1854] GREAT RUN FROM BIRCH WOOD PARK. 177 



however, tliis time, for not half the run had been gone 

 through, when, having carried the scent well over the pike, 

 we were streaming away across the open tract of country 

 lying between Creswell station, on the North Staffs, line, 

 and Stallington Hall, the late residence of that true friend 

 to foxhunting, Richard Clarke Hill, Esq., now, alas ! no 

 more. Here we had a deep drop into the lane leading up 

 to the hall, which caused a temporary delay to some of 

 the horsemen, but not so to Tom Leedham and his hounds, 

 for by some contrivance he let himself down, and, having 

 crossed the water meadow behind the hall, he was soon 

 over the next road and in full cry for the Marquis's 

 plantation on Mear Heath ; but here our fox did not deign 

 to seek for shelter, but still kept the open, and bore away 

 for the right down to the Grange Wood, which he passed 

 through and set his head towards Mr. Bernard Hallow's 

 new gorse cover at Stallington Grange. But here again, 

 as if determined to show sport as a wind-up to the season, 

 he declined a shelter, and bearing to the left, reached the 

 Newcastle and Blyth Marsh road, and was presently across 

 the pottery branch of the N.S.R. 



" Here he might have concealed his head for a moment 

 in Caverswall Park ; but, still bent on mischief, he left this 

 cover to the right, and soon reached the grounds of Charles 

 Coyney, Esq., of Weston Coyney, who (fortunately for 

 his larder and ale cellar, but unfortunately for himself, as 

 no one loves the sport better) was from home with his 

 family. But this mattered little, for we were not at the 

 end of our voyage, and having had no check as yet worth 

 mentioning, we were soon across the Leek and Sandon 

 turnpike, and presently found ourselves in front of Park 

 Hall, the residence of Thomas Ha we Parker, Esq., in close 

 proximity to the Staffordshire Potteries. Here, for the 

 first time, we came to a most complete check, having 

 hitherto had nothing but regular hard riding over very 

 rough country, and, although the greater part of this run 

 had been across the roughest part of the North Stafford- 

 shire country, our fox, until now, had scarcely deigned to 



VOL. I. X 



