272 THE QUORN HUNT 



merry peals from the church bells when he honours 

 them with a meet." 



This custom of bell-ringing when the hounds met 

 at any particular village gave rise to a law case at the 

 County Public Office, Leicester, early in April 1862. 



Mr. D. Waite, a farmer of Thurnby, appeared to answer a 

 charge preferred against him by the Rev. J. C. K. Redhead, vicar 

 of the parish, for having on the 27th February been guilty of 

 violent and indecent behaviour in breaking open the belfry door 

 of the parish church. According to the evidence it appeared that 

 ever since the year 1857 it had been the custom of the church- 

 wardens of the parish, on the occasion of Lord Stamford's hounds 

 meeting there, to ring the church bells in honour of his lordship. 

 When, however, the hounds met on this particular 27th February, 

 the vicar gave directions that the bells should not be rung, adding 

 that if his orders were disobeyed he should take legal proceedings 

 against the offending parties. The hounds were to meet on the 

 Monday, so on the evening of the preceding Sunday the reverend 

 gentleman nailed down the latch of the belfry door, and took the 

 precaution of locking the door and tying the key in it. At seven 

 o'clock on Monday morning the sporting farmer ordered the 

 parish constable, who chanced to be a wheelwright, to open the 

 door, which was accomplished by lifting it off its hinges; the 

 ringers then went into the belfry and for two hours or more rang 

 a merry peal in honour of Lord Stamford and his hounds. The 

 vicar, as may be supposed, was in a great state of rage during the 

 proceedings ; but the magistrates dismissed the case, greatly to 

 the satisfaction of the fox-hunting fraternity, though the ecclesi- 

 astical lawyer may perhaps be puzzled to account for the decision. 



The season 1861-62, though not productive of so 

 much sport as the previous season, was fairly good, and 

 there was a plentiful supply of foxes. 



One curious incident of the season 1861-62 deserves 

 mention. A fox was found in Donington Park, or 

 rather he stole away before the hounds entered the 

 covert, and in the course of the run which ensued he 

 picked up a rabbit, and actually carried it for some 

 distance, but finding the hounds too close and the burden 



