COLONEL NUGENT. 55 



The writer has reason to remember this day, for in the 

 run above recorded he had the misfortune to strain his 

 favourite hunter so badly that he was not able to ride her 

 again for the rest of the season. 



' ' March 4:th, 1 874. Moddershall Mill. — Found in Black Lake. Ran him round 

 Stallington, and ran him to ground. Found a second at Downs Banks. Ran to 

 Cocknage Wood, back to Moddershall Oaks, on to Hilderstone village, up to 

 Hardwick Heath and killed him. One hour and fifty minutes. Very good rnn." 



Eecord for the season : Hunted seventy-seven days, 

 killed thirty foxes, ran twenty-nine to ground. 



It will be noted that this was the last season of 

 Colonel Nugent's Mastership, and that in May, 1874, the 

 hounds and the Mastership were transferred to the present 

 Duke of Sutherland (then Marquis of Stafford), with the 

 cordial good-will of the members of the Hunt and of 

 the landowners and farmers in the district, and with the 

 brightest prospects of success, which we shall find have 

 been abundantly fulfilled ; but we must reserve the history 

 of the new regime for a future chapter. It is only right 

 to mention that almost from the time of Mr. Davenport's 

 retirement to the end of Colonel Nugent's Mastership, the 

 Rev. C. H. Main waring, of Whitmore, acted as honorary 

 secretary to the Hunt with great zeal and success. 



An obituary notice of Colonel Nugent, who died at 

 Bournemouth on May 4th, 1889, appeared in the Staff oixl- 

 shire Advertiser of that time, from which we have ex- 

 tracted the following particulars : — 



" Lieut. -Colonel Nugent belonged to a good old Irish family. He com- 

 menced his military career in Ireland, and afterwards became adjutant of the 

 2ud King's Own Staftbrdshire Militia. During a period of nearly twenty years 

 Captain Xtigent held the post of adjutant, with much credit to himself and to 

 the entire satisfaction of his commanding officer, the late Lord Hatherton. On 

 his retirement from the adjutancy in 1875, he was presented with a testimonial 

 by the officers, Colonel Lord Hatherton, in making the presentation, saying 

 tliat in losing the services of Captain Nugent he was losing his right hand. 

 Captain Nngent was given a majority in the regiment, witli the honorary rank 

 of Lieut.-Colonel. He finally retired from the regiment, under the age clause, in 

 1880. Captain Nugent was a good sportsman, and for a number of years (as we 

 have seen) was Master of the North Staffordshire Hoimds, and in this he had 

 had previous experience in Ireland, as Master of the Westraeath Hounds. During 

 his eleven years of Mastership with the two packs, he was never known to be 



