i2 The Sedgefield Country 



witnessed, but the season was a disappointing one for the 

 simple reason that a late harvest was supplemented by a 

 very severe winter, and hounds only left their kennels for 

 hunting purposes on three days in January, 1879, and twice 

 only in February of that year, so that practically seven 

 weeks of sport were lost, and the total number of available 

 hunting days during the season was reduced to sixty-three, 

 from an average of a trifle over eighty ! Sir William kept 

 a fine stud of horses for himself, the best, indeed, that 

 money could produce, and prided himself upon the manner 

 in which his hunt servants were mounted ; he always main- 

 tained that it was much cheaper to purchase good horses 

 for his servants than bad ones, for whilst the good ones 

 jumped everything in a clean manner, and came home 

 without a scratch, the bad ones' legs were torn about, full 

 of thorns, and apt to go wrong at any moment. Some of 

 his own best horses are referred to in Bevans' narrative ; 

 the best known of these, perhaps, which carried his servants 

 were Blacking, Mrs. Beatty, Patch, Coke, Miss Rowe and 

 the grey horse. 



