302 THE MEYNELL HOUNDS. [187I 



things was altered and liow it all came about can be 

 gleaned from time to time in the subsequent pages. 



The first move after the death of Mr. Hugo Francis 

 Meynell Ingram, was to call a meeting, which took place 

 on December 8th, 1871, of which the following account 

 appeared in the Field of December 16th in that year : — 



THE MEYNELL INGRAM HUNT. 



On Friday, the 8th inst., a meeting of the members of the Meynell Ingi'am 

 Hunt was held at the Royal Hotel, Derby, for the purpose of making arrange- 

 ments consequent upon the death of the late Mr. Meynell Ingram, of Hoar Cross 

 Hall. Lord Bagot occupied the chair, and there were also present Lord 

 Vernon, Lord Alexander Paget, Lord Berkeley Paget, Lord Waterpark, Hon. 

 E. Coke, Hon. A. Strutt, Sir William FitzHerbert, Bart., etc. 



The Chairman, in opening the proceedings, said they had been called together 

 that day for the pui-pose of considering the most desirable means of hunting the 

 country in the future ; but before they entered into that question, he must express 

 his sincere son'ow for the cause which had rendered the meeting necessary. He 

 knew well how much every one present must feel the loss of Mr. Meynell Ingram, 

 their late master, who had so long and worthily hunted this country. The gap 

 which this had caused would long remain unfilled. (Hear, hear.) 



The Hon. E. K. W. Coke, provisional master, at the request of the chairman, 

 detailed particulars of information received from Mrs. Meynell Ingram, relative 

 to the hunt. He said that in June last he received a private letter from Mrs. 

 Meynell Ingram containing a communication from her late husband. The exact 

 words were, " On Friday morning he repeated to Tom what he had already told 

 me, that he wished the hounds to hunt as usual this season, a ad at the end of it 

 to be offered as a gift to the country." Mrs. Meynell Ingram proceeded to state 

 that, "He added that some sort of provisional master should be chosen, and Tom 

 should do his best for the country. That is all he said, and I hope that you will 

 kindly help me to carry out his wishes." That was the reason why he (Mr. E. 

 Coke) was acting as provisional master during the present year. 



Lord Vernon, in an appropriate speech, moved, " That the first steps to be 

 taken at this meeting on behalf of the country hunted by the late Mr. Meynell 

 Ingram should be to express the deepest regret of all the members of the hunt 

 of the country generally for the loss they have sustained, and to record their 

 sense of obligation and gratitude which they owe both to the late Mr. Meynell 

 Ingi-am and to his father for the public spirit, liberality, and courtesy evinced by 

 them in the maintenance and management of the hounds, and for the manner in 

 which the country has been hunted during a period amounting to more than half 

 a century ; and, further, to express their appreciation of the late Mr. Meynell 

 Ingram's forethought and generosity in having made provision for the continuance 

 of the hunt during the present season free of expense to the country." 



Colonel Wilmot, V.C., M.P., seconded the motion, which was supported by 

 Sir Percival Heywood, Bart., and carried unanimously. 



Sir William FitzHerbert, Bart., then moved, " That it is the wish of this 

 meeting and the country generally that the hounds be gratefully accepted, and 

 that the country be hunted in future." He said they would have to labour 

 zealously if they intended to keep the hunting of the country upto its old standard. 



