1-^^71 THE THIRD TOM SMITH. 



The Third Tom Smith. 



No diaries can be found of the second Will Smith 

 (indeed, his son Tom Smith, now huntsman to the Bram- 

 ham Moor, says he does not remember his father keeping 

 a diary at all), who succeeded his father in 1845 and 

 carried the Brocklesby horn till 1856, when he retired 

 from service and took a farm ; and only one volume of 

 the records of his brother Tom, whose reign extended from 

 185G till 1862, is to hand. Philip Tocock followed Tom 

 Smith for one season, and then Will came back to active 

 service for one more year, so that, with the exception of 

 Philip Tocock's one season, the Brocklesby horn was carried 

 by the Smiths, father and son, without a break, for most 

 of 150 years.* 



Philip Tocock came from the Surrey Union, and 

 whipped-in at Brocklesby for several years. There is no 

 record of the third Tom Smith's first season, the only 

 diary I saw opening with the first day's cub-hunting of 

 1857, on August 31st, when a fox came to hand in the 

 woods near the Swiss Cottage. It does not seem to have 

 Ijeen a very good season, for hounds were stopped by frost 

 twelve days, and only nineteen brace of foxes were killed 

 and thirteen brace run to ground. 



There was a good run of an hour and six minutes on 

 November 6th, hounds killing their fox in orthodox style 

 at the end of it. Meeting at Cloxliill Station, they did 

 not find till reaching Chase Hill, when hounds set oft' to 



* Mr. Eobert Vyner, in " Notititia Venalica," and speaking of Lord Yarborough's 

 hounds about tbis time, says : " Everything connected with the kennel department 

 is conducted on a scale of the greatest liberalty ; the huntsman is permitted to keep 

 two cows, and the wbippers-in and boiler have the run of one eacli in the park." 



Eeferring to the second Will Smith, Mr. Vyner also remarks, with regard to 

 hounds lying out in the open, under trees : " It was the opinion of jMr. W. Smith, 

 Lord Yarborough's huntsman, that nothing contributes to render hounds liable to 

 rheumatism or shoulder lameness, than allowing them to be on the cold ground in 

 the shade, particularly after work or exercise." 



