LORD LONSDALE 177 



Crafty (1901) ; 500 guineas being the price of the 

 couple. Amongst the valuable matrons was Tarnish 

 (1903) by Cheshire Traitor (1907) from South 

 Cheshire Seamstress (1898) ; and when the property 

 of Mr Reginald Corbet she bred Sampler (1906), 

 who won for the Hertfordshire, the champion cup 

 at Peterborough in 1907. There is nothing to 

 beat Sampler's breeding, possessing, as he does, 

 the blood of many great hounds seen during the 

 past quarter of a century. Lord Lonsdale's pur- 

 chase also included Trilby (1902) by Warwick- 

 shire Trouncer (1896) from South Cheshire Chantress 

 (1897) ; Warble (1904) by Atherstone Villager (1902) 

 from South Cheshire Winifred (1898) ; Whimsey (1904) 

 by Belvoir Vagabond (1899) from South Cheshire 

 Wayward (1901) ; Dabchick (1905) by Warwick- 

 shire Tuner (1901) from South Cheshire Dimity (1903) ; 

 Treason (1907) by Belvoir Valesman (1902) from South 

 Cheshire Testy (1902) ; and many others. Such a 

 store of valuable bitches had never before been 

 seen in the Cottesmore country, and subsequent 

 entries were full of interest to hound-breeders. 

 For generations the Lowther family have been 

 celebrated for their skill in breeding hounds ; and 

 those bred by the present Earl's grandfather, as far 

 back as 1795, are the foundation of some of the 

 choicest pedigrees to-da\^ Stud-books and records 

 have been kept from the time when Sir William 

 Lowther — afterwards first Earl of Lonsdale — pur- 

 chased a pack from Mr Thomas Noel, and hunted 

 the Cottesmore country from 1788 to 1802. No 

 kennel was more fashionable than the Earl of Lons- 

 dale's during the first quarter of the last century ; 

 and the founder of the Cottesmore country — so 

 named by Lord Lonsdale after he resided in the 

 village of Cottesmore — was the best of patrons to 



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