56 SPORTING REMINISCENCES [1800 to 



1804. Major Cook, afterwards better 

 Colonel cook. k n0W iT as Colonel Cook of Drox- 

 ford, succeeded Mr. Butler in the management 

 of the Hambledon hounds. Colonel Cook 

 hunted also part of the Staffordshire country. 

 He was born at Christchurch, a.d. 1773. 

 His father was a very influential merchant in 

 that town, who died when the colonel was 

 young, and left the Right Hon. Sir George 

 Rose his executor, and guardian of his children. 

 Colonel Cook was born a sportsman. At a 

 very early period he kept a pack of harriers 

 near Wareham. He kept hounds at Thurlow, 

 in Suffolk, for seven or eight seasons, and then 

 went into Essex and hunted the Roothings. 

 The year before he died, in 1829, at the re- 

 quest of Mr. Mcoll, who was prevented by 

 a domestic calamity, he superintended and 

 hunted the New Forest hounds, which he did 

 to the satisfaction of the whole field. He was 

 the author of an excellent book on hunting, 

 and the management of hounds. Phil Gosling 

 lived with him as huntsman, as did also Will 

 Neverd, and Abbey, who was afterwards with 

 Mr. John Warde in the New Forest, and went 

 with him to the Craven. 



Will Neverd was a huntsman, or 



^ ill >. everd. 



rather in the hunting- field, forty 



