120 FOX-HUNTING RECOLLECTIONS 



a capital sportsman and often out with the 

 Hurworth Hounds on that side of the country. 



In the vicinity of Hurworth the Scurfield 

 family have for long owned a considerable estate, 

 on which their numerous coverts were well 

 looked after, in fact they were '' model lodging- 

 houses '' whence foxes were always forthcoming. 

 Probably in these days there are many other 

 coverts of equal note, but I only mention some 

 of those which existed in former times. 



There was not much woodland in the country, 

 Beverley on the north and Cotcliffe on the south 

 were the largest strongholds ; but on the south- 

 east corner came the big woods of Thimbleby 

 and Arncliffe, and it was hereabouts that the 

 boundary was joined by the Bilsdale, a moorland 

 hunt and a trencher-fed pack which had existed 

 for ages . Sometimes they came on the line of a fox 

 into the heart of the Hurworth Vale, and tradition 

 had it that they were not very particular about 

 what they did on these occasions. One of their 

 Masters, Mr. Nicholas Spink of Bilsdale, ran a fox 

 down to Welbury Whin, dug him out there, and 

 took him away in a sack. This occurred when 

 Lord Castlereagh was Master of the Hurworth, 

 who at once wrote through his Hunt Secretary 

 to remonstrate with the Bilsdale M.F.H. on his 

 gross breach of hunting customs, which resulted 



