THE WARWICKSHIRE HOUNDS. 



49 



unfailing support are very essential to successful 

 seasons. He gave up the Meriden country, which, 

 although, of course, it left him at more liberty to attend 

 to other parts, was a fine woodland district and had 

 afforded capital sport in the spring. He also gave up 

 the Combe and Dunchurch side. He caused, too, a little 

 dissatisfaction by refusing to have accounts of the runs 

 with his hounds published, so that those of his sup- 

 porters who were prevented from regularly attending 

 his meets lost sight of the work the houtids were doing, 

 and very naturally their interest in them dropped 

 accordingly. Another act which was not at all conducive 

 to popularity among sportsmen, was the breaking up 

 of the club at Stratford, which, under Mr. Corbet had 

 been such a feature of the country. All these little acts 

 tended to cast somewhat of a cloud upon Warwickshire 

 and the merry days and evenings of the "Black Collars " 

 seemed to have become things of the past. 



I have already referred to Farnborough as a trysting- 

 place which showed some good sport in Lord Middleton's 

 time. I propose to give some specimens of the 

 experiences which his lordship's followers had at Mr. 

 Holbech's seat. Within a fortnight of the commence- 

 ment of Lord .Middleton's rule he took his hounds 

 there, and a fine old fox was found at Burton 

 Dassett Hill, going away over the country and through 

 Knightcote Bottom at a tremendous rate. Pressed 

 by the hounds, who had got away on good terms, he 

 turned to the right and went over Fenny Compton Field, 

 through Wormleighton Bottoms and on to Boddington 

 Hill. Being driven through that cover, he made 

 for Hardwick Field, and the pace became killing 

 as he travelled from here to Red Hill Wood. Here 

 the first check occurred, which, as the pace had been 

 almost unequalled, was somewhat of a relief than other- 

 wise. Just as it seemed that the run was going to 

 be taken up, a second fox started, and, the hounds 



LORB MiDDLETON 



1811-1821. 



Farnborough as a 

 trj^sting-place. 



