2 THE NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE HOUNDS. 



after tlie latter gave up his hounds in 1793, but Lord 

 Vernon's hounds only hunted a small portion of the North 

 Stafford country, and were sold and dispersed in 1812. 



It is on record that the renowned " Jack Mytton " 

 kept a pack of hounds about this time at Ivetsey Bank, 

 and for two or three seasons hunted the Seighford and 

 Eccleshall side of the present North Stafford country. 

 We believe there is still a kennel at Seighford, known as 

 Jack Mytton's kennel. 



In 1820 we hear of a pack called the Moorland Fox- 

 hounds, hunting two days a week in the neighbourhood 

 of Leek, Biddulph, and Draycot ; but this pack had only 

 an ephemeral existence, and shortly afterwards we find 

 another pack, known as the Pottery Hounds, in possession 

 of something like the same district. They were in reality 

 harriers, but evidently they used to indulge in a bagged 

 fox now and again. The huntsman was named Peach, the 

 kennels were at Lane End (now better known as Longton), 

 and the hunt was under the management of Mr. Hill, of 

 Stallington Hall, great grandfather of the present Sir Hill 

 Child, Bart. Hanley Market-place was the usual meet 

 when a fox was to be turned out. Mr. Tom Broade and 

 his son Mr. Philip Broade, Mr. Allen Fenton, and Mr. 

 John Hales were names well known with these hounds. 



The following quaint account of a meet of these 

 hounds at Chell in February, 1825, appears in the pages 

 of the Sporting and Fancy Gazette for March, 1825 : — • 



" The fox being turned out, the energetic ' Yoix, yoix, tally-ho ! ' of Mr. 

 Peach gave the signal for starting. Eeynard went with the greatest velocity 

 down to Whitfield, afterwards up to the Greenaway Bank ; he took the Moor- 

 land country to the left of Knj'persley and Biddulph, along the meadows to 

 Kudyard vale, and passed to the vicinity of Macclesfield ; here he made a sweep 

 and turned back until he came to that beautiful sheet of water, Horton Reservoir, 

 and, being hard pressed by the dogs, he took the water and was killed in the 

 middle of the pool, after an arduous chase of two hours and a half through cue 

 of the most romantic, yet worst hunting countries in Staffordshire. " 



There is a tradition that in the course of this run 

 two gentlemen swam the reservoir. The Potter}^ Hounds 

 were given up about 1827. 



