MEYNELL WORTHIES. 37 



again, " The fox came out of the gorse close to my horse's 

 heels, then came Cecil Forester, then my hounds ! " 



The diary of Thomas Jones, who was his first 

 whipper-in, in 1790 and subsequent years, was printed 

 and published. Though it is now extremely rare, there 

 are at least two copies in this country, one at Norbury 

 and the other at Byrkley. The following extracts, which 

 deal with days in the Meynell country, are interesting as 

 being the first printed records of fox-hunting within its 

 boundaries : — 



August 2Stk, 1791.— Bradley Plantations, Two brace. Found in Shirley 

 Park ; ran hard at times, and killed at Mayfield. One hour and twenty-three 

 minutes. 



September I3th, 1794.— Met in the Plantation. Found, and ran awhile there, 

 and killed. Went away with another, running by Ashbourne to near Mappleton, 

 and killed. 



October lOtJi, 1705.— Met at the Plantation. Found, ran about there for awhile 

 and went to ground. Then found in the bog, ran very hard for twenty-five 

 minutes and killed in the gi-avel pit. Then found in Shirley Park, came away to 

 the plantations and killed ; about one hour and a half. 



October IStJi, 1798.— :Met at Bradley Kennel. Tried Thornley's Gorse, did no 

 good. Found two or three foxes in Gerard's Gorse ; ran there twenty minutes, 

 and killed. Then found in the Plantations, came along by Corley, by the Ridges, 

 by Gamble's and Hough's, near to Atlow, back by the Lime-kilns to the Planta- 

 tions, and went to gi'ound. Horses we rode — The Shark ; Chestnut horse ; Dixon. 

 Week's hunting and a hill run. 



This is all in the diary which concerns this country. 



Mr. Meynell married first, in 1754, Anne, daughter of 

 ]VIr. John Gell, of Hopton, by whom he had one son, 

 Godfrey, who died in infancy, while the mother also died 

 in 1757. In 1758, he married again, his choice falling 

 on Miss Boothby Scrimshire, the sister of his friend. 

 Prince Boothby. By her he had two sons, Hugo, born in 

 1759, and Charles, born in 1768, who won the first 

 steeplechase run in Leicestershire — eight miles from 

 Barkby Holt to the Coplow and back again — and who 

 subsequently became Master of The Royal Tennis Court. 

 Hugo married Elizabeth, daughter of Charles, Viscount 

 Irwin, through whom his son eventually succeeded to the 

 Temple Newsam estates in Yorkshire. He himself died in 



