32 SPORTING REMINISCENCES [1745 to 



Mr. William John Chute corn- 

 Mr. Chute of 



the vine, mencecl liis long career as a master 

 of hounds with a pack of harriers 

 about 1791, which, after some time, he turned 

 into fox-hounds, and the country took the 

 name of the Vine from the estate he occupied. 

 At his death, in 1824, he left a sum of money 

 for the support of the pack, on condition that 

 they retained their original name of the Vine. 

 Will Biggs was at first his huntsman, and 

 only man ; but Phil Gosling, on leaving Mr. 

 Ridge, came to Mr. Chute and materially 

 assisted him in getting his pack into working 

 Hickson. order. Some time after, George 

 Hickson was his huntsman, and Will Burket 

 was whip. Mr. Chute parted with Hickson 

 for a short time, thinking to benefit himself 

 by the change, and engaged a man named 

 Cain as his successor ; but he did not stay 

 long, for, as Mr. Thomas Chute said, he could 

 not kill a fox because he was not Abel, so 

 Hickson resumed his former post, and held it 

 until Mr. Chute's death, when he acted as 

 coachman to Mrs. Chute, the widow. 



Mr. Terry was staying at the Vine with 

 Mr. Chute in the year 1796, and on Easter 

 Tuesday they had a run with a celebrated 

 hound called Spanker, and a few others, who 



