Past and Present, 123 



It was, of course, on the hills, that fox hunting 

 had its birth in Yorkshire — and we Tykes claim 

 that it was in our Shire the fox chase, as well as 

 that of the hare, had its introduction, the former 

 by George Villers, second Duke of Buckingham, 

 when he retired from the Court of Charles, to 

 Hehnesley. We know His Grace followed his 

 hounds on horseback, and had some wonderful 

 gallops, but it is also pretty certain some of the 

 hounds were held in leash by men on foot, who 

 released them on a fox being found by some old 

 staid members of the pack, and followed as best 

 they could. A century later, when the present 

 Cleveland hounds were known as the "Roxby," 

 or "Rowsby" dogs, they were for long hunted on 

 foot, the followers carrying with them a sort of 

 alpenstock, to help them up the side of the 

 steep hills, or down into some ravine, echoing 

 and re-echoing with the music of the hounds. 



There has been an evolution, not only in the 

 Cleveland country, but in the sport itself; still 

 there are places in Wensleydale where it is yet 

 necessary for the huntsman to dismount and go 



