288 THE RED DEER OF EXMOOR. 



the herd, and they were hunted with a Httle pack of 

 beagles kept by Mr. Woodrow, the late Lord 

 Taunton's agent, on the same spot where Mr. 

 Stanley's hounds were kennelled. 



We are on surer ground when we come to i 740, 

 when the forest of Exmoor passed into the hands of 

 Mr Dyke, of Pixton Park, Dulverton. 



The hounds were then kennelled at Jury, on the 

 slope of the hill above Hele Bridge. Unfortunately, 

 we have absolutely no records of the sport shown by 

 Mr Edward Dyke, but on his death in 1 746 the 

 forest, and with it Pixton and the hounds, passed to 

 Sir Thomas Acland, of Killerton, who had married 

 Mr Dyke's niece and heiress Elizabeth, who brought 

 to him wide lands in the parishes of Selworthy, 

 Luccombe, Minehead, Porlock, Dulverton, Brompton 

 Regis, Exford, Dunster, Carhampton,Timberscombe, 

 St. Decuman's, Old Cleeve, Crowcombe, Bicknoller, 

 Cutcombe, Bossington, Stoke Pero, Brushford, 

 Winsford, Hawkridge, Withycombe, East Anstey, 

 Oakford, and Bampton, besides the large estates of 

 Tetton and Pyrland not in the staghunting country. 



Sir Thomas Acland maintained the hunt in great 

 splendour, keeping the hounds sometimes at Jury, 

 sometimes at Highercombe, and sometimes at 

 Holnicote. 



It is curious to notice that Sir Thomas Acland 

 had a strong hereditary right to be forester of 

 Exmoor and master of the staghounds, since his 

 mother, wife of the sixth baronet, was Cecily, 



