SPORT ANCIENT AND MODERN 



carrying the horn four times a week, hunting the 

 dog and bitch packs separately, while Mr. Guest 

 took the horn on Wednesdays and Saturdays, 

 hunting a mixed pack of small dogs and large 

 bitches himself. The huntsmen who served 

 with him were Orbell (for one year), Haines, 

 G. Brown, C. Fox, and W. Spiller. Strange to 

 relate, George Orbell died in 1886 in a private 

 asylum, insane like Press before him. 



Mr. Guest had a fancy for light-coloured 

 hounds, especially with tan markings, as catching 

 the eye better when running. Another pecu- 

 liarity of his, which became a distinguishing 

 mark of the B.V.H., was that he never had the 

 hounds' ears rounded, in spite of the verdict of 

 fashion. He bred for nose and voice, and he 

 never kept a mute hound. There was a great 

 deal of Belvoir blood in his packs, and in 1885 

 new blood was brought into the kennels with 

 hounds purchased at the sale of the New Forest 

 pack, and Mr. Guest bred very successfully from 

 these. In 1896 the Brocklesby dog pack was 

 bought by him from Lord Lonsdale. When 

 Mr. Guest gave up the country the hounds were 

 sold at Rugby by Messrs. Tattersall, fetching 

 about 900 guineas ; one lot, S. Auditor, fetched 

 eighty-two guineas alone. 



The great run of the Blackmore Vale country 

 during his mastership was on 30 December, 

 1884. The meet was at Jack White's Gibbet, and 

 a fine dog fox was found quickly at Hadspen. He 

 first took a sharp turn round Hadspen, which 

 threw out some of the field, and then went away 

 westward at a racing pace to Grove and over the 

 hilly ground by Honeywick in the direction of 

 Ridge Barn and Cole-crib, making for the rail- 

 way near Wyke Champflower ; he crossed it 

 here, and on account of this line and the River 

 Brue, the hounds were for some time alone. 

 However, he ran parallel to the railway for some 

 way, and then recrossed the Brue near Castle 

 Cary station. Leaving the station on his left he 

 raced on to Lamyat, swinging under Creech Hill 

 to Milton Wood, where he did not dwell, but 

 went on down to Evercreech town, outside of 

 which the hounds came to a check, enabling those 

 who had been thrown out by the river to rejoin 

 them. A quick cast of Orbell's put them right, 

 and after running under the railway between Ever- 

 creech and Shepton Mallet, hounds crossed the 

 line again and went through Evercreech Park Farm 

 to Pye Hill. After Pye Hill scent became cold, 

 but the master, convinced that the hunted fox 

 was in front, persevered towards West Pennard 

 and on to Sedgemoor. Close to the road between 

 North Wootton and Barrow the end came. The 

 fox jumped right into the arms of an old woman 

 standing at a cottage doorway and fell back 

 almost into the mouths of the pack. The 

 master was first up with Lady Theodora Guest, 

 Mr. Rome of Compton Castle, Messrs. Turner, 

 Berkeley Napier, Corp, Maidment, Richards, 



and one or two more. The time to the first 

 check at Evercreech was fifty-eight minutes ; to 

 that under Pennard House two hours thirty-five 

 minutes, and the last stretch from Pennard Church 

 was a race of twenty minutes. 



Another memorable run was that on 13 April 

 1889, from Pylle Station. Finding in Folly 

 Wood, hounds ran on over Cockmill Farm into 

 the wood, and at the top of the hill went along 

 the lane as if for Pilton Park Farm. Bearing 

 out of the lane, however, short of Pilton, they 

 flashed over the Middleway road and ran down 

 to the lower end of Goosefurlong. From this 

 point they crossed the Hambridge Lane, and 

 going over Withial they passed Stene Farm. Just 

 short of Purbrook Chapel they took a line beside 

 the road through Lottisham and Rookery Farm, 

 and over Lower Farm towards Stone House. 

 Swinging to the left at the brook hounds headed 

 for Park Wood, and once more crossing Lower 

 Farm and running down to the brook they 

 crossed, and going through West Wood reached 

 Wrangles, where the covert was being cut. 

 Heading for Naydens there was a momentary 

 check, but a hound named Drosky recovered the 

 line silently, and as the master luckily saw her 

 and put the pack on to her, they went on with- 

 out loss of time towards New Inn Corner. They 

 were now once more running the road, but 

 hounds swinging off it to the right, ran down on 

 to Bridgend Farm, and with a good head swung 

 along by the side of the river to Mendip Farm. 

 Here behind the farm-house they came up to 

 their quarry, and pulled down a fine dog-fox in a 

 thick brambly fence. The time was one hour 

 and seven minutes, and the fox had never been 

 seen from the start. The measured distance was 

 10 miles, and except for the one check, when 

 Drosky hit off the line so curiously, there had 

 been no time for any one to get up. There were 

 only three people really in this run from find 

 to finish, though a handy road enabled some to 

 be up in time to see hounds break up their fox. 



In 1900 Mr. John Hargreaves came from 

 the Cattistock to take the Blackmore Vale 

 country in succession to Mr. Guest, and had, 

 of course, to build up a fresh pack of hounds. 

 The dog hounds were bought from Mr. Chandos- 

 Pole, who had bred them in the Cattistock 

 country, and had hunted them three years subse- 

 quently in the hills of Derbyshire. The bitch 

 pack was got together by Mr. Hargreaves from 

 some brought from the Cattistock, a draft from 

 the Tyndale, young and old, a draft from the 

 V.W.H. (Cricklade) old hounds, and some of 

 his own breeding. 



He was a great believer in Belvoir blood, and 

 strove while breeding hounds to use only dogs 

 of that blood, his experience being that for work, 

 drive, and tongue nothing was better. 



Mr. Hargreaves hunted the hounds himself, 

 with George Alcock as first whip and kennel 



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