SPORT 



killed as many as sixty-five brace of hares in the 

 season. From time to time some of the best 

 of the old southern hound blood has been 

 brought into the kennel, notably from the 

 Penistone, the Hokombe, the Stannington, 

 and the Bexhill packs. The kennels are at 

 Boxhurst Farm, Sandhurst, and the pack, 

 consisting of fifteen couples of southern 

 harriers, 23 inches in height, meets twice a 

 week. The country hunted lies in the Weald 

 of Kent, and consists of pasture, plough and 

 woodland in about equal proportions. There 

 is very little wire. 



A large tract of country is hunted by the 

 Ashford Valley Harriers whose territory 

 extends for some twenty miles from east 

 to west, by about twelve miles from north 

 to south. This area consists for the most 

 part of grass, with a small proportion of 

 woodland and plough. It is a fair scenting 

 country and has some good hunting fences, 

 but wire, unfortunately, has greatly increased 

 of recent years, and most of it remains up 

 throughout the hunting season. The master, 

 Mr. John C. Buckland, of Goldwell, Great 

 Chart, Ashford, hunts the pack, which is his 

 own property, at his personal expense, and 

 carries the horn. The pack is old established 

 and was hunted from about i860 to 1878 by 

 Mr. Alfred Swaffer, who was succeeded in 

 the latter year by the present master. The 

 kennels are at Goldwell, about three miles 

 from Ashford. Mr. Buckland's pack consists 

 of twenty couples of 20-inch hounds, a cross 

 between southern harriers and dwarf fox- 

 hounds. 



The West Kent Harriers are a subscription 

 pack with kennels at Lamorbey Park, Sidcup, 

 where the master, Mr. Lewis P. Kekewich, 

 who has held office since 1905, resides. 

 Former masters of the West Kent have been 

 Mr. Henry Lubbock, Mr. William May, 

 Mr. Richard Foster, jun., and Mr. Cecil 

 Berens. The country lies partly in Kent 

 and partly in Surrey, and about one-half of 

 it consists of pasture. There are some good 

 fences with plenty of galloping. The pack 

 consists of fifteen couples of 20-inch dwarf 

 foxhounds, and meets twice a week. 



Mr. Mercer's Harriers were established 

 in 1903, when they succeeded a pack of 

 beagles hunted by the same master during 

 the three previous seasons. The country- 

 extends from Faversham on the east to 

 Rainham on the west, and from the Swale 

 on the north to a point about seven miles 

 to the southward. The Boxley Harriers, 

 otherwise known as Mr. Brassey's, formerly 

 hunted part of this district with some of 

 the surrounding country. About one-half 



of Mr Mercer's territory is plough, and the 

 remainder consists partly of woodland, and 

 partly of marsh intercepted by large dykes. 

 The latter is very good scenting country 

 and affords the best sport. Except in the 

 marshland, where there is not much fencing, 

 wire is somewhat plentiful. Twenty couples 

 of 20-inch harriers constitute the pack, whose 

 kennels are at Rodmersham near Sitting- 

 bourne, where the master resides. Mr. J. 

 Strouts acts as huntsman. 



The Romney Marsh Harriers are among 

 the old established packs of the county and 

 began their career about the year 1858. The 

 pack is at present managed by a committee, 

 with Major H. Finn (Elm Grove, Lydd, 

 Kent) as honorary secretary. Former masters 

 have been :— Mr. Albert Cock, Appledore 

 (from about 1858 to 1866), Mr. Alured 

 Denne, Lydd (1866 to 1868), Mr. W. D. 

 Walker, New Romney (1868 to 1892), Mr. 

 P. G. Barthropp (1892 to 1893), Messrs. 

 R. P. Burra and J. S. Vidler (1893 to 1894), 

 Mr. R. P. Burra (1894 to 1895), Messrs. R. 

 Kenward and J. F. Selmes (1895 to 1896), 

 Colonel H. C. Wilson (1896 to 1899), Mr. 

 Frank Green (1899 to 1901), Mr. T. Bayden 

 (1901 to 1903), Colonel H. C. Wilson (1903 

 to 1904), Mr. J. F. Selmes (1904 to 1905), 

 and Mr. Frank Green (1905 to 1906).! The 

 pack consists of twenty couples of bitches, 

 20 to 21 inches, all foxhounds ; the kennels 

 are at Brookland ; and meets are held 

 twice a week. Most of the country 

 hunted by the Romney Marsh Harriers lies 

 in Kent, but their territory extends into 

 Sussex. The country is chiefly pasture and 

 there is very little wire. 



As early as 1760 Mr. Farrer of Cleve Court 

 kept hounds in the Isle of Thanet. These 

 were undoubtedly used for hare-hunting, 

 though we find an account in the Kentish 

 Gazette of 27 September 1769, of a hunt after 

 a deer, which was a run with Farrer's hounds. 

 In 1791 an advertisement appeared in the 

 Kentish Gazette for a huntsman, but no record 

 of the appointment is e.xtant. The Isle of 

 Thanet Hunt as it now exists was established 

 on 2 April 18 13, at a meeting held at the 

 Mount Pleasant Inn near Minster, where 

 Messrs. Ambrose CoUard, John Swinford 

 and Henry Collard were appointed stewards, 

 and Thomas Oakley Curling secretary. The 

 hunt has been carried on in the Isle of Thanet 

 continuously from that date. In 1849 Mr. 

 John White took the country and built new 

 kennels at Brooksend, moving the hounds 

 thither from Hoo Corner, Monkton ; and 



Baily's Hunting Directory, 1906-7. 



487 



