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CHAPTER XII. 



OPENING DAY AT WOORE— CRESSWELL HALL MEET — SUB- 

 SCRIBERS' MEETING AT STOKE— WIRE QUESTION. 



The season of 1889-90 opened witli a fair average day's 

 sport from Woore on Monday, November 4tli, which is 

 thus recorded in the StaJfordsJiire Advertiser of November 

 9th, 1889: 



NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE HOUNDS. 

 The opening meet of this pack was at Woore on Monday. The "field " was 

 not so large as might have been expected, owing, no doubt, to the South Cheshire 

 hunting at Adderley. The following were amongst those who turned out to meet 

 Lord Stafford : Lieut.-Colonel Sir George Chetwode, Bart., Captain Stamer, Mr. 

 and Mrs. E, A. Ridgway, Mr. and Mrs. Dobson, ^liss Cartlich, Miss Hollins, Mrs. 

 Wicksted, Messrs. R. N. Wood, E. J. N. Wood, C. Tayleur, R. Boote, A. Boote, 

 Meakin, Birch, liinchliffe, A. Simpson, Sneyd, Williams (Hinstock), J. Peake, 

 Kirkham, Bai'ey, Patzer, P. Chetwode, A. Heath, J. Hall, Bond, Coghill, D. 

 Eardley, E. Bourne, W. Sillitoe, A. Campbell, Blockley, W. Eardley, Noden, 

 Wilkinson (Madeley), Wilkinson (Swinchurch), Billington, Bennett, etc. As 

 usual at Woore, quite a crowd of carriages and foot-people put in an appearance. 

 The Hunt servants looked very fit, being, as they always are, very well mounted, 

 and their new outfits reduced their apparent age by ten years. We were sorry 

 to see Boxall on wheels, but he hopes, in the course of a week, to have sufficiently 

 recovered from his late accident (he broke a small bone in his leg) to again take 

 his place in the saddle. The weather was fine, save now and again a few spots 

 of rain, not sufficient to damp one's breeches, to say nothing of our spirits. 

 Shortly after eleven a move was made for Canridden Wood, and from reports we 

 expected " a find ; " but no — blank. Mill Hay was next tried, and one got away 

 in a very short time. Here the " field " had a narrow escape of what might have 

 been a fatal accident to more than one rider. The occupier of tlie field adjoining 

 the cover had fixed a single length of wire, breast high, at right angles to the 

 cover and up to within eight or ten yards of the cover fence. With the intention, 

 no doubt, of keeping the horsemen to the cover side, it was fixed in a valley 

 between where the latter were stationed and where the fox broke. A rush was 

 made, and Lord Stafford just caught sight of it in time to save himself and warn 

 his followers. It was quite invisible, as one gentleman found out ; being at the 

 top of the field and not hearing the warning, he galloped into it, luckily without 



