24 THE OLD BERKS HUNT 



Loder by the same Lord Abingdon. In this 

 later version they are entitled " The Irish 

 Hunt." A run is described which took place 

 from Kileredry in 1774. The names of the 

 sportsmen, and circumstances of the hunt are 

 of course changed, but in other respects the 

 verses are identical. This " Irish Hunt " 

 version was published in the Sporting Maga- 

 zine in 1808 ; Lord Abingdon had then been 

 dead about eight years. Probably the lines 

 were found amongst his papers by his son the 

 fifth earl, who had just come of age, and were 

 sent to the magazine by him. Lord Gage, 

 Lord Abingdon's executor, died in 1808, and 

 the lines may have been amongst his papers. 



As time went on Mr. Loder received two 

 great additions to his country. One on the 

 east and the other on the west. On the west, 

 the Gloucestershire country about Fairford had 

 been hunted by Mr. Napper, who gave up 

 keeping hounds ; and by arrangement with 

 Mr. Beach and other owners the country was 

 placed at the disposal of Mr. Loveden of 

 Buscot, who asked Mr. Loder to hunt it. 

 On the east, hounds had been kept for 

 some time by Lord Abingdon. In 1784 Lord 

 Abingdon proposed to give up keeping hounds, 

 and Mr. Loder wantino- at the time to in- 

 crease his pack, wrote to him about hounds 



