The Rufford. 461 



along their nortliern border, aud lumt its centre, 

 leaving the north of the county to the Grove. Plough 

 and big woods are the portion of the Rufford : but, if 

 dealt out to them with a lavish, it is not altogether 

 with an even hand. They take in a strip of Derby- 

 shire on the west. This is also plough ; but a much 

 lighter plough than where they near Lincolnshire and 

 the Blankney on the east — the Trent running between 

 the two Hunts. Sherwood Forest is their great play- 

 ground in spring and autumn ; and this is a vast 

 extent of light covert and open glade. Eastward they 

 have deep dense woodlands amid stiff clay, where 

 when hounds run they can leave horses out of sight. 

 In short, Sherwood Forest and the Derbyshire strip 

 form the lighter side of the country ; ^^ The Clays '' 

 (as the east is aptly termed) the heavy side. 



Sherwood Forest, whether as existing woodland or 

 as reclaimed forest, occupies an immense breadth of 

 the Rufford Country, and spreads even into the Grove 

 and the South Notts dominions. Much of it, of 

 course, has been disforested since the days of Robin 

 Hood and his merry men. But the green woods still 

 flourish in all their old magnificence over thousands of 

 acres ; and the Dukeries are masses of woodland 

 beauty such as England can show nowhere else. 

 Clumber (the Duke of Newcastle's), Welbeck (the 

 Duke of Portland's), Thoresby (Lord Manvers'), and 

 Rufford (Mr. Henry Saville's) compose the Dukeries — 

 the two former being in Grove territory, and the whole 

 being kept up by their owners with the greatest pride 

 and care. The broad grass rides are tended so unre- 

 mittingly, that the mossy turf will bear a carriage 



