A HISTORY OF SUSSEX 



Charlton was now famous. St. Victor and 

 other visitors came over from France and Ger- 

 many to partake of the sport. Squire Roper, 

 who had been so long connected with the 

 hounds, died suddenly in 1715. In April of 

 that year he rode to the meet at Findon, but 

 just as the fox was found he dropped dead from 

 his saddle ; he had attained the ripe age of 

 eighty-four years. The Duke of Bolton now 

 became sole owner and master of the pack, a 

 few years later handing them over to the second 

 Duke of Richmond, who then assumed sole 

 management, assisted by Lord De La Warr. 

 From this period dates the heyday of the Charl- 

 ton Hunt. Tom Johnson, one of the famous 

 hunt servants of the eighteenth century, was 

 the duke's huntsman. Johnson died in 1774 

 and is buried at Singleton, where the following 

 eulogy may be found on his monument : 



From his early inclination to foxhounds, he soon 

 became an experienced huntsman. His knowledge in 

 the profession, wherein he had no superior and hardly 

 an equal, joined to his honesty in every other par- 

 ticular, recommended him to the service and gained 

 him the approbation of several of the nobility and 

 gentry. Among these were Lord Conway, the Earl 

 of Cardigan, the Lord Gower, the Duke of Marl- 

 borough, the Hon. M. Spencer. The last master 

 whom he served, and in whose service he died, was 

 Charles, Duke of Richmond, Lennox and Aubigny, 

 who erected this monument in memory of a good and 

 faithful servant, as a reward to the deceased, and an 

 incitement to the living. 



'Go and do thou likewise.' (St. Luke x. 37). 

 ' Here Johnson lies ; what human can deny 

 Old Honest Tom the tribute of a sigh ? 

 Deaf is that ear, which caught the opening sound ; 

 Dumb that tongue, which cheered the hills around. 

 Unpleasing truth : Death hunts us from our birth 

 In view, and men, like foxes, take to earth.' 



During the great days of the second Duke of 

 Richmond at Charlton a hundred horses were 

 led out every morning from the stables, each 

 with its attendant groom in the Charlton livery 

 of blue, with gold-corded and be-tasselled caps. 

 In 1732 the duke built a hunting house at 

 Charlton, where he and his duchess lay over- 

 night, ready for the early meets of those vigorous 

 days (8 a.m.). In 1863, says a writer to whom 

 I am indebted for many of these particulars, 1 

 ' the walls of the principal room were decorated 

 with paintings of the chase, almost sole relics 

 of the Charlton Hunt.' This house is still 

 standing and is (1907) known in the neigh- 

 bourhood as Foxhall, having apparently suc- 

 ceeded to the name of the older building. It 

 was during these days that the most famous run 

 ever known with the Charlton Hunt took place. 

 A spirited description of it has survived. It was 



1 Sussex Archaeological Coll. 1863. Article by T. 

 J. Bennett from the MS. of Charles Dorrien of Ash- 

 dean House. 



copied from an old MS., nearly illegible from 

 age, which hung framed in an ancient farm- 

 house at Funtington, a village in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Goodwood. Its author is unknown, 

 but the account is well worth reproduction. 



A FULL AND IMPARTIAL ACCOUNT OF THE REMARKABLE 



CHASE AT CHARLTON, ON FRIDAY, z6TH JANUARY, 



I738- 



It has long been a matter of controversy in the 

 hunting world to what particular country or set of 

 men the superiority belonged. Prejudices and par- 

 tiality have the greatest share in their disputes, and 

 every society their proper champion to assert the pre- 

 eminence and bring home the trophy to their own 

 country. Even Richmond Park has the Dymoke. 

 But on Friday, the z6th of January, 1738, there was 

 a decisive engagement on the plains of Sussex, which, 

 after ten hours' struggle, has settled all further debate 

 and given the brush to the gentlemen of Charlton. 



Present in the Morning. The Duke of Richmond, 

 Duchess of Richmond, Duke of St. Alban's, the Lord 

 Viscount Harcourt, the Lord Henry Beauclerk, the 

 Lord Ossulstone, Sir Harry Liddell, Brigadier Henry 

 Hawley, Ralph Jenison, master of His Majesty's Buck 

 Hounds, Edward Pauncefort, Esq., William Farquhar, 

 Esq., Cornet Philip Honeywood, Richard Biddulph, 

 Esq., Charles Biddulph, Esq., Mr. St. Paul, Mr. 

 Johnson, Mr. Peermon, of Chichester ; Mr. Thomson, 

 Tom Johnson, Billy Ives, Yeoman Pricker to His 

 Majesty's Hounds ; David Briggs and Nim Ives, 

 Whippers-in. At a quarter before eight in the morn- 

 ing the fox was found in Eastdean Wood, and ran an 

 hour in that cover ; then in to the Forest, up to 

 Puntice Coppice through Heringdean to the Marlows, 

 up to Coney Coppice, back to the Marlows, to the 

 Forest West Gate, over the fields to Nightingale 

 Bottom, to Cobden's at Draught, up his Pine Pit 

 Hanger, where His Grace of St. Alban's got a fall ; 

 through My Lady Lewknor's Puttocks, and missed 

 the earth ; through Westdean Forest to the corner of 

 Collar Down (where Lord Harcourt blew his first 

 horse), crossed the Hackney-place down the length 

 of Coney Coppice, through the Marlows to Hering- 

 dean, into the Forest and Puntice Coppice, Eastdean 

 Wood, through the Lower Teglease across by Cocking 

 Course down between Graffham and Woolavington, 

 through Mr. Orme's Park and Paddock over the 

 Heath to Fielder's Furzes, to the Harlands, Selham, 

 Ambersham, through Todham Furzes, over Todham 

 Heath, almost to Cowdray Park, there turned to the 

 limekiln at the end of Cocking Causeway, through 

 Cocking Park and Furzes ; there crossed the road and 

 up the hills between Bepton and Cocking. Here 

 the unfortunate Lord Harcourt's second horse felt 

 the effects of long legs and a sudden steep ; the best 

 thing that belonged to him was his saddle, which My 

 Lord had secured ; but, by bleeding and Geneva 

 (contrary to Act of Parliament) he recovered, and 

 with some difficulty was got home. Here Mr. 

 Farquhar's humanity claims your regard, who kindly 

 sympathised with My Lord in his misfortunes, and 

 had not power to go beyond him. At the bottom of 

 Cocking Warren the hounds turned to the left across 

 the road by the barn near Heringdean, then took the 

 side near to the north-gate of the Forest (here 

 General Hawley thought it prudent to change his 



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