THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT 



In 1852 the great speed of these hounds was shown by a 

 marvellously straight and fast run, on February 8th. 



" Found a second fox in the Rectory covert, ran by Redmile 

 to Musson Gorse, Sedgebrook, and Barrowby to the left, and 

 killed half a mile from Grantham, after a most terrific burst 

 of exactly forty minutes ; eight miles as the crow flies. The 

 hounds beat the horses all the way, and appeared, when in 

 sight, to fly every fence like a flock of pigeons." ^ 



Of the early days of Will Goodall, and of the sport 

 enjoyed, some delightful reminiscences will be found in a 

 charming little book, Random Recollections of the Belvoir 

 Hunt, by Mr. Finder, of Barrowby, so long known to hunt- 

 ing men by his 710m de guerre of " Phantom " in the Field. 

 This gentleman speaks as an eye-witness, and recalls many 

 interesting traits of Goodall's keen sportsmanship and cheery, 

 joke-loving nature. On one occasion when Goodall was 

 coming back from hunting, the sight of the meat on the 

 boards of a butcher's shop was too much for the hungry 

 hounds, and in a moment a raid was made and the plunder 

 eaten up. The butcher's wife, though liberal payment was 

 made for the theft, was very abusive, which called forth the 

 remark from Goodall, " What a pify such a good-looking 

 woman should have such a riotous tongue." The same 

 amusing writer tells of a favourite horse of Goodall's named 

 Crop, from his ears. " The partial loss of these gave the 

 horse a somewhat wicked and sullen appearance, although 

 he had a handsome head, and was supposed to be thorough- 

 bred. From what I recollect, the reason of the horse's ears 

 being rounded was on account of one of them having been 

 torn by another horse whilst out at grass, but whether the 

 attack was delivered in play or savagely I was unable to 

 learn. After the jagged strips of the lacerated ear had been 

 trimmed off, it gave the animal such a singular appearance 

 that it was determined to shape the other to match. Not- 

 withstanding this you could not fail to detect his high 

 breeding, beautiful quality, and light action, which, combined 



' Memoirs of the Belvoir Hounds, p. 98. 

 176 



