108 THE QUORN HUNT 



he stipulated for an increased subscription, which was 

 granted him, and the season 1819-20 began in tolerably 

 brilliant fashion. On the opening day at Kirby Gate in 

 1 81 9, three very decent runs fell to the lot of the hounds, 

 and on subsequent days the sport was good. Mr. 

 Osbaldeston, being a country gentleman bred and born 

 (his property was in Yorkshire), was quite in touch with 

 the farmers, who at that time preserved foxes well for 

 him, whereas formerly they had " crabbed these gentle- 

 men fox-hunters." The Squire, too, whatever his later 

 failings may have been, bought all his oats, hay, and 

 other things from the farmers, so the latter soon came 

 to see that hunting, even if productive of some damage, 

 was not without its better side. The country people, 

 too, were taken by the Squire's zeal and interest in 

 them ; for, instead of hunting the fox with their own 

 sheep and other dogs, they kept them carefully tied up 

 when hounds were about. 



Excellent as was the sport shown by Mr. Osbal- 

 deston, some of the runs must have been grossly exag- 

 gerated. We read, for example, of a run which began at 

 Marriott's Gorse, from which a fox slipped away as soon 

 as he heard hounds coming. The Squire, however, soon 

 hit off his line, and after running a ring back to where he 

 was found, was forced out again, and gave a run of an 

 hour and seven minutes, during which twenty miles are 

 said to have been covered ! Well may we say with 

 Dominie Sampson, "Prodigious!" The fox in question 

 went to ground, and I find a note to the effect that, 

 as foxes were becoming rather scarce, it was deemed 

 prudent to dig out this one and " reserve him for 

 another day's sport." 



During Mr. Osbaldeston's tenure of mastership some 

 of his best known followers were Lord Plymouth, who, 

 living with his family at Melton Lodge, kept up a 

 remarkably fine stable of hunters. He seldom had fewer 



