214 THE RED DEER OF EXMOOR. 



with which the King took his sport, had fallen from 

 its high estate and practically ceased to exist since 

 Henry VIII. started an independent pack, paid for 

 out of the Privy Purse, at Windsor, under the 

 Mastership of Lord Rochester, brother of Anne 

 Boleyn. This latter pack continued under the name 

 of the Royal Buckhounds until the accession of the 

 present King. 



There seem, however, to have existed quite inde- 

 pendently of the buckhounds one or sometimes more 

 packs of harthounds, whose sole duty seems to have 

 been that of purveying venison for the Royal larder. 



The complete hunting establishment of the early 

 Kings seems to have consisted of two justices of the 

 forest for the two districts north and south of the 

 Trent, under whom were all the forest officers carry- 

 ing out the duty of preserving the vert and venison ; 

 one or, perhaps two. Masters of Game for the same 

 districts having general supervision over all the 

 packs of hounds ; the hereditary Master of the 

 Buckhounds, and usually two Masters of Harthounds 

 bearing the formidable title of " Magister canum 

 regis pro cervis capiendis." The Masters of all 

 three packs received \2d. per day and certain 

 Hveries, and records of some of these payments are 

 preserved in the accounts of the Royal Household. 

 Under each Master was a huntsman whose pay 

 varied from A^d. to ^\d. a day. It may be noticed, 

 as showing the estimation in which various sports 

 were held, that the Foxhunter and Otter-hunter 



