MR. SIMPSON— MESSRS. HEATH. 241 



with jVIr. A. Simpson, in addition to undertaking work in 

 the field as joint Master, with a considerable amount of 

 committee work thrown in. 



To Mr. Alexander Simpson, who unites in his own 

 person the duties of the Duke's private secretary with 

 those of joint hon. secretary to the Hunt Committee, the 

 North Stafford Hunt are deeply indebted. This gentle- 

 man, it is not too much to say, has the whole business of 

 the Hunt at his finger-ends, and has always kept on the 

 best terms with the farmers of the district. The entire 

 correspondence of the Hunt goes through his hands, and 

 the present writer has the best reason to know that it is 

 in no small degree owing to Mr. Simpson's tact and dis- 

 cretion that matters progress with so little friction and 

 unpleasantness in the North Stafford Hunt. Mr. Simpson 

 is, besides all this, a thorough sportsman, and enjoys a 

 gallop across country as much as any one, and we may say 

 of him, without fear of contradiction, that he is emphati- 

 cally the right man in the right place. 



The present writer is much indebted to Mr. Simpson 

 for valuable help in preparing this volume for publication, 

 and for free access to huntsmen's diaries and the official 

 chronicles of the Hunt, without which his task would have 

 been almost impracticable. 



Two good sportsmen have lately disappeared from the 

 North Stafford country — the brothers Heath — James 

 Heath, M.P., and Arthur Howard Heath, M.P. Both 

 lived in North Staffordshire until the last few years, and 

 were regular attendants at the covert side. Politics, 

 unfortunately, have proved more attractive than sport, 

 and the claims of Parliament and the necessity of living 

 elsewhere have deprived the North Stafford Hunt of two 

 of our sterling sportsmen. Mr. A. H. Heath has lately 

 bought Newbold Revel, a very charming place near 

 Rugby, and no doubt often enjoys a gallop with the 

 Warwickshire in his new quarters. It was a matter of 

 gTeat regret amongst the fox-hunting fraternity when the 

 connection between the Heath family and the North 



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