68 The Sedgefield Country 



rushed into the muddy stell up to his waist, and brought 

 out the dead fox in his arms amid acclamation. Other good 

 sport followed, including a fast gallop to Bishop Middleham. 

 There is always a good day or two from the Bishopton 

 meet every year, and the season 1882-3 proved no exception 

 in this respect, for on January 3rd, 1883, there were two 

 first-class gallops from Fox Hill and Sutton's whin respec- 

 tively ; the first of fifty-five minutes ending with a kill near 

 to where he was found, and the second of twenty-eight 

 minutes terminating with a similar result. 



Undoubtedly the longest run of the season, or for the 

 matter of that perhaps for the last thirty years, took place after 

 the Thorpe meet on January 12th, 1883, when a fox was 

 found at a quarter to twelve in a rough grass field outside 

 Lee Close, and run to ground below Great Stainton at ex- 

 actly twenty minutes to four. This was the day when a 

 serious accident happened to John Bevans, through his horse 

 swerving from an engine at the Railway crossing on Stilling- 

 ton moors. The points of the run were Lee Close, Bleach- 

 house moors, Stillington moors, Foxton plantation. Sedge- 

 field, Butterwick (where he turned back), Glower-o'er-him, 

 Cote Nook, Layton, Neseless, Morden south side, Howe 

 hills, Elstob, Byers Gill, Mount Pleasant, and Tilery planta- 

 tion, Barmpton whin ; then by Newtown Ketton, Lee Hall, 

 Elstob whin (second time). Bleach House plantation, Lee 

 Close again, Great Stainton, Elstob whin (visited for the 

 third time), thence through Byers Gill (second time), and to 

 ground under the road about half a mile below great Stain- 

 ton, when it was getting very dark. The run occupied just 

 under four hours, though Claxon's diary says a little over 

 four hours. In addition to the accident to John Bevans, 

 Mr. J. Beach lost a valuable horse during the run ; speak- 



