SOME ENGLISH COURSING CLUBS 181 



out a single exception, have ceased to exist ; although there 

 is coursing at Ashdown to this day, the meetings of late years 

 have been entirely open, and therefore quite out of my pro- 

 vince. In 1825, Altcar Club was founded, and from that date 

 a gradual change came over the spirit of public coursing, with 

 the result that the Lancashire association in the course of a 

 few years came to be looked upon as the most influential of 

 all the clubs, and was soon recognised as the leader in all 

 matters relating to innovation or reform. 



Since the foundation of Altcar, dozens of other clubs have 

 had their day and have died out, and it is with regard to these 

 chiefly that the information obtainable is so meagre. In the 

 Midlands, the Derbyshire, the Chester, the Sheffield, and the 

 Burton-on-Trent were all important institutions for many 

 years, whilst in the South, the Rock (Epsom), the Everley 

 (Amesbury), the Spelthorne, and the Amicable had long and 

 interesting careers. Of late years large open meetings have 

 taken the place of club gatherings, and to-day Altcar and Ridg- 

 way in Lancashire, the Scottish National, and the South of 

 England are the only important associations of coursing men 

 where the hard-and-fast rule is complied with to the effect that 

 no dog is allowed to run which is not absolutely the sole 

 property of a member. Other flourishing clubs there are, of 

 the hybrid order, where certain stakes are * club,' and certain 

 others are open, or where all the stakes are open to the public 

 after the members have taken what nominations they require, 

 and in dealing with the associations now in existence I shall 

 make mention of these half-and-half affairs, as they are just 

 now so much in fashion. It may be observed that Altcar still 

 takes the lead, whilst Ridgway comes in a good second. The 

 North of England affords its members far the most meetings, 

 and the Yorkshire has taken a much higher place of late ; 

 the South of England is still comfortable and exclusive, and 

 the Cliffe and Hundred of Hoo has come to the front with 

 extraordinary rapidity. The new institution at Sleaford also 

 bids fair to attain prestige. 



