194 THE OLD BERKS HUNT 



Morrell's splendid house, Headington Hill 

 Hall, now stands. In 1836 young Mr. Morrell 

 took the hounds in hand, and hunted them for 

 eleven seasons. They showed excellent sport, 

 and not a few Oxford men dated their first 

 experiences of the chase from the cheery 

 gallops they had with "Jim Morrell." On 

 November the 9th, 1838, they had a run which 

 is described at length in the Sporting Maga- 

 zine of that year. They found at Stonehill 

 Farm, near Abingdon, and ran across Sutton 

 Moor, and by Didcot to Hagbourne Down, 

 where they came to a check, by which some 

 few of the stragglers came up with the pack. 

 An old hound then hit off the scent, and away 

 they went again, leaving Chilton on the right, 

 through Churn Gorse, and several small 

 patches of furze on the Ilsley Downs to 

 within a mile of Ilsley, where they killed ; the 

 distance point to point being twelve miles, and 

 the time one hour and ten minutes. Mr. Mor- 

 rell increased the size of the pack chiefly by 

 draughts from Mr. Drake's, the Heythrop, and 

 the Blackmore Vale, and it consisted at last 

 of twenty-two couple of small foxhound bitches, 

 and "Hannibal," who had a strong touch of the 

 harrier about him, and who never failed to get 

 the ladies right at a pinch. 



Mr. Morland's retirement offered a favour- 



