The Billesdon or South Quorn. 165 



THE BILLESDON OE SOUTH QUORN.* 



In dealing with the geography and characteristics of 

 the Southern Portion of the old Quorn Country, it is 

 not intended to refer in any way to the question so 

 lately and unfortunately vexed. It stands on our 

 Map* as Mr. Tailby^s Country, and in describing it 

 we may still make use of the name by which it was so 

 long and honourably denominated. It is safe to affirm 

 that in the palmiest days of Mr. Tailby's regime — when 

 a loan of some of the Cottesmore woodlands gave a 

 backbone to the open tract first worked separately by 

 Mr. Eichard Sutton — no pack in the Shires had such 

 brilliant and continual sport. In two wet seasons 

 especially — some fifteen years ago — Jack Goddard had 

 a gallop every day his horn was at the saddle; and 

 riding-men swore that Mr. Tailby was the only Master 

 with whom to hunt. With Frank Goodall, too, runs 

 came almost as merrily and frequently; and it was 

 only when the sphere became limited by the woods 

 being surrendered to the Cottesmore that the sun of 

 success shone a little less hotly. Let it be understood 

 that the following sketch is of Mr. Tailby^s Country, 



* " Stanford's Large Scale Map," sheets 15 and 16 ; also 

 *' Hobson's Foxhunting Atlas." 



