THE ORMOND HOUNDS. 12(^ 



" Mr. Ryder Pepper was killed out hunting?" 



''Yes; poor fellow! On Captain Hammersley's 

 death, the Ormond Hounds were kept by William 

 Smith of Northlands, under a committee of George 

 Jackson, Richard Falkiner, and Richard Bayley. 

 Afterwards George Minchin of Busherstown kept 

 them for four years. Then the Hon. Colonel Wes- 

 tenra kept the hounds at Sharavogue for about seven 

 years, ending 1837." 



" The hunt was known as the ' Ormond and King's 

 County Hunt' then?" 



" Yes ; Colonel Westenra was father-in-law to the 

 present Earl of Huntington, and was one of the 

 greatest supporters of the Irish turf." 



•' He was ; 1 know he commenced to hunt the 

 country in 1830, at least there's a verse of an old 

 hunting song that says so." 



" I remember it. During the years 1 838-9, Captain 

 Launcelot Bayley, 68th Regiment, kept them, hunting 

 Upper Ormond only ; Eyre Baldwin of Bellepark hunt- 

 ing Lower Ormond." 



" Who were the best horsemen in your country 

 about this time, can you tell me?" 



"Up to 1839, amongst the best sportsmen and 

 horsemen in the Ormond country were, George Smith 

 of Gurteen, who was celebrated as a steeplechase ridet, 

 George Jackson of Mount Pleasant, Thomas Brereton 

 of Raththurles, Richard Falkiner (4 th Dragoon Guards) 

 of Mount-Falcon, Alexander Carew of Killcarron, John 

 Brereton of Oldcourt, Sir Thomas Dancer, Bart,, of 

 Modoneey, Richard^ Bayley of Ballinaclough, Cooper 

 Crawford of Rapla, Caleb Going of Traverston, John 

 Falkiner of Willsboro', John Tuthill of Riverview, 



