6 THE QUORN HUNT 



in them lay to promote sport ; but by degrees, as the 

 hunt had lost the assistance of the Marquis of Hastings, 

 support fell off in other quarters, and in April 1851, 

 about midway through the mastership of Sir Richard 

 Sutton, the Donington country was handed over to him, 

 and once more became part and parcel of the Quorn 

 Hunt, and when the hounds were sold by Mr. Breary at 

 the kennels, Sir Richard was a liberal buyer, his purchase 

 being fifteen couples for ^404, 5s. Mr. Villebois, Sir 

 Watkin Wynn, Mr. Mure, and Mr. Healey Greaves were 

 the other buyers, and the total was ,£669, 18s. From 

 this period Sir Richard Sutton hunted the Donington 

 side himself, and so did some succeeding masters. 



There was no further division of the country until 

 the beginning of the season 1876-77. Mr. Coupland 

 had then been six years in office, and as the tenth 

 Lord Ferrers, whose seat was at Staunton Harold, was 

 anxious to hunt the old Donington country two days a 

 week, a slice of country was lent to him by the Quorn. 

 He built kennels on his own property, and filled them 

 with the hounds with which Mr. Standish had been hunt- 

 ing the New Forest country. Mr. Standish sold them 

 to Mr. Theodore Mansel Talbot, who first of all kept 

 harriers ; then migrated to the Ledbury country for a 

 short spell, returning eventually to hunt Glamorganshire, 

 and after being master for four years sold his hounds to 

 Lord Ferrers, replacing them with a pack he bought 

 from Mr. J. C. Musters ; but these he did not live to 

 hunt, as he died in 1876. Though for various reasons 

 Lord Ferrers's country did not appeal to the Meltonians, 

 it was good sporting country, and was well hunted until 

 1887, when the Quorn gave notice that they should 

 require it back, whereupon about ninety hunting and 

 non-hunting tenant-farmers, together with several land- 

 owners, presented a petition requesting Lord Ferrers to 

 continue to hunt the country. With that request he was, 



