Fox-hunting Past and Present 



of society, and perhaps the very constitution of 

 the country, belong to no very remote times. A 

 hundred and fifty years ago there were generations 

 of nobles and squires who lived on their own acres 

 and were satisfied with a visit once or twice a year 

 to London or York. They shot and hunted over 

 their estates in a quiet sort of way, lived well, and 

 were inclined to much hospitality, but there it 

 ended. It would appear from records that a Mr. 

 Thomas Noel first conceived the idea of going 

 where he pleased over territories in which he was 

 not in the least concerned, but with, apparently, 

 no hindrance from owners or tenants. He hunted 

 periodically over Leicestershire, Warwickshire, and 

 part of Derbyshire, until some division of responsi- 

 bility was ceded to Mr. T. Boothby, the acknow- 

 ledged first Master of the Quorn. It was all a very 

 slow order of hunting, though. The drag of a fox 

 was generally found at daybreak, and hunted up to 

 his lair, or, otherwise, if found later, he might be 

 hunted all day. A very wealthy young gentleman 

 failed to see anything very exhilarating in this sort 

 of sport, and believed that something more could 

 be made of the hounds then in use. This gentle- 

 man was Mr. Hugo Meynell, and records determine 

 that he was only nineteen at the time he took upon 

 himself the responsibilities of M.F.H. At any rate 

 he soon succeeded in breeding a much faster 

 hound than had been seen before, and he had also 



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