30 Sportsmen Parsons in Peace and War 



Mr. Legard's first clerical duty was a curacy in Derbyshire. 

 There he hunted with Hugo Meynell's pack, which had been 

 founded in 1816 by the Master, Hugo Meynell, and hunted by 

 him until 1869. 



Then the living of Boynton in Yorkshire was presented to 

 him by Sir George Cholmeley, and there he spent nine happy 

 years, from 1870 to 1879. It was in 1870 he married Miss Hall, 

 eldest daughter of James Hall of Scarborough, who hunted the 

 Holderness for the best part of forty years — in fact, up to the 

 time of his death in 1877. 



Mr. Hall's two daughters were anxious the pack should not 

 be dispersed, so Mr. Legard, at his wife's request, offered the 

 pack to the county for the sum of £2,500, which was at once 

 forthcoming. When Mr. Hall gave his consent to his daughter 

 marrying Mr. Legard, he made one stipulation with his son-in- 

 law, namely, he must hunt and bring his wife to hunt with him 

 regularly for three months each year. 



Mr. Legard now moved to Brocklesby, where another ten 

 happy years were spent. There were several packs near enough 

 for him to hunt with them, but he was mostly seen with Lord 

 Yarborough's. 



While at Brocklesby he planted three coverts, calling them 

 "The Scmb Close," "The Ledge Cop," and "Sir Richard 

 Sutton's Thorns," where up to the time of the war many hunted, 

 but few remembered the unselfishness of the man who had given 

 his time and money for the benefit of the country as a little 

 return for the pleasant days he had spent there. 



When we think of the lengthy masterships of those bygone 

 days it makes one wonder why they are of such brief duration 

 now — or rather in the years before 1914. What will happen 

 after peace is declared, who can foresee ? Perhaps the last 

 generation had more grit, cared nothing for the grumbles and 

 bad manners of their followers, or perhaps the present-day 

 grumblings and fault-findings are only a sign of the age. There 

 used to be rows in the olden times, we know, but that was 

 chiefly over matters of hunting -boundaries and such-like things, 

 not the personal matters we hear so much of to-day concerning 

 the Masters, who spend a good part of their lives and a great 

 deal out of their pockets in trjdng to show sport and give 

 pleasure to even the humblest follower and smallest subscriber. 



