454i The Hunting Countries of England, 



THE MORPETH.* 



Mid-Northumberland lias for the last three years 

 been hunted by Mr. J. B. Cookson — his father,, Mr. 

 John Cookson, having, for many years previously, 

 also presided over the fortunes of the Morpeth. The 

 River Coquet separates his country from Lord Percy's 

 on the north ; he touches the Tynedale on the south- 

 west, and goes southward as near Newcastle as coal- 

 pits and coal-railways and colonies of pitmen will let 

 him. The sea limits him on the east; while, as he 

 only hunts two days a week, he is not called upon to 

 go farther west than the country is tempting. For, 

 beyond the westward line coloured on the map, hill 

 and moor become so confirmed that foxhunting is 

 virtually discontinued. And below the town of 

 Morpeth, again, the ground becomes almost at once a 

 broken network of railway and coalmine ; and the 

 chase has no longer any status. 



But between Morpeth — or, rather, its river the 

 AVansbeck — and the Coquet a great deal of pretty 

 hunting ground is to be found, less hilly on the whole 

 than Lord Percy^s, and varying from flat clay, grass, 



* Vide Stanford's " Hunting Map," Sheet 2, and Hobson's 

 Foxhunting Atlas. 



