THE QUORN KENNELS 25 



were occupied for one season only, for Mr. Hodgson 

 went back to the old place, but had a second kennel at 

 Oadby for the sake of convenience in hunting the Market 

 Harborough side. In Mr. Hodgson's day, in fact down 

 to Sir Richard Sutton's time, it will be remembered that 

 what is now Mr. Fernie's country was hunted by the 

 Ouorn, so that now Market Harborough is not in the 

 latter country at all, but is situate where Mr. Fernie's 

 and the Pytchley join. 



Since Mr. Sutton took the Billesdon or South Quorn 

 country from his father, the Ouorn kennels are more 

 central than they used to be, and so are more eligible 

 than ever, and though of most unpretending exterior, 

 are convenient and exceedingly healthy. 



The following untechnical description of the Ouorn 

 kennels, taken from a book called " Music and Friends," 

 by William Gardiner, and published in 1838, is perhaps 

 too curious to be left out. Speaking of Colonel Cheney, 

 of Gadsby, the author writes : 



Near the colonel's estate are the dog-kennels of the Melton 

 Hunt, a college for rearing and educating foxhounds. It is com- 

 posed of several buildings occupying some acres ; the principal 

 apartment is the dinner hall, the whole being filled with separate 

 troughs, at each of which four dogs feed at the same time. The 

 larder is a spacious place, in which the joints of six or seven 

 horses are hung up every week ; the whole is eaten raw, and the 

 gourmand taste of these animals is such that they will not touch 

 it unless it has been seasonably kept, which the insupportable 

 stench that surrounds the place fully proves. In the kitchen are 

 conveniences for cooking 1 vegetable diet, of which oatmeal forms 



remarked "that with the due regard to economy which guided all Lord 

 Sumeld's proceedings, there is a weighing-machine in front of the stables, so 

 that the Leicestershire farmers could not possibly impose upon his Lordship 

 by delivering short weight in corn, straw, or hay." On this matter, however, 

 see pp. 178 and 179. 



1 Some new boilers by Messrs. Barford & Perkins of Peterborough 

 (Mr. Barford, well known in connection with the Peterborough show, died 

 in June 1898) have been substituted for the old blue coppers previously 

 in use. 



