264 HUNTING REMINISCENCES 



Sir George A^^hiehcote, nephew to the late Sir 

 Thomas Whichcote, "a father of the hunt"; and 

 the young baronet, true to his breeding, showed that 

 " fox-hunting was the foremost passion of his heart." 

 A change too came in the Honorary Secretaryship of 

 the Hunt, which had been so ably undertaken for 

 many seasons by Mr. James Hutchinson, who re- 

 tired, and was succeeded by Mr. Charles Parker, the 

 grandson of Mr. " Banker " Hardy, who in his time 

 acted in the same capacity to the hunt. Amongst 

 changes with the neighbouring packs, the most 

 important was the appointment of Lord Lonsdale 

 to the mastership of the Quorn, Gillard and a strong 

 Belvoir contingent throwing in their lot at Kirby 

 Gate on the opening day. Tom Firr carried the 

 horn and started his twenty-third season huntsman 

 to the Quorn, Gillard exceeding him by one year 

 with the Belvoir. 



Certainly the season 1893-94 was ushered in at 

 Kirby Gate by a splendid pageant, and the eyes of 

 the whole fox-hunting world were centred upon it. 

 The occasion was Frank's first visit to Kirby Gate 

 since he carried the horn for the Quorn in 1869 ; 

 but they did not carry silver whistles and hunting 

 hatchets in those days ! 



December 20th was the wettest day of the 

 season, but the small field that met hounds at 

 Croxton Park scored quite a nice hunt. IVIelton 

 Spinney, the first draw, responded to the call, 

 hounds getting away with a fox down wind to the 

 Scalford Brook. The lead over was given by 

 Gillard, riding Farewell, who took it in his stride 



