no FOX-HUNTING RECOLLECTIONS 



was giving up his Raby country, and he offered 

 some portion of it to the Hurworth, which enabled 

 them to go out three days a week instead of two. 



Mr. James Cookson of Neasham then suc- 

 ceeded as Master, and Mr. Parrington continued 

 as huntsman with him until 1864, when he retired. 



Sport seems to have risen to a high standard 

 during Mr. Parrington' s time, and from a diary 

 still in his possession I extract in his own words 

 the records of some of the best days he had : 



'' Tuesday, February 26th 1861.— Met at 

 Hurworth; found a brace or leash of foxes in 

 Mr. Wilkinson's cover at Neasham; chopped one 

 instantly. At the same moment another broke 

 away to Dinsdale Wood, with which we got away 

 on pretty good terms. He left the wood a little 

 west of the Asylum, and ran a ring at a good 

 pace to Grey's Plantations, where presently 

 several foxes were on foot and began to ring 

 about in all directions, so stopped the hounds 

 and trotted away to Mr. Surtees's Plantation. 

 Found quickly ; broke almost in view to the east, 

 ran a ring nearly back to the Plantation, and then 

 went straight away to the Fish Locks, where the 

 hounds fairly chased down their fox in splendid 

 style after a magnificent burst of twelve minutes ; 

 a fine old vixen-fox. Tried Bolton Park, then 

 on to Mill Wood, where we unkennelled a fine old 

 dog-fox ; forced him away at a racing pace past 

 Mr. Grace's to West Wood, thence to Pettly, 



