194 Reminiscences of a 



and rare good supporter of foxhunting, came up and wanted 

 to pull my boot off, and others wanted to pour whisky down 

 my leg, but I felt so queer that I thought I required a 

 little drop inside me, which no doubt I got. Sir William 

 was vei'y kind to me, and I soon recovered. I would like 

 to mention that Sir William was a good master, and mounted 

 us on good cattle. Lady Eden has also always been very 

 kind to my wife and daughter ; the latter a girl of thirteen 

 was very much troubled with severe pains in head and face 

 from her teeth, and her ladyship took her on two occasions 

 to Bishop Auckland, and had them extracted at her own 

 expense ; a kindness for which I always have been, and 

 shall for ever be grateful. 



Sir William once hunted the hounds himself, when Gillson 

 went away in the spring of 1888 to see about the Cottes- 

 more place, for which he had applied as huntsman. It was 

 in February or March, and in the Friday country. We did 

 very little in the morning, but found a fox at Oxeye whin in 

 the afternoon. Left Sutton's whin on the left and bore to 

 the right making a point for Barker's plantation and Foxhill. 

 He turned to his right at Stonyflat, and looked as if he 

 would try to get to Mr. Joseph Shepherd's* earth at Sadberge, 

 but bore to his right, and left Little Stainton on the left, 

 Bishopton on the right, and got to ground in the main earths 

 at Lee Close, forty-five minutes exactly without a check. 

 There was nothing for a huntsman to do but keep with his 

 hounds, and Sir William certainly did that, for he was alone 

 with them the last twenty minutes, marked his fox to 

 ground, and had come out of the covert when 1 got up. 

 Unfortunately I fell into a stell below Barker's plantation, 



• A downright good sportsman and agriculturalist, espacially the latter, and one of the 

 mainstays of the Darlington chamber of Agriculture. 



