SPORT ANCIENT AND MODERN 



1863, during his time Mr. RadclyfFe's hounds 

 had a wonderful run from Whitchurch. Draw- 

 ing Horse Close Coppice, a fox, which proved 

 to be an extraordinary one, was found in a pit 

 on Kingston Farm. He went straight over 

 Bere Down to Hayward's, across Milborne 

 Down ; leaving the fox-pound on the right, to 

 Milborne Rings, over the meadows and on to 

 1 Warren Hill, where he was viewed two fields 

 ahead. The scent was breast-high as he went 

 over the big corn-fields on Mr. Homer's Farm, 

 over Tolpuddle Eweleaze, down Burleston Hill, 

 and on across the water-meadows. Here the 

 pace began to tell, but at the top of Baling Hill 

 there was a long check at the cross-roads, which 

 eased the horses and gave the fox a good mile 

 or two to the good. Kennett cast down the 

 hollow track way, and the hounds hit it over 

 the Dewlish road on to Paull's Farm. Over into 

 the Druce hedge-rows and then keeping straight 

 on across Druce Eweleaze over the Muston mea- 

 dows to Burn Coppice hounds ran on that bad- 

 scenting plough-land for two miles to Doles Ash, 

 which was left on the right. Thence they 

 crossed the road leading from Plush to Piddle- 

 trenthide, up over the hill between Alton and 

 Plush, on over the flat, leaving Whatcombe 

 Wood a little on the right, through the centre 

 of Armswell big cover into the vale below, 

 to Alton Common, where a dairy-house stands 

 in a large yard. There Mr. Radclyffe and 

 George Kennett saw the fox, which was dead 

 beat, go round the corner of a hay-rick close to 

 the yard gates, but after that could not make 

 him out, although they tried all the cow stalls, 

 pig-styes, and out-houses. At length Mr. 

 RadclyfFe, knowing the fox had not gone on, 

 ordered the hounds home. There were very few 

 left to see the end of this grand run, which was 

 the best of all Kennett's runs with foxhounds. 

 The fox was afterwards found curled up in an 

 out-house, and having been marked was turned 

 adrift. He was killed three years afterwards 

 from Admiston Withy Bed, giving a good fast 

 forty minutes. 



Mr. Fred RadclyfFe succeeded his father, and 

 with Levi Sheppard, a Dorset-bred man, as 

 huntsman hunted the country for a few years, 

 showing good sport. During his time several 

 good runs were recorded. Meeting 1 5 March, 

 1884, at Black Hill, Bere Regis, Sheppard took 

 hounds on to Horse Close, where Mr. R. Cave 

 turned up a fox out of a small pit. The fox 

 made straight through Horse Close in the direc- 

 tion of Whitchurch, turned as if for Longthorne, 

 which he passed on the left, then crossing 

 Chescombe Farm to Milton Park, bore away to 

 Luccombe Hill. There he was twice headed, 

 and went straight ahead over the hill by Hewish 

 Farm in a direct line for Bagber Coppice, which, 

 however, he left a little on the right, straight into 

 Milborne Wood. Leaving the wood, he ran the 



turnpike road as far as the old Dewlish gate, then 

 up the lane to Crawthorn Farm into the long 

 plantation, where Henry Symonds saw him in 

 the middle of a field standing still listening till 

 the hounds were in view. Not done for yet, he 

 ran another thirty minutes on to Basing Hill, 

 and over the turnpike for Puddletown, when he 

 turned to the right over PauU's Farm to Druce 

 House. Headed back there, he turned across the 

 large arable fields and through the hedgerows, 

 and ran the road which leads to Dewlish for 

 half a mile, and bearing to the right for Puddle- 

 town, he was killed in the open by Mr. PauU's 

 house. Time, 3 hours and 5 minutes. The 

 distance from point to point, lo miles; ground 

 run over, 20 miles. 



Mr. (now Sir) Elliott Lees ' was for one 

 season master in succession to Mr. Fred Rad- 

 clyfFe, and moved the hounds to kennels at 

 Sturminster Marshall. After a brilliant season 

 he presented the hounds to the country. 



Mr. Rupert Fetherstonhaugh-Frampton, of 

 Moreton, was the next master, and hunted hounds 

 himself with Stephen Burtenshaw as first whip. 

 The hounds were removed to Bere Regis, where 

 some excellent kennels were built on a most 

 healthy site. The ex-master of the Cattistock, 

 who had assumed the additional name of 

 Frampton in 1887, was a rider sans peur et sans 

 reproche. One of his best runs was on 4 No- 

 vember, 1889. He found a fox in Warmwell 

 Wood and ran through Knighton Wood to 

 Empool, through Hope Wood to Watercombe 

 Tunnel, where the fox was headed. Taking 

 to the heath Reynard made for Bincombe, and 

 going over White Horse Hill was killed in a 

 stable at Sutton Poyntz after a good two hours' 

 run. In 1894 Mr. Frampton resigned and Mr. 

 Ashton RadclifFe, under whose management the 

 hounds have gone on steadily improving in type 

 and quality, was induced to take the mastership. 

 Mr. RadclifFe is a good huntsman in the field 

 and a most patient and persevering master of the 

 kennel. Having a keen eye for the true type of 

 hound, and keeping that type always before him, 

 he has gone on year after year building up a 

 pack of level, well-matched hounds. Many a 

 good judge of foxhounds has pronounced the 

 South Dorset as they are now one of the 

 smartest and best-looking packs of hounds in the 

 provinces. Mr. RadclifFe began his hunting 

 days under Sir Charles Slingsby with the York, 

 and with the Bramham Moor when Mr. George 

 Lane-Fox was master and Charles Treadwell 

 (brother to the famous Jim Treadwell) was 

 huntsman. At one period he helped his cousin, 

 Mr. Piatt, with the North Herefordshire, when 



' Sir Elliott Lees, while member for Birkenhead, 

 was winner of the House of Commons Point to 

 Point in 1887 on Damon, after having won the Blacic- 

 more Vale Point to Point in the previous year on the 

 same horse. 



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