SPORT ANCIENT AND MODERN 



which was completed by the present Lieutenant- 

 Colonel Curtis Hayward. Mr. William Phelps 

 of Dursley planted Rangeworthy Gorse. Thus 

 the fox coverts in the Berkeley country were 

 increased, and it became possible to hunt four 

 days a week in the Vale, besides a day on the hills. 



The Berkeley enjoyed its finest sport during 

 the mastership (1857-67) of the first baron, who 

 retained Harry Ayris as huntsman. On 14 Jan- 

 uary, 1860, there was a great run from Fishing 

 House Withy Bed. Hounds got away close to 

 their fox on the Severn bank, and ran very fast 

 across the Marsh to Hay Wood ; forty minutes 

 so far ; then slower to the New Passage at Aust 

 and back along the river bank to the Old Passage, 

 to ground. Dug him out and killed. One hour 

 and forty minutes. On I March, 1860, they 

 found at Tortworth and lost at Hardwicke. 

 This is fifteen miles, the longest point recorded 

 with this pack, but there is no doubt the hounds 

 changed foxes. They ran through Michael's 

 Wood, Berkeley Heath, Bushy Grove, Cats' 

 Castle, Frampton and Moor Farm, and lost in the 

 park in front of Hardwicke Court. The late 

 Duke of Beaufort, Mr. John Bayley, Jim Mason, 

 the steeplechase rider, Bob Chapman, and Mr. W. 

 Kington, were among the strangers out. 



On 13 January, 1862, late in the afternoon, 

 a good fox from Hill's Wood chose an extraor- 

 dinary line of country hounds pressed him 

 through the Deer Park and across the Pill, into 

 the New Grounds at Purton, and parallel to the 

 Severn almost to Frampton and recrossing the 

 canal, killed at Cambridge. One hour and ten 

 minutes. Colonel Berkeley (' the giant '), Harry 

 Ayris, Mr. G. E. Lloyd-Baker, and Mr. W. 

 Kington, were among the very few who saw it. 

 The best day's sport on record with this pack 

 is that of 25 January, 1864. In the morning 

 they ran hard from Thornbury Park to Fishing 

 House Withy Bed and lost. They then found 

 in Hill's Wood, when the pack divided ; five 

 couple broke for the Severn and were stopped 

 and taken home, so hopeless was it to pursue the 

 remainder. The body of the pack, twelve couple, 

 ran by Daniel's Wood, Tortworth Copse, Char- 

 field, leaving the Lower Woods just on the right, 

 up Wortley Hill, past Newark and Ozleworth, 

 to Tresham : hence back to the left by Ashcroft 

 and Tyley to ground at Wotton Combe, where 

 they bolted their fox and killed him. This was 

 at best pace the whole way. The time is said 

 to have been an hour and fifty minutes. 



The 30 January, 1 866, saw the last of about 

 five that were always spoken of as ' Scrubby-tail's 

 Runs.' This fox was known by his peculiar 

 brush, the middle of which was bare to the bone. 

 He was always to be found at Frampton and 

 would run to Hardwicke. On his last day, 

 hounds were taken to a halloa, while drawing 

 the Blackthorn, and settled down to run hard at 

 They were neither helped nor spoken to 



once. 



for one hour and twenty-five minutes, when they 



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killed him almost by themselves at Elmore. The 

 line was by Frampton Park, leaving Netherhills 

 on the right, Moor Farm and Hardwicke Gorse 

 on the left, nearly to Quedgeley and across the 

 Gloucester and Berkeley Canal to Hawklow 

 Hill, on the side of which they killed in the 

 open. This was Harry Ayris's last season. 



The first baron died in 1867 and was suc- 

 ceeded by his son, Francis W. Fitzhardinge, 

 popularly known as 'the giant,' who held 

 office for 29 years till 1896. In 1869 he lent 

 the country between Gloucester and Tewkesbury 

 to the Cotteswold Hunt for about four years and 

 then resumed the loan. There was scarcely a 

 fox in it when he lent this country, and it was 

 well stocked when he took it back. He would 

 give the Cotteswold Hunt a day or two during 

 the season, but kept the country in his own 

 hands that he might hunt there when he liked. 

 In 1889 he lent it to the Cotteswold again, and 

 they have hunted it ever since. Lord Fitzhardinge 

 nearly always showed sport when he went there, 

 but made very short days. He was a great man for 

 going home early, but atoned for this to some ex- 

 tent by trotting very fast from covert to covert. 

 He had a word for every one, and was exceedingly 

 popular with the whole hunting fraternity. 



Previous to 1807 the hunt servants undoubt- 

 edly wore yellow ; in Lord Segrave's time both 

 they and the gentlemen of the hunt wore scarlet 

 with a black velvet collar, on which was embroi- 

 dered a silver fox with a gold brush. This con- 

 tinued until 1858 when Sir Maurice and his son 

 ' the giant,' and the hunt servants, came out in 

 yellow plush ; but the members of the hunt re- 

 mained in scarlet without the gaudy collar. In 

 1867 the staff resumed the scarlet and the silver 

 fox for the term of the second baron's mastership 

 (1867-96), but in 1897 the present peer returned 

 to the yellow, adopting cloth instead of plush. 

 The dress uniform has for the greater part of the 

 last century been an invisible-blue coat, with 

 black velvet collar and crimson facings, and plain 

 white waistcoat. The ladies of the Berkeley 

 hunt wear a uniform, much the same as the 

 gentlemen's dress coat ; viz. very dark blue, with 

 crimson facings and black velvet collar. This 

 was first worn in Sir Maurice's time, about 1 860 ; 

 Lady Gifford, Mrs. Barwick Baker, and Mrs. 

 Berkeley, the wife of 'the giant,' being the first 

 three who were asked to wear it. They were 

 almost the only ladies hunting with this pack in 

 those days ; now as many as forty are occasionally 

 to be seen at a popular meet. 



The Vale, as now hunted, from Gloucester to 

 Bristol consists almost entirely of old grass ; it is 

 peculiar in the rarity of ridge and furrow; more- 

 over, the little that exists is not nearly so deep as 

 that found in most grass countries. About ten 

 years ago a blackthorn, privet, and gorse covert 

 was added to a wood known as Hunt Grove by 

 Mr. Tidswcll of Haresfield Court; and in 1897 

 a new fox covert called ' Pancake ' was planted 



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