SPORT ANCIENT AND MODERN 



at Hatfield. The numbers in 1631 were 

 706 red deer and 718 fallow deer. 



We also find a list of his lordship's horses 

 at Hatfield made in June, 1638 ; those in 

 the stable were thirty-three, about ten of 

 which were harness horses, and the remainder 

 for riding ; and there were some twenty-three 

 more in the park. 



The second Earl of Salisbury died in 1668, 

 but his successor kept up the pack of hounds, 

 for we find a letter from Lord Worcester to 

 the marchioness, dated December, 1678, 

 saying he had been asked to send some hounds 

 to Hatfield, and as buck and hares were the 

 only animals hunted there, he proposed to 

 send harriers. 



FOX HUNTING 



Fox hunting is a comparatively modern 

 sport. Its origin lay in the great damage 

 done by foxes to lambs and poultry, which 

 led to less sportsmanlike methods of dealing 

 with such depredators than are now adopted, 

 for we read of ' a great company of people 

 with dogs of all kinds assembled together to 

 go to such woods and coverts where they 

 thought the foxes were, and so beset the 

 place, some beating the woods, some outside, 

 and some to drive them into the nets.' 



About the beginning of 1700 public packs 

 of hounds were kept for hunting the stag, 

 the fox and the hare. The Hertfordshire 

 was one of the first packs of hounds that 

 was kept solely for hunting the fox. It was 

 started in 1725 and Mr. John Calvert was 

 the first master, the first kennels being at 

 Cheshunt and Redbourn. They hunted the 

 present Puckeridge and Hertfordshire coun- 

 tries. 



Previous to 1750 a now almost obsolete 

 style of fox hunting probably existed in 

 Hertfordshire, a style which is still in vogue 

 in some parts of the kingdom, but especially 

 in the northern counties. Most country 

 squires, yeomen and farmers kept a foxhound 

 or two, called 'trencher hounds.' With these 

 1 boarded out ' hounds an excellent pack was 

 often formed, and capital sport was enjoyed 

 ' at break of day,' such as is commemorated 

 in the good old hunting song, 'D'ye ken 

 John Peel ? ' 



In 1793 Lady Salisbury became mistress 

 of the Hertfordshire Hounds, and during her 

 reign the hounds were called the Hatfield 

 Hounds. Lady Salisbury's fame as a mistress 

 of foxhounds, and as a daring rider and sports- 

 woman, is very remarkable. She enjoyed the 

 distinction of being one of the first English 

 ladies who gained such a reputation. Many 

 are the tales told of her daring exploits and of 

 her hairbreadth escapes in the hunting field. 

 It was usual for Lady Salisbury to drive 

 to the meets in a carriage drawn by four 

 black horses, with an outrider, her hunters 

 being led by a groom who acted as her pilot. 

 When the meet was at Bramingham (which 



took place pretty often, as it was her favourite 

 meet) she slept over-night at Mr. Hale's, 

 Kings Walden. 



The following notes concerning the hounds 

 are found in old numbers of the Sporting 

 Magazine. In the October number for 

 1793 the following note appears: 'The 

 Marchioness of Salisbury and Mr. Calvert's 

 Hounds (the Puckeridge) have begun to draw 

 the coverts and to draw blood from the cubs 

 in Herts.' Also, ' The proper places for horses 

 to be sent over-night for the Marchioness of 

 Salisbury's Hounds are Hatfield or Waterford 

 (Watford), and for Mr. Calvert's Hounds 

 Ware or Wade's Mill.' 



October, 1 794. ' A short time since the 

 Marchioness of Salisbury, accompanied by 

 Mr. Hale and Mr. Meynell, one of the 

 oldest foxhunters of the present day, hunted 

 a fox at Hatfield. Reynard contrived, after 

 a run of some length, to evade the hounds ; 

 and at length, instead of a fox, it was dis- 

 covered they had for nearly twenty minutes 

 been running a shepherd's dog, which took 

 refuge in his master's hovel.' 



In January, 1796, the Hatfield Hounds 

 had a ' gallant ' run. ' Having run a burst 

 of more than an hour, they crossed upon a 

 fresh fox at Bramfield, and clattered him two 

 and a half hours more to earth at Baldock, 

 The two chases, which admitted of no inter- 

 ruption from hard running, were full forty 

 miles in extent. Out of a field of four score 

 only nine were at the finish, at the head of 

 whom was Lady Salisbury.' 



A note in the Sporting Magazine for 

 January, 1800, states that Lady Salisbury, 

 one of the boldest female riders in the king- 

 dom, relaxes a little with her own foxhounds. 

 Some few years ago she invariably went over 

 the gate ; she now waits with more prudence 

 till the gate is opened. It was not until Lady 

 Salisbury was seventy-eight years of age that 

 she gave up the hounds and ceased follow- 

 ing foxhounds ; and even then she said she 

 thought she was good enough to hunt with 

 the harriers. Her end, though a tragic one, 

 did not take place in the hunting field. She 



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