THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT 



come to pass, and when the Duke died agriculture was in 

 a state of depression almost unexampled in the history of 

 England. This depression was a blow to all the great 

 territorial houses, for it not only crippled their means, but 

 weakened and destroyed the class of squires, farmers, and 

 yeomen who were their natural supporters, and the founda- 

 tion on which rested much of their power and influence in the 

 State, besides clearing the country districts of the younger 

 labourers, for whom the towns had, and still have, a fatal 

 attraction. This change naturally affected fox-hunting. The 

 Belvoir Hunt was no longer the Duke going out for his 

 pleasure, and sharing it with his friends and neighbours and 

 their guests, but in addition a mob in scarlet and black, not 

 unwilling to ride over both hounds and huntsmen if they did 

 not get out of the way. From all parts of the kingdom, and of 

 the world, that field was gathered, and a Croxton Park assem- 

 blage on a Wednesday became one of the sights of the world. 

 Wire, too, had crept in on many estates. The landlord was 

 now unable to spare the money to keep up the fences, and 

 the tenant could no longer avoid, even in " the Duke's " 

 country, drawing the strand of wire through the hedge to 

 mend the weak place. Everywhere is some covert hostility 

 to hunting, and the fortunes of Coston Covert show that the 

 feeling smouldered even in the Belvoir country with the most 

 popular of masters and huntsmen, and wire is the natural 

 weapon of ill-feeling to sport. 



The pheasant, too, became a more important element in 

 country life, for the pheasant in numbers on some estates is 

 often like the Irishman's pig, " the gintleman that pays the 

 rent" And foxes no doubt do mischief in a big shooting 

 covert. 



Thus the Duke's hounds had their troubles and difficulties. 

 The loyal Grantham district, which is the very backbone of 

 the hunt, came forward, and, not unmindful of the generosity 

 of the Duke and his family in the past, gave him without 

 conditions the subscription he expressed himself willing to 

 accept. 



When the present (seventh) Duke became the master of 



333 



