68 THE BROCKLESBY HOUNDS. [1837 



of earth-stopping, and no fewer than thirty foxes were 

 run to ground by the end of November. " If anything 

 will spoil foxes and hounds," says Will, " this daily run- 

 ning to ground will do ours. I never knew anything 

 equal it." 



On November 28th Smith records the fact that there 

 was a four-mile Steeple Race between Mr. E. Holgate, of 

 Laceby, and Mr. Paddison, of Aylesby, for c£25 a side. 

 The course lay from near the Keelby Sprothorns over the 

 beck to near the Barton Street, then to the left, and 

 straight to the grass field opposite Irby Scrub Close. 

 Mr. Paddison's horse, well ridden by Mr. W. Whitworth, 

 won easily, Mr. Holgate, according to Smith, riding his 

 mare very badly. 



On December 1st, Lord Yarborough, who had not 

 hunted since the season before last, came out with hounds, 

 riding one of his diminutive hunters for the first time. 

 There was an exceedingly good run from Kettleby Thorpe 

 Covert that day by Howsham, Welhams, and Barnetby, 

 nearly to Hendale, and by way of Searby back to Kettleby 

 Thorpe. There was never a check throughout, and hounds 

 must have killed their fox but for changing foxes when 

 they got back to Kettleby Thorpe. 



There is a curious foot-note to the doings of January 

 5th, 1838, which speaks for itself: 



" Sir Eichard Sutton was to have been out with us, but a young Mr. 

 Brackenbury had ridden over and hurt him the day previous. Sir Eichard 

 flogged him.'''' 



A snowstorm kept hounds to their kennels from 

 February 8 th to March 1st, when they brought off" a 

 good hunt from Hendale to Bradley Wood, by way of 

 Great Limber Covert, Swallow Cross Roads, Dauber's Hill 

 (where they took on a fresh fox), Irby Dales, Maud Hole, 

 Wybers Wood, and Laceby village. 



But there was even a better run on the 3rd, a fast 

 fifty minutes without a check, and hounds beat horses all 

 the way. They started where they had finished two days 



