MR. HOLYOAKE GOODRICKE 161 



his young days, and old Meltonians talk yet of seeing 

 him come dashing up to the covert-side in his phaeton, 

 when he had barely £Soo a year, and compare it with 

 the humble style of Lord Plymouth, who had such 

 abundance. That Mr. Holyoake was no sportsman 

 unfortunately appears to be true. He owned an estate 

 in Warwickshire, and when he went down there the 

 first question he asked the old keeper was, "How many 

 foxes have you killed?" adding, "I won't have them 

 here ; " and the old man used to pull some pads out of his 

 pocket and show them ; but it is to be hoped that the 

 same trophies did duty on several occasions. This I have 

 on the very best authority, and there is no doubt at all 

 that Mr. Holyoake, though tremendously down upon 

 any one in Leicestershire whose coverts were drawn 

 blank, was not much of a sportsman at heart. Nor is 

 his an isolated case, for I have known of a master of 

 hounds who would not tolerate foxes in a neighbouring 

 country where he had shooting ; while another well- 

 known individual who wrote on sport would not preserve 

 foxes because he said that his was not a hunting country, 

 yet hounds regularly draw his coverts. 



Although Mr. Holyoake Goodricke was not esteemed 

 much of a sportsman, he is said to have been courteous 

 in the field, and to have "blown up" only one man, and 

 that was a farmer for riding over wheat ; but he was 

 soon set right by the farmer's reply, " I am sure Master 

 Holyoake is the last person to be offended this year" 



(■835)- 



