HISTORY OF THE LINLITHGOW 



blow through the death of Colonel Gillon, whose zeal 

 in every matter which pertained to the hunting of 

 the country has to some extent been described in 

 these pages. When next the committee met they 

 took the opportunity of recording " their deep 

 sense of the very great loss which they as well 

 as all those interested in the Hunt have sustained 

 owing to the death of Colonel Gillon of Wall- 

 house, who, since the year 1844, has been, from 

 his genial manner and sound judgment, one of 

 the most popular and prominent supporters of the 

 Hunt." ' 



During the period in which Colonel Gillon and 

 afterwards his son Captain Gillon were in possession 

 of the estate, the coverts at Wallhouse seldom 

 failed to hold, and were generally full of, foxes ; nor 

 were they drawn in vain when hounds met there 

 on the 8th of December 1888. Still it was not 

 until B'ormie was reached that the sport of the day 

 really began, and that the old fox which provided 

 it, and which it is said had outwitted Atkinson as 

 well as Beavan on several occasions, was put on his 

 legs. Breaking covert to the east, hounds picked 

 out the line, with a somewhat too eager field behind 

 them, and with anything but a good scent, as far 

 as Broomieknowes. There they were at fault, but 

 Beavan put them right and they hunted up to 

 Longmuir, and thence back to B'ormie. Leaving 

 this a second time they went on under Cockleroi 

 with Belsyde on their left and by Williamscraig to 



1 Minute-book, vol. ii. p. 31. 



278 



