296 The Hunting Countries of England, 



are those of the Duke of Sutherland at Sheriff Hales 

 and Lilleshall — the former representing several hundred 

 acres, and the latter being notable for its fine rides. 

 These woods border on the wild moors of The Shrop- 

 shire, a grass-and-ditch flat like the fens of Lincoln- 

 shire or South Kent. A few bridges over the main 

 <lrains might render this district rideable; but at 

 present it is as much as possible avoided by either 

 Hunt. Mr. Cotes has some nice coverts at Woodcote; 

 while at Aqualate Sir Thomas Boughey has recently 

 added some promising gorses, to offer shelter for foxes 

 beyond what is already to be found in the great deer- 

 park. High Onn Wood belongs to Mr. Morris, late 

 Master of the Shropshire ; and, turning to the Penk- 

 ridge side, we come to another good covert in the 

 Whittemores (Lord Hatherton^s) . Not far from this 

 is Coppenhall Gorse, the property of Lord Willoughby 

 <ie Broke, and held to be the most chosen spot in the 

 Albrighton country — being an excellent covert on 

 favourite ground. It has long been considered that 

 a gallop from Coppenhall Gorse to the Whittemores or 

 Barton — or vice versa — will furnish as good a criterion 

 of the merits of a man to hounds as the Hunt can 

 select. A very nice piece of country, but deficient in 

 coverts, lies between The Whittemores and Seighford 

 — the fences very blind, the hedges strong, and the 

 ditches deep and seldom cleaned out. The lanes, too, 

 throughout the district are numerous, deep and narrow 

 — anything but easy to cross except with a steady 

 cautious horse. Timber is rare here as throughout the 

 Albrighton country — at least in a strong shape. The 

 Earl of Lichfield owns the Ranton Woods and Shel- 



