36 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 



of fox-hunting, men rode to hunt, and horsemanship 

 was a secondary consideration, the performances 

 of the pack absorbing all the interest of hunting 

 men. As time went on a new generation sprang 

 up, which took a lessened interest in hunting, and 

 hunted to ride, or, at all events, made horsemanship 

 their study. In the last century there was, of course, 

 much open country all over the kingdom, and 

 jumping was, therefore, to a great extent unneces- 

 sary. The fashion of riding to points, and making 

 free use of lanes, &c., was also in vogue. Indeed, 

 horses were scarcely fit to go a quick run over 

 a strong country, being grass-fed all the summer. 

 However, in the days of the famous Mr. Meynell 

 that is, early in this century the habit of riding 

 straight to hounds was set by Mr. Childe, of Kinlet 

 Hall, in Shropshire, a personal friend of Mr. Meynell, 

 and became the fashion in the Quorn Hunt, from 

 which it gradually came to be adopted in other 

 countries, and is now, of course, universal, except in 

 certain mountainous districts, where riding to points 

 is imperative. Amongst the exponents of this new 

 system in the County Kilkenny were Mr. John 

 Power, junior, the brothers Bayly, Sir Richard Cox, 

 Mr. Joseph Greene, Sir Wheeler Cuffe, Rev. Richard 

 Packe, Mr. John Jones of Mullinabro, Mr. Hewetson 

 Nixon, Mr. John Bushe, the Messrs. Baker of 

 Kilcoran, Mr. John Watson of Ballydarton, Mr. 

 Richard Langrishe, and several others, and their 

 ranks became speedily augmented as the number of 

 Mr. Power's followers increased. 



In the year 1824 Mr. Richard Power died at Kil- 



