J. MAIDEN. 39 



reputation or have been more widely known than Joe 

 Maiden, and from all accounts he must have well deserved 

 his fame. He was evidently a splendid kennel manager, 

 a straightforward, upright servant, a zealous and perse- 

 vering huntsman in the field, a good rider to hounds in 

 spite of his terrible accident and his consequent loss of 

 limb, and a courteous and civil official to all the members 

 of the Hunt. He must have had some drawbacks, no doubt, 

 but the present writer (who had not any adequate oppor- 

 tunities of forming a judgment of his methods) is unable 

 to point them out, and such inquiries as he has been able 

 to make have generally resulted in unqualified commen- 

 dation. 



Warburton — no bad judge — says of him in his capacity 

 of huntsman to the Cheshire Hounds, "As far as my 

 experience extends, I have never seen his equal." He 

 also prints in the notes to the hunting songs a rather 

 pathetic letter from old Maiden, written in November, 1862, 

 in which the retiring huntsman says — 



" These hounds will be leaving here (Wolstanton) shortly to go to Trentham, 

 the seat of the Duke of Sutherland. I don't go with them. I shall stop here 

 the winter, and I don't intend going with hounds any more. I have rheumatic 

 very had at times, and cannot ride to hounds, this being my fifty-fourth season 

 with hounds. I have a very good entry, and they are all going on well.'' 



In 1865, for the first time, Mr. Davenport accepted 

 a subscription from the members of the Hunt, and as a 

 subscription pack the North Stafi'ordshire Hounds were 

 continued until Mr. Davenport's retirement and death, in 

 1869. Colonel Coote BuUer was the first hon. secretary, 

 and retained office until his death, in 1868, being succeeded 

 by Mr. Egerton Harding, who was followed by the Eev. 

 Charles H. Mainwaring, of Whitmore, who held office 

 until 1873-74. 



In the Staffordshire Advertiser^ November 18th, 1865, 

 a correspondent writes — 



"On Wednesday last the fixture was Draycot, whence the hounds trotted 

 to Hose Wood, which, with New Close Sprink and Bromley Wood, was drawn 

 blank. We then went back to Stallington, where we found a fox which brought 

 us straight back for the Hose Wood, through which he went up to Sherratt' 



