72 THE BR0CKLE8BY HOUNDS. [1839 



good day's sport, the first item being a twisting hunt of 

 one hour and forty-five minutes from Cuxwold Asholt, over 

 Thorganby and Beelsby, to Swallow village, where hounds 

 ran into their fox. The second gallop emanated from Irby 

 Holme, and hounds went at a great pace by Beelsby 

 Covert to Bradley Gears, and short right-handed past 

 Barnoldby to Brigsley, through the village to Waithe, and 

 right-handed to Ashby, where hounds checked and were 

 then holloa'd to a fresh fox. Thus far it was as good as 

 need be, but the rest was of a very different quality. 

 Smith says that Lord Gardiner had a great reputation as 

 a hard rider in Leicestershire, and he fully endorsed it. 

 He also says that a day or two before, when out with Sir 

 Richard's hounds, he jumped the park wall of Norton 

 Place out of the road — " a tremendous leap ! " Lord 

 Gardiner had two or three days' hunting with the 

 Brocklesby. 



On December 27th hounds ran over Thoresby Field for 

 the first time since it was enclosed. Says Will, "The 

 double posts and rails are wide and good to leap, but the 

 ground at this time being very deep caused a scrambling 

 field." 



Up to the end of the year it was a wet season, and 

 though scent was generally pretty good, there was never 

 any run of exceptional brilliancy. Mr. Wright, of Wold 

 Newton, died during December ; he was, as Smith says, a 

 good friend to foxes and fox-hunting, and it was through 

 him that North Kelsey Covert w^as made, part of the land 

 being owned by his cousin. Captain Wright, and part 

 by Sir H. Nelthorpe. 



Will begins his diary for 1840 with a reference to a 

 wonderful leap by Dick Christian with the Quorn. He 

 says Dick got a good living by riding and making gentle- 

 men's horses, receiving as much as lO-v. 6t/. a day, and some- 

 times more. " When I saw him out with Mr. Osbaldeston's 

 hounds I thought him a neat horseman, and he was very 

 highly spoken of. He was one who rode in the steeple- 

 chases when they became fashionable in Leicestershire." 



