Fox-hunting 2 1 



One of the Lords of Wilton has stated in 

 his " Sports and Pursuits of the English," 

 that hounds were never entered solely to fox 

 until the year 1750; and the "Badminton" 

 book on hunting tells us that the famous 

 pack of the Dukes of Beaufort was only in 

 1762 "steadied from deer and encouragred to 

 fox." Charles 11. seems to have had a some- 

 what catholic taste in hunting countries, for 

 there are records existing of his hunting in 

 the West country at various places, in Essex 

 and Middlesex ; whilst my own grandfather 

 lived within the country of the Crawley and 

 Horsham Foxhounds in a little moated old 

 house which was said to have been used ex- 

 clusively as a hunting box by the Merry 

 Monarch, from which place of abode I have 

 sallied forth for many a good day's sport. 

 Henry VHI. favoured Essex as well as the 

 Windsor district ; whilst "Good King George" 

 appears to have affected the last-named 

 locality chiefly, but also hunted on the South 

 Downs. And coming down to the present 

 day, it is pleasant indeed to reflect that 



