The Old Berkshire. 215 



Friday has three meets in the south-west extremity 

 of the Berkshire Vale. Longcott is for Beckett (Lord 

 Barrington^s place) with the Laurels and coverts round 

 the house ; after which they have Knighton, by the 

 railway copse, Compton Wood and Hardwell Wood. 

 From Shrivenham they get to Beckett^ Staines Wick 

 and Bourton Spinney. There is beautiful ground from 

 here down to Swindon ; but there are no coverts to 

 tempt foxes to take this direction. Bishopstone lies 

 in a very big country, containing the coverts of Hinton 

 Spinney and Dore^s Covert, after which they work 

 back to Bourton and Beckett, or up the Yale. As you 

 leave the vale you will find yourself in an open 

 country of mixed grass and plough. Badbury Hill (by 

 Faringdon) leads to Coles Hill, where are Lord 

 Kadnor^s coverts of Watchfield Carr and Swanks Nest, 

 with the Buscot Woods in the north-west corner of the 

 country — the latter fastnesses being big woods with 

 rides that are still very heavy in spite of efibrts 

 towards gravelling them. Coming round Faringdon 

 you find the Fox-and-Hounds, Littleworth, as the next 

 meet — for a small wood known as Haremoor, and 

 Faringdon Grove — the two almost touching; while 

 sometimes hounds get to Hatford Grorse, with every 

 likelihood of running into the the Vale. Buckland 

 (Sir W. Throckmorton^s) is a nursery of foxes. It has 

 its gardens, the Warren and the Ashbeds, which are 

 invariably occupied. Here also is Barcot, a small but 

 thick covert, belonging to Lady Theo. Gruest, where 

 foxes are afi'orded every protection. 



The Wednesdays of the Old Berkshire being spent 

 on the east of the Kennels at New House on the 



