THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT 



which he points out was better than that of the hunt horses. 

 At all events Lord Middleton's hounds, which were de- 

 scended from those with which Mr. Corbet had hunted the 

 country during his second mastership, had been brought to a 

 great state of excellence by the attention the master paid to 

 legs, feet and shoulders. Several Melton men saw these 

 hounds about this time, and the praises of them they brought 

 back doubtless prompted the Duke and Goosey to go to that 

 kennel. Either the Belvoir got what they wanted, or, on the 

 other hand, they were not satisfied with the results — there is 

 no evidence to tell us which was the case, for we do not find 

 the Warwickshire again in the list of kennels which helped 

 to build up the Belvoir, unless indeed we may consider that 

 recourse was had to Warwickshire blood when Sir Tatton 

 Sykes's Driver and Barrister appear in the pedigrees, for the 

 foundation of Sir Tatton's pack had been ten couples of the 

 best of Lord Middleton's Warwickshire hounds. A memor- 

 able year in the annals of the Belvoir pack is that of 1825, 

 for then was begun the close connection between Belvoir and 

 Brocklesby which was to be so fortunate for both kennels. 

 The latter is one of the oldest kennels in England, for it 

 dates back to 17 13. The pack had a small beginning, as for 

 some years the hounds were hunted in partnership. The 

 following is the agreement concerning the ownership of the 

 pack : — 



" It is agreed that the fox-hounds now kept by Sir John 

 Tyrwhitt, and the hounds now kept by the same Mr. Pelham, 

 shall be joined in one pack, and each of them — the said Sir 

 John Tyrwhitt, Robert Vyner, and Charles Pelham — to have 

 an equal share and interest in the said pack." 



At the end of the five seasons for which this arrangement 

 lasted, the whole of the little pack passed into the hands of 

 Mr. Pelham, in the possession of whose family the hounds 

 have remained ever since. The agreement of 171 3 is not 

 dissimilar to that which I have already noted as existing be- 

 tween Mr. Noel, the Duke of Rutland, and Lord Cardigan, 

 and probably marks one of the first steps towards systematic 

 fox-hunting. In many countries, no doubt, the way in which 



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