THE TYNEDALE COUNTRY. 141 



the pack for something like forty years, and is still as keen 

 a fox preserveiT aswhen he began. Kirsopp'si Whin is a beautiful 

 ooverti and a certain find, and no matter which way hounds go 

 they are certain of &port, unless indeed scent is altogether 

 absent. The covert is on the east side of the Whittington to 

 Ryall lane, and only a fieid from it, while the other good covert 

 just referred to is half ai mile westi of thei same lanei, and is 

 known as Grindstone Law. It is younger and perhaps a trifle 

 larger than Kirsopp's Whin, and it is practically impossible to 

 draw them both blank. It may be mentioned that before the 

 Grindstone Law covert came into being there was a covert called 

 Dun's Moor almost immediately east of it, and before that a 

 whin named Todridge, which was situated rather less than 

 a mile south of Grindstone Law. Both of these played a big 

 part in providing sport for the Tynedale in their day, but 

 Grindstone Law is as good as its predecessors, its only draw- 

 back being that if foxes go from it due north there is a steep 

 bit of up and down, and an awkward bottom to cross, and this 

 comes into the line very frequently. About two' miles west' of 

 Grindstone Law, and close to the Watling Street, is another 

 gorse covert on the side of a hill, called Bewclay or Bewclay 

 Craggs, and this is also a Monday covert. Going back to 

 Whittington, right of the village, and rather to the south, 

 is a small covert, on Clarewood Farm which generally holds a 

 fox, and east of this place all the coverts round Matfen Hall 

 (Sir Hugh Blackett's), which are numerous and good. The best 

 as far as I can judge, are the Mile covert, a plantation midway 

 between Matfen Village and Matfen Piers, and the Marl Pits, 

 a mile east of Matfen, on the lane which leads toi Stamford- 

 ham. Other coverts hereabouts are the Dog Kennel Wood, the 

 Sparrow Letch Plantation, and Angus's Whin, which is north- 

 east of Matfen, and less than a milei north of the military road. 

 This is (or was) a certain find, and the starting point of many 

 good hunts, as also' is the Marl Pits, from which good covert 

 there was a fine hunt in January of 1913. This hunt came late 

 in the day after a busy morning, but there was a great fox before 

 hounds and first-ratei scent. They ran by Fenwick, Cowstand, 

 and Black Heddon to Bygate, through the coverti and on to 

 Belsay, and swinging round came intoi Bygate again. They 

 left the covert very quickly, and ran fast to' Capheiaton^ 



