236 HISTORY OF THE BRAMHAM MOOR HUNT. 



' shortest time it has taken you to stop him ? ' ' Ten minutes, 

 'your Grace,' was the reply. 'Well, I've stopped them in 

 ' seven minutes, Mr. Dayrell,' was the Archbishop's answer. 

 Archbishop Harcourt can scarcely be said to have been 

 a follower of the Bramham Moor ; but during the time that 

 he ruled over the province of York, viz., from 1808 to 1847, 

 he was sure to have been 'riding that way' when Mr. James 

 Lane Fox and the Earls of Harewood were rousinof the 

 echoes in Bilbrough Whin or Hutton Thorns. In the early 

 years of his life he was an ardent sportsman, though that he 

 never neglected the duties of his profession is evident from 

 the eminence he attained in it. After he was appointed to 

 the archbishopric I believe he never attended the meet of 

 any packs of foxhounds, but when hounds met within reason- 

 able distance of him, he generally took a ride that way for the 

 sake of his health, and his knowledge of woodcraft enabled 

 him to see a good deal of the fun. It is recorded of him 

 that once when he was riding along a lane he viewed the 

 hunted fox, and hallooed. Hounds had checked, and the 

 huntsman was almost at his wit's end, but he brightened 

 when he heard the halloa, and exclaiming, ' That's gospel, 



' by ! ' galloped on, and ultimately killed his fox. The 



story is an old one, and it may not be true, but I think 

 there is likely to be some foundation of truth in it, for it is 

 well known that the archbishop was as ' keen as mustard ' 

 as long as he lived. Another story has been frequently told 

 of him, but it will bear repeating : — It is well known that 

 the Rev. Sydney Smith, who, by the way, owed his first 

 preferment in the Church to Archbishop Harcourt, who 

 presented him to the living of Foston, was a bad horseman, 

 and was wont to be very sarcastic about those of his clerical 

 brethren who were his superiors in this respect. Indeed, 

 he is said to have gone so far as to say that clergymen 

 should not ride at all. The archbishop having heard of this, 



