210 THE QUORN HUNT 



During the earlier part of 1843 there was nothing 

 particular to chronicle in the sport, but for the conveni- 

 ence of hunting men a new hunting map of Leicester- 

 shire, together with such parts of the adjoining counties 

 as are within easy reach of Leicestershire men, was 

 published by Messrs. Brown & Hewitt, the Bible and 

 Crown, Market Place, Leicester. The map contained 

 all the new coverts, as well as all the bridle - roads ; 

 while there was another map of the Quorn, bound in 

 red silk, coloured, and folding up to fit the waistcoat 

 pocket. 



If, however, there was no particularly grand sport early 

 in 1843, there was a dastardly attempt to stop hunting 

 in the early part of January, when the hounds met in the 

 south of their country, not far from Lutterworth. Some 

 man, half suspected to be the occupier of a small piece 

 of land in the neighbourhood, caused a number of 

 sharpened stakes to be driven at short intervals into 

 a fence, over which he knew it was likely the field 

 would jump. The sharpened ends were pointed out- 

 wards, so that if a horse made a mistake or did not 

 rise enough, it is more than likely that man or horse, or 

 both, would have been impaled. 



The late Sir Watkin Wynn made his dStit in Lei- 

 cestershire towards the close of the year 1842, and his 

 second appearance with the Quorn was on November 18, 

 when hounds met at Widmerpool. The runs enjoyed 

 that day were of no particular excellence, but it is a 

 curious coincidence that on the occasion of Sir Watkin's 

 appearance with the Quorn a second time, the hounds 

 should have run through Wynnstay Gorse, which had 

 been planted forty years before by Sir Watkin's father. 



In February 1843 the Quorn had some fair sport. 

 On the 22nd they had a long hunting run of something 

 like three hours from Steward's Hay, while on the 

 following day they had a brilliant burst of twenty 



