FOXES FOXHOUNDS & FOX-HUNTING 



Those old-time huntsmen must have possessed 

 cast-iron constitutions to enable them to stand 

 all the hard work and hard drinking that was 

 the fashion in their day. 



In the early days of Tommy Dobson's reign 

 with the Eskdale and Ennerdale the Court Leet 

 paid ten and sixpence for every fox-brush pro- 

 duced at its sitting. By this means Tommy 

 collected quite a decent sum each season which, 

 as he said, " came in verra handy for a lot o' 

 laal things about t' Hunt." His disgust was 

 great, therefore, when the custom was finally 

 abandoned. It was Will Ritson, who was hunts- 

 man to Mr. Huddlestone, of Gosforth, who said 

 that Wastdale boasted " t' heighest mountain, 

 t' deepest lake, t' lahlest church, and t' biggest 

 liar i' all England." 



In the Troutbeck (Windermere) valley an 

 ancient custom known as ' ' The Mayor's Hunt " 

 is still kept up. This was originally the prin- 

 cipal annual hunting fixture, which combined the 

 day's sport with a lively gathering in the evening. 

 Refreshment in solid and liquid form was pro- 

 vided at the charges of the ' ' Mayor," who was an 

 elected leader of the Hunt. The "Mayor" 

 was usually some fairly well-to-do statesman, 

 keen on sport, and convivial withal. His suc- 

 cessor in office was elected by the votes of the 

 company during the progress of the evening's 

 entertainment. On one occasion the honour 

 fell to a member of the fair sex, a Mrs. Backhouse, 

 and she was duly elected Mayoress. In the old 

 days these meetings were often held at Troutbeck 

 Bridge, there being records of the event from as 

 early as 1778. To-day, however, the Mayor 

 Hunt is held in Troutbeck Village. More than 

 eighty years ago a few couple of trencher-fed 



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