218 COURSING 



allowed to take them up. Should any south-country coursers 

 wish to witness the doings of the most successful club in the 

 north-east district, they should arrange to visit Ripon, where 

 they could hardly fail to be delighted with the entertainment 

 provided. 



THE RIDGWAY CLUB 



I have before stated that the Ridgway Club ranks second 

 only in importance to Altcar among the coursing institutions 

 of the country, and this opinion I actually find to be the 

 opening line of Mr. David Brown's account of the club, 

 which probably before these lines are in print will have 

 been given to the coursing public in the tenth volume of 

 the Stud Book, the proof sheets of which have been most 

 kindly placed at my disposal by a gentleman who has done 

 much for coursing literature, and whose indefatigability in 

 research has gained him the warm approval of all coursing 

 men. I attempted some months ago to get at the history of 

 the Ridgway Club, but at the outset I found that Mr. Brown 

 had taken up the matter some time before, and therefore I 

 gladly avail myself of his permission to use his information. 

 As regards the early doings of the association, I cannot do 

 better than quote his own words, remarking at the same time 

 that such obscurity about an institution not more than sixty 

 or seventy years old seems most remarkable. Mr. Brown's 

 account will, however, show the trouble he has been at in his 

 research, and, although it is probable that the earlier history of 

 Ridgway is still far from perfect, it is also pretty certain that 

 no further light will be forthcoming about the early doings 

 of the Club. 



Mr. Brown writes : 



Long ago I began to institute enquiries about its (the Ridgway 

 Club's) early history, but found upon application to Mr. Mugliston, 

 its present courteous secretary, that he could afford me not the 

 slightest assistance. When he took over the books from his pre- 



