," in /eply, as 

 follows : — 



THE BILLESDON COUNTRY. 



Sir, — In reply to a quotation from a letter from Lord 

 Stamford, which has appeared in most of the sporting papers : 

 / most distinctly deny that any portion of the Quorn country 

 was ever lent to me, and / challenge any member of the Quorn 

 committee, or any other individual, to prove that I ever 

 accepted the Billesdon country on the condition of a loan. 



That district having been rejected by the Quorn in 1856, 



