SPORT ANCIENT AND MODERN 



There are plenty of excellent coverts in the low 

 country, and the down gorses afford natural 

 shelter to strong wild foxes. Until a few years 

 ago, when mange devastated the country, foxes 

 were numerous everywhere. The disease has 

 now disappeared, and the stock of healthy foxes 

 is increasing again. The Hunt subscription is 

 jiO ids., with ji if. to the Poultry Fund. 

 Those members hunting regularly three or four 

 days a week subscribe usually 21 and upwards. 

 A 'cap' of I is now taken from occasional 

 strangers wishing to hunt with this pack. 



THE PRESENT EAST SUSSEX HUNT 



The modern hunt dates from April, 1853, 

 and the country, as then demarcated, has existed 

 ever since, with the exception of a small portion 

 in the western part of the territory which has 

 been lent to the Eastbourne Hunt. It extends 

 some thirty miles from east to west by fifteen 

 miles north to south. On the north it is 

 bounded by the Eridge country. North-east- 

 ward Romney Marsh separates the country from 

 that of the Tickham, in Kent. On the west 

 the Eastbourne boundary meets that of the East 

 Sussex in the neighbourhood of Pevensey Level 

 and the woodlands about Horeham Road and 

 Heathfield. The sea is the southern boundary. 

 The East Sussex is a very heavily wooded 

 country, much broken by hills and deep valleys ; 

 in the open parts there is a fair proportion of 

 grass, which carries a good scent. At the 

 present time foxes are, unfortunately, somewhat 

 scarce, owing partly to mange, which ravaged 

 the country for several seasons after 1901. 

 The minimum subscription for one horse to 

 these hounds is 5. Capping is not practised. 



The first master of the resuscitated East 

 Sussex Hunt was Sir Augustus Webster, who 

 held office for one season, 1853-4. To him 

 succeeded Mr. Herbert Mascall Curteis, of 

 Windmill Hill Place, Herstmonceux, who was 

 master from 1854 to 1868. During this period 

 some very excellent sport was shown. Bob 

 Child was huntsman for nine seasons, and John 

 Harrison for the other five. During Mr. 

 Curteis's reign the hounds were kennelled at 

 Windmill Hill Place and Peasmarsh Place, near 

 Rye, for alternate fortnights. To Mr. Curteis 

 succeeded Mr. Leonard Lywood, during whose 

 short mastership, 186870, the pack were 

 kennelled at Black Friars Farm, Battle. Mr. 

 Lywood was his own huntsman. Messrs. 

 W. E. M. Watts and C. A. Egerton were joint 

 masters from 1870 to 1872, and from the latter 

 year Mr. Egerton carried on the hounds alone 

 till 1875, when Mr. Edward Frewen succeeded 

 him. During this period Thomas Hastings and 

 Fred Gosden were huntsmen. Mr. Frewen, 

 who remained in office till 1882 and showed 

 excellent sport, hunted the pack himself, with 



RofFey and George Morgan as kennel huntsmen. 

 From 1870 to 1882 the hounds were kennelled 

 at North Trade, Battle. Since that time they 

 have been maintained at Catsfield, near Battle, 

 in kennels built for them by Lord Brassey, who 

 succeeded Mr. Frewen in the mastership in 

 1882, having as his field-master Sir Anchitel 

 Ashburnham. During Lord Brassey's term of 

 office the East Sussex hunting days were in- 

 creased from two to three days a week, George 

 Morgan acting as huntsman. In 1884 Mr. 

 C. A. Egerton succeeded Lord Brassey as 

 master, remaining at the head of affairs until 

 1893. At this time George Morgan was suc- 

 ceeded as huntsman by C. Orvis, formerly with 

 the Warwickshire and Holderness packs, who 

 carried the horn until his retirement in 1892, 

 when he was followed for one season by R. Yeo. 

 To Mr. C. A. Egerton, after a very successful 

 mastership, succeeded Mr. P. G. Barthropp, 

 who, however, only carried on the hounds one 

 season. From 1894 to 1899 Mr. J. C. Munro, 

 a good sportsman, afterwards very successful in 

 the Atherstone country, was master of the East 

 Sussex, hunting the pack himself with much 

 ability. The Hon. T. A. Brassey and Mr. 

 C. A. Egerton were joint masters from 1899 to 

 1902 ; while from 1902 to 1906 Mr. Brassey 

 carried on the mastership alone. During this 

 period George Morgan once more filled the post 

 of huntsman. In 1906 Mr. Brassey, who had 

 been hunting the country five days a fortnight 

 since 1902, resigned, and was succeeded by Mr. 

 A. Neven Du Mont, who engaged Fred Reeves 

 as huntsman. In recent years, owing to the 

 ravages of mange and the difficulties of main- 

 taining foxes in a country which contains a large 

 proportion of woodland and shooting coverts, 

 sport has not been so good as formerly. The 

 pack now consists of thirty couple of hounds, and 

 hunting days have been reduced to two days a 

 week. 



THE CRAWLEY AND HORSHAM HUNT 



The early history of this pack is obscure. 

 The first known master was Mr. Stanford, who 

 began hunting the country in or about the year 

 1847 and continued to do so with great success 

 until 1867. From 1867 to 1869 Mr. R. Loder 

 and Colonel Calvert were joint masters, and 

 from 1869 to 1887 Colonel Calvert alone 

 remained at the head of affairs. During this 

 period excellent sport was shown and the master 

 was exceedingly popular. The Crawley and 

 Horsham have, indeed, always been singularly 

 fortunate in their masters. Lieut.-Colonel 

 C. B. Godman succeeded Colonel Calvert and 

 has ever since remained in control of the country, 

 to the complete satisfaction of the hunt as well 

 as of landowners and farmers. From 1847 to 

 1867 the kennels were at Warninglid ; after- 

 wards they were removed to Staplefield. Since 



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