214 THE SOUTH DEVON HUNT 



not affect the question of title, and that the country 

 was, and always had been. South Devon country. 



It is rather curious that Mr. Thomas and his com- 

 mittee appear to have placed great reliance on the 

 Duchy licence. For, in truth, such a licence could 

 have no bearing whatever on the case. Undoubtedly 

 a licence from the Duchy, like permission from a 

 private owner of property, is of great and vital 

 importance to a hunt in the exercise of its rights 

 according to hunting law, but neither licence nor 

 permission can affect or abridge those rights in them- 

 selves. Well-known instances are recorded where a 

 master of hounds has had to ask leave of another 

 hiuit to draw his own coverts with his own hounds, 

 by reason of such coverts forming part of the country 

 belonging, in a hunting sense, to the other hunt. This 

 being so, it is rather remarkable that any importance 

 should have been attached to the existence of the 

 Duchy licence as affecting the question of a right or 

 title to country according to hunting law. 



A mass of " evidence " in support of its case was 

 put in by the South Devon, which proved con- 

 clusively from the files of the Field and otherwise 

 that Bragg's harriers were first changed to foxhounds 

 at the beginning of the season 1880-1, and that the 

 South Devon had regularly and frequently met 

 during Westlake's mastership, and also subsequently, 

 at the following places, namely : Park, Bovey ; 

 Yarner ; Reddaford Water ; Heatree Gate ; Manaton ; 

 Spitchwick ; Ilsington ; Welstor Cross ; Manor House, 

 Widdicombe ; Furzeleigh ; Halsanger ; Bagtor ; Cock- 

 ingford Mill ; Swallaton Gate ; Widdicombe ; Hedge 

 Barton ; New Bridge ; Heytor Buildings, etc. 



In addition to this, it was proved that the country 

 claimed by Mr. Thomas was actually and always had 



