64 THE OLD BERKS HUNT 



Hampshire country was visited by " Nim- 

 rod." "Nimrod" mentions Mr. Robert Hey- 

 sham, Mr. William Heysham, a welter weight, 

 and Mr. Frederick Heysham as hunting regu- 

 larly with those hounds. Mr. Robert Hey- 

 sham had a thin-tailed horse called " Pavilion." 

 He sold him to Mr. North, afterwards Lord 

 Guilford. When Mr. Symonds repurchased 

 the hounds from Mr. Heysham he had a 

 partner, in the shape of Mr. Thomas Duffield, 

 this being the first appearance of the Duf- 

 fields, who were afterwards to play so pro- 

 minent a part in the Old Berks country. 



At this time the name ** Old Berkshire 

 Hounds " is first heard of. The following 

 account of a run appeared in the Globe, of 

 November nth, 1809. ^t was reprinted as 

 an old extract of interest in the same paper, 

 November nth, 1903: — 



Fox Chase.— On Thursday last the " Old Berk- 

 shire Hounds " had a capital and extraordinary run. 

 They unkennelled their fox in Headington Furze 

 soon after ten, and after pressing him at a very 

 sharp pace, he swam the Cherwell in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Woodeaton, came up the meadows on 

 the Oxford side to Holywell Church, where he was 

 so dead beaten that his only refuge remained in 

 climbing on the roofs of houses like a cat, from 

 which, however, he was soon dislodged, and then 

 ran up Holywell street in full view with about three 

 couple of hounds close at his brush. He then turned 



