GRANTHAM 113 



however, the foxes are stout and have always borne 

 this character. An old squire of Boothby writes to 

 Cooper begging him not to kill his foxes in the spring. 

 " A woodland fox we cannot spare. You know well 

 a good Boothby wood cub in the cub-hunting season 

 to be worth a dozen in the Heath coverts for young 

 hounds. I hope and trust you will not think of 

 coming." * 



It has been the glory of the Grantham district 

 from a hunting point of view that it has produced 

 so many hard riders, for whom no day was too long, 

 no fence too big. Such are not merely followers of 

 the hounds for the sake of a gallop, but they have 

 a sound judgment and knowledge of hound-lore and 

 the science of fox-hunting. 



Now, let me go somewhat more into detail as to 

 the country round Grantham. There is the Heath 

 country, which consists of a considerable proportion 

 of light plough divided by thorn fences, not very 

 high, but stiff. Near Cranwell are some stone walls, 

 and, as is usually the case where there are walls, 

 there are few ditches, and the same may be said of 

 Weever's Lodge and Newton Toll Bar close to Grant- 

 ham on the Aswarby side of the country and near the 

 fenland. In this direction you jump often out of 

 deep and heavy soil over stiff fences, and the nearer 

 you are to the Fens the bigger and deeper seem the 

 ditches. The Belvoir Vale is partly under plough 

 and is noted for the combination of stake and bound 

 hedges and wide ditches, and there is the Stubton 

 country, which has been long famous for sport and 

 also for the severity of its fences. Between Stubton 

 and Leadenham runs the river Brant, and about 

 this district is told the story of Colonel Fane of Ful- 



* " History of the Belvoir Hunt," p. 301. 



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