144 RECORDS OF THE CHASE 



parties ; it affords the sportsmen located at Cheltenham 

 an opportunity of meeting hounds when his lordship is 

 absent, and it keeps the foxes, which are very numerous, 

 in exercise. The Broadway country is- hunted every 

 Saturday during the periods when the hounds are at 

 the Cheitenham kennels. They hunt every day in the 

 week except Friday, which is occupied in travelling to 

 Broadway. The best fixtures within reach of Chelten- 

 ham are Andoversford, Pusedown, Hazleton Grove, 

 Brockhampton, Naunton Inn, Lidcomb, and Dumbleton. 

 Good runs are often obtained from Norton and Down 

 Hatherley. 



To state that the country is first rate would be an 

 assertion not to be borne out by facts, but yet it affords 

 very suj>erior sport ; this without some explanation may 

 appear paradoxical. But it is in consequence of the 

 excellent management of every detail connected with 

 the chase that so much good sport is obtained. From 

 the hounds to the horses and the servajits, no establish- 

 ment in England is maintained with greater liberality 

 or directed with greater ability. Earl Fitzhardinge's 

 extensive landed estates and numerous tenantry presicnt 

 opportunities for putting out a greater number of 

 puppies than almost any other master of hounds enjoys ; 

 and the walks are of the best description, nearly all of 

 them being at dairy farms. The horses are of first-rate 

 character; some of them are bred at Berkeley, but in 

 this I believe his lordship has not been very fortunate. 

 Independently of a second horse for the earl, there is 

 always one out for the huntsman and another for the 

 first whip, besides which there is a man constantly in 

 attendance with the hounds, whose business it is to ride 

 and make the young horses. 



Till within the last few years, Earl Fitzhardinge 

 always hunted the hounds himself, attended by Henr^- 

 Ayris, to whom that office is now deputed. Ayris was 

 first entered to hounds by Captain Freeman in Berk- 

 shire ; he was engaged as whipper-in at Berkeley in 

 1826, and in a few years was promoted to the post which 



