SPORT ANCIENT AND 



MODERN 



HUNTING 



THE history of hunting in this county 

 begins at an early date. The dukes 

 of Grafton hunted a large portion 

 of what is now the Suffolk country 

 about the middle of the eighteenth 

 century, either keeping their hounds at Euston 

 or taking them from place to place as their move- 

 ments might dictate. The run which took place 

 2 December, 1745, from Euston to within some 

 three miles of the borders of the Essex and 

 Suffolk hunt, was through nearly the whole of 

 the present Suffolk country. The boundaries of 

 ' countries ' were not defined with much par- 

 ticularity in those days, but I conclude that the 

 dukes of Grafton hunted all this part and con- 

 tinued to do so for a length of time. Ampton 

 Holmes was at this time a noted fox-covert and 

 a certain find. 



The run referred to above is thus described in 

 the Sporting Magazine of October, 1828 : 



Unkennelled at 9.30 at Jack's Carr near the decoy 

 in Euston, and thence came away over the heath to 

 the Marl pit, through Honington and by Sapiston 

 Carr, thence to Bangrove Bridge, came away to 

 Mr. Reed's Carr and crossed the road by Black 

 Bridge, then away to Stanton Earths, thence through 

 the coursing grounds on the back part of Hepworth 

 Common to Scase's Hole, where we turned to the 

 right, came through Walsham le Willows, then for 

 Langham Common and Thicks to Stowlangtoft, 

 crossed the river between Bailey Pool Bridge and 

 Stow Bridge, then to Pakenham Wood on to the 

 Kilnground in the back part of Thurston Common, 

 thence to Beyton Groves and on to Drinkstone and 

 Hessett Groves near Monk Wood, passed Drinkstone 

 Hall and thence to Rattlesden, between the Great 

 Wood and the Street, and through Hayle Wood to 

 Wood Hall, where the hounds came to a check for 

 two or three minutes, which was the only one during 

 the whole chase. The huntsman took a half-cast, 

 hit it off, came away across Buxhall Fen Street, 

 thence by Northfield Wood and by Tot Hill Grove 

 in Haughley, then across the Stowmarket road to 

 Dagworth Hills and through Old Newton and near 

 Gipping Wood, then away to Stow Upland, thence 

 by West Greeting over the Green by Roydon Hall, 

 turned to the right, came down to Combs, and crossed 

 the two rivers by the Water Mill, thence across the 



road by Combs Ford and Stowmarket Windmills, 

 through the cherry grounds to the sign of the Shep- 

 herd and Dog at Onehouse, and killed by some hop 

 ground near W. Wollaston's Esq. at four o'clock in 

 the afternoon. Ran through 28 parishes. 



Intimately connected with the history of the 

 county hunt is that of the Thurlow Hunt. 

 The two countries were sometimes hunted to- 

 gether, and at other times separately. The 

 Thurlow Hunt dates back to 1793; in this 

 country for many years there existed a Hunt 

 Club which materially assisted sport, devoting 

 attention to earth stopping, fox preservation, 

 &c., &c. The earliest report of sport with 

 the Thurlow describes a run with a pack of 

 foxhounds belonging to Mr. Thomas Panton of 

 Newmarket on 15 October, 1793 : 



Found in Abyssey Wood near Thurlow, when he 

 immediately broke cover and ran two rings to Blunts 

 Park and back to Abyssey. He then flew his country 

 and went in a line through Lawn Wood, Temple 

 Wood to Hart Wood, where there was a brace of 

 fresh foxes. The pack then divided; 15^ couple 

 went away close (as it was supposed) at the hunted 

 fox to West Wickham Common, thence to Weston 

 Colville near Carlton Wood and over Wellingham 

 Green. He then took the open country to Balsham 

 and away to Six-Mile-Bottom, going to Newmarket. 

 He was then headed by a chaise, turned short to the 

 left, and stood away in a line with the Gogmagog 

 Hills, and was run from scent to view. He lay 

 down and was killed on the open heath at the bottom 

 of the hill. He stood an hour and three-quarters 

 without one minute's check, and it is supposed in 

 that time he ran a space of nearly thirty miles ; the 

 only gentlemen who were in at the death were 

 Mr. Thomas Panton, and Mr. Benjamin Keen with 

 the Huntsman, Thomas Harrison. Of the remaining 

 hounds 6J couple went away with a fresh fox and 

 killed him at Withersfield near Haverhill ; and the 

 remaining couple of hounds went away with the other 

 fox and killed him at Thurlow Park Gates. 1 



I doubt whether the distance stated could have 

 been done in an hour and 45 minutes. 



Squire Osbaldeston also hunted the Thuriow 

 country at the same time that he hunted the 

 1 Daniel, field Sports. 



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