12 THE QUORN HUNT 



there was some talk about establishing a club on a larger 

 scale, to accommodate those who did not care about the 

 expense involved in hotels or a private establishment ; 

 but so far as is known the project came to nothing. 



Lord Alvanley, mentioned just now, was quite one of 

 the foremost of the Meltonians for a good many years, 

 roughly speaking, from 1808 or thereabouts till well into 

 the thirties. He was rather a character in his way, and 

 wore, says Mr. Birch Reynardson, "the most monstrous 

 pair of boots that perhaps ever were seen on any man's 

 legs. At one time he wore ordinary top-boots ; but one 

 day he appeared at the covert side in a pair of boots the 

 upper extremities of which were like those worn by the 

 Household cavalry, though the tops began in the usual 

 place. A former Duke of Rutland injured one of his 

 knees by a thorn piercing it, so he had one boot made 

 in order to protect the injured limb. Lord Alvanley 

 took the hint, and caused several pairs to be made to 

 the pattern, as bullfinches were then common enough in 

 Leicestershire. In some ways these boots were a grand 

 invention ; but they had their drawbacks, as being open 

 above the knee, dead wood and thorns would occasion- 

 ally fall into them, work down to the calves, and then 

 tickle his lordship no end." Lord Alvanley was one of 

 the jokers of the hunt, but some of his jests do not 

 appear always to have been in the best of taste. On 

 one occasion he encountered at Brighton Lord Foley — 

 not the Lord Foley who was master of the Quorn 

 hounds, but a later holder of the title. Lord Foley was 

 rather deformed and so went into society comparatively 

 little, devoting himself, after he gave up racing, to his 

 carriage-horses. Said Lord Alvanley to Lord Foley, 

 "Hullo, how did you get here?" "I came straight 



from London," was the reply. " D it, then, you 



have warped a good deal on the way down," was Lord 

 Alvanley's not very courteous retort. 



