SIR C. M. WOLSELEY. 235 



weig^ht. He owned some ijood horses from time to time, 

 and made the most of them in many a quick thing. One 

 of the best, perhaps, was an Irish horse, a light bay, 

 Wieklow, a cobby little horse, and as clever as a cat. He 

 also had a good grey mare, Heroine, a wonderful jumper. 

 Sir Charles Wolseley's place is close to Cannock Chase, 

 and is one of the few parks boasting an ancient deer-leap. 

 The right to enclose a park and make a deer-leap was 

 granted to Ralph Wolseley by Edward the Fourth, the 

 deed of grant ])eing now in the possession of the present 

 baronet. The family is one of the oldest in the country. 

 Burke's Peerage says — 



" There still remain in England a few families, and Wolseley of Wolseley is one, 

 that can prove by authentic evidence an unbroken descent from Saxon times, and 

 show the inheritance of the same lands in the male line from a period long 

 anterior to the Norman conquest. A legend in the family narrates that then- 

 ancestor was given the lands of Wiselie (now Wolseley) for destroying wolves 

 in CO. Stafford, in the reign of King Edgar, when wolves were finally destroyed 

 in England." 



The writer can give no opinion as to the accuracy of 

 this legend as to wolves, but he can testify from personal 

 observation that the present baronet used to be as keen as 

 any one in assisting in the death of a fox. Shirley, in his 

 " Deer Parks of England," says that this is the only park 

 in England where these deer-leaps are still kept up. 

 Those who are curious in such matters may find a full 

 description in the " Stafibrdshire Collection " (Forest 

 Rolls), or in Shirley's " Deer Parks." 



The North Stafford Hunt has generally been favoured 

 with a fair proportion of lady members w^ho can take 

 care of themselves and hold their own across country. 

 In Mr. Davenport's time no one went better than his 

 daughters, most of whom were accomplished horsewomen, 

 and devoted to the sport ; in those days it was no 

 uncommon sight to see five of them out with the hounds, 

 all very well mounted, and going quite in the front rank. 

 From one cause or another, Miss D. E. Davenport was the 

 only one left to follow the sport in recent times, and we 

 believe she has now quite lately given up hunting. We 



