238 THE NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE HOUNDS. 



marriaore. and went remarkably well some twenty years 

 ago. 



Of present-day farmers who hunt, and are in every way 

 staunch supporters, we may mention Messrs. R. S. Wilkin- 

 son (S\vinchurch) and W. F. Wilkinson (Madeley), a sport- 

 ing pair of brothers ; also J, Blockley (Radwood), his son 

 W. Blockley (Moor Hall), and Mrs."W. Blockley, a first- 

 rate horsewoman, and two other sons ; William Sillito (The 

 Wellings) and his son ; J. Bourne (Mucklestone) and 

 several members of his family ; John Nunnerley and his 

 son (Buerton Hall), always well mounted and fond of the 

 sport ; W. and C. Wood (Wrinehill Hall) ; J. Icke (Lloyd 

 Farm, near Market Drayton) ; E. Sandbach (Radwood) ; 

 and H. Toon (Xorton Bridge), whose farm adjoins the 

 famous covert known as Shallowford Gorse, to whom the 

 meet are much indebted for his care and pains in seeing 

 to the covert being kept quiet. Besides these there is 

 Mr. Edward Simpson, of Sidway, and Mr. R. D. Garde, of 

 Biana, Eccleshall, although the latter can scarcely be 

 classed as a farmer, pure and simple, seeing that he is an 

 Irish landowner, with rents to collect from across the 

 Channel. We ought to have mentioned before now 

 the name of ]\Ir. A. AV. Radford-Norcop, of Betton, 

 who, though neither a farmer nor a hunting man, has 

 helped the Hunt very much for years in the matter 

 of fox-preserving on his estate, and also by taking- 

 down wire and putting up low fencing. There are 

 not many non-hunting men who do more for the Hunt, 

 or who show a more friendly spirit towards the Master 

 and the Hunt Committee. Nearly all the farmers we 

 have just named have done excellent service for the 

 Hunt in many ways ; amongst other things, by working 

 on the Covert Fund Committee, and examining the 

 poultry claims, and the like. The writer only regrets that 

 he has not a larger list of fox-hunting farmers to place 

 before his readers, for after all the farmers are the back- 

 bone of any Hunt, and without their friendly help little 

 good can be done either in the way of fox-preserving or 



