280 The Hunting Countries oj England. 



well Wood usually cliosen as a sequel to a Cheltenham 

 Ball — besides being invariably the scene of the opening 

 meet of the season. The covert is heartily and suc- 

 cessfully preserved by Mr. Coxwell Rogers. 



On a Wednesday the Cotswold hunt the middle of 

 their country, and advertise some of their best meets. 

 The Withington and Chedworth woodlands are quite a 

 feature, and a centre, of the Wednesday district; and 

 scarcely a week passes but that hounds are in them at 

 some time of the day. They are the property of Lord 

 Eldon, who is the best possible friend to foxhunting. 

 Again, a meet on the eastern edge of the country 

 may very probably lead to a gallop over the best of 

 the Heythrop stonewalls. Andover's Ford is a meet, 

 and notable as the scene of the Cheltenham Steeple- 

 chases in the days of Jim Mason — when they ran 

 four miles over walls, and finished at Puesdown, the 

 last fence being a stonewall four feet high. From 

 here the first coverts to draw are those of Mr. Fletcher 

 near Shipton, small but good places on the hillside — 

 Oheveley Grove, Compton Grorse, &c. After these, 

 hounds generally get into the big woodlands above- 

 mentioned. Round Puesdown are such coverts as 

 Hazleton Grove (where a sure find is guaranteed 

 under the care of the Brothers Minchin) and Prison 

 Copse, close to North Leech, the site of the old prison 

 lor Cheltenham's transgressors. Both these are small 

 coverts with plenty of room in their neighbourhood, 

 and the open hills of the Heythrop just over the 

 borders to the east. Puesdown was a favourite meet 

 of the old Earl Fitzhardinge ; who to the last always 

 drew his coverts himself, though hounds went on 



