THE EARL OF SHREWSBURY. 51 



heal personal and political sores better tlian many reme- 

 dies which may at first sight seem more promising. 



Although the late Earl of Shrewsbury was not by any 

 means excessively devoted to sport on his own account, he 

 was undoubtedly fond of fox-hunting, as was shown by 

 his having for years a hunting-box in Leicestershire, and 

 before that in Cheshire, but we are certain that there was 

 no selfish motive at the root of his action in this matter. 

 In a word, one of his chief characteristics was to see 

 his friends made happy, and to lend a hand in making 

 them so, and right well he succeeded in his object. , 



His early and sadly sudden death, in May, 1877, was 

 felt by all who knew him to be an almost irreparable loss, 

 and by none more keenly than those members of the 

 North Stafi*ord Hunt who were brouo-ht under the in- 

 fiuence of his bright and genial personality. 



There is an unfortunate hiatus in the Xorth Staftbrd- 

 shire hunting records after the death of Mr. Davenport, 

 in 1869, until the advent of Stephen Dickins in the season 

 of 1871-72. The huntsmen in the interval were, first 

 Clarke, then Jennings, but each of them only stayed one 

 season. Sport was not above the average, and no diaries 

 appear to have been left behind them, if any were kept ; 

 neither can we find, after diligent inquiry, that any re- 

 markable runs were recorded in the local papers durino- 

 the period above referred to. But with the arrival of 

 Dickins in 1871, in the prime of his manhood and vigour, 

 and with the prestige of the Atherstone pack to help him, 

 a new and brilliant impetus was given to the Hunt, and 

 Avhat may be called " a golden age " set in for the Xorth 

 Staflbrd. Henceforward for many years we shall have 

 to quote largely from Stephen Dickins's diaries, supple- 

 menting his extremely concise accounts from other sources 

 whenever they are forthcoming. 



The first regular hunting day of 1871-72 is thus re- 

 corded by Dickins : 



'' October 30th, 1871. BJacTchrook. — Found our first fox at Willoughbridge. Ran 

 a ring and lost him. Found again in Forty Acres. Kan him to Ashley Planting 



