SPORT ANCIENT AND MODERN 



Mr. Robert Arkwright, whose term of office 

 proved the longest in the history of the hunt. 

 For some time the hounds had belonged to the 

 county, but Mr. Arkwright purchased them. 

 In 1876 Mr. Arkwright was joined by Mr. 

 Macan, and the mastership was held by the two 

 jointly until 1885. 



It was under Mr. Robert Arkwright that the 

 Oakley hounds acquired the renown that has 

 since attached to them. Mr. Arkwright added 

 large drafts fi-om the Belvoir and Brocklesby 

 packs, and ' by dint of a quarter of a century of 

 skilful breeding built up a grand pack."^ Mr. 

 Robert Arkwright in the sixties engaged Tom 

 Whitemore as huntsman. Whitemore remained 

 with the pack until 1897. In 1895 his long 

 services were recognized by the presentation of a 

 silver tea-service, an illuminated address, and a 

 cheque for ^^365. 



That the pack which Mr. Robert Arkwright, 

 seconded by Tom Whitemore, built up deserved 

 the name of 'grand,' is amply proved by its 

 reputation throughout the Midlands, and by the 

 probably unique success which its hounds have 

 achieved at Peterborough during the later years of 

 Mr. Arkwright's mastership and since. The list of 

 these successes, from 1879 to 1896, both years 

 included, shows that hounds from the Oakley 

 kennels won during that period thirteen cups and 

 forty-two prizes. Of the prizes, twenty-three 

 were firsts and the other nineteen were seconds. 

 Of the cups, one (1891) was the Champion Cup 

 for best dog in the show; three (1881-2-3) 

 were Champion Cups with three couple bitches ; 

 two (1895-6) were Champion Cups for Dandy 

 and Dahlia respectively; one (1892) was a 

 Champion Cup with three couple dogs ; the rest 

 were special cups as follows : — Best dog or bitch, 

 any age, with Feudal (1884), Rhymer, which also 

 won first prize as stallion hound (1885), Brides- 

 maid (1886), Gaylad (1892), Dahlia (1893), 

 Fallible (1894). During these years the hunt 

 never exhibited without winning either first or 

 second prizes, and only on three occasions were 

 the prizes solely seconds. 



Since 1885 the mastership has been held 

 successively by Mr. T. Butt Miller, in 1885 ; 

 by Captain Browning in 1888 ; by Mr. P. A. O. 

 Whitaker in 1897 ; and since 1904 by the 

 present master, Mr. Esm6 Arkwright (grandson 

 of Mr. Robert Arkwright). His present (1907) 

 himtsman is W. Tongue, who hunts the dog- 

 hounds, while Mr. Arkwright hunts the bitches. 



The country hunted by the Oakley includes 

 the greater part of Bedfordshire, part of Bucking- 

 hamshire, and also a part of Northamptonshire. 

 In the south-west it stretches from Leighton 

 Buzzard to Sundon ; the easternmost point is 

 Biggleswade ; on the north it reaches Higham 



*• Badminton Lib. * Hunting,' Duke of Beaufort and 

 Mr. Mowbray Morris. 



Ferrers, and in the north-west Preston Deanery, 

 both of which places are in Northamptonshire. 

 Some of the eastern portions of the country are 

 lent to the Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire 

 Hunts, and some are hunted as neutral ground. 

 The kennels have been at Milton Ernest for 

 many years. They belonged to the Duke of 

 Bedford until 1 903, and were kept in repair by 

 the Oakley Club. In 1903 the duke presented 

 them to the hunt. 



Very early in the history of the Oakley Hunt 

 there was formed, independently of the hunt, what 

 is called the ' Oakley Club,' the objects of which 

 were to promote interest in the hunt, and especially 

 to provide financial aid. The date of its founda- 

 tion is uncertain, but the records contain a notice 

 of a general meeting held in 1824, from which 

 it appears that the club had already been in 

 existence for a number of years, Mr. Charles F. 

 Palmer being honoured with a vote of thanks for 

 his attention to its affairs. Messrs. S. C. Whit- 

 bread and W. B. Higgins were appointed to 

 manage the expenditure of the club ftinds. Mr. 

 Whitbread continued to act as secretary until 

 1 845, when he resigned, and Mr. Harry Thorn- 

 ton was elected his successor, with Mr. W, B. 

 Higgins as joint secretary. Mr. Thornton held 

 office till his death in 1885, when he was suc- 

 ceeded by Mr. F. S. Wigram, who resigned in 

 1899, ^^^ ^^ followed by Mr. W. L. Fitz- 

 patrick. In 1828 a code of rules was adopted 

 which remained in force until 1886, when a new 

 code was substituted. Under the terms of the 

 old one the number of members was limited to 

 fifty; the new code increased it to 120. The 

 annual subscription is ^^5 ; and a resolution was 

 passed in 1829 to the effect that all persons not 

 being members of the Oakley Club who might 

 subscribe £2$ and upwards to the hounds, should 

 be considered honorary members as long as they 

 continue to subscribe. The old rules provided 

 that meetings should be held in March and 

 November, the first at Eaton Socon and the 

 second at Bedford ; but no meeting has been 

 held at Eaton Socon since 1828, and since 1850 

 only one general meeting has been held annually, 

 which the new rules state shall be at Bedford in 

 November. At this meeting the club dinner 

 takes place. From the records of the meeting in 

 1824, there appear to have been then thirty-one 

 members of the club, and ten new members were 

 elected at the meeting. In 1906 the number of 

 members was eighty-nine. The entries in the 

 old minute book show that in its early days the 

 funds of the club were wholly or in part amal- 

 gamated with those of the hunt ; but Mr. Thorn- 

 ton during his tenure of office managed the 

 funds of the club, and Mr. W. B. Higgins those 

 of the hunt. The club and hunt funds con- 

 tinue to be managed separately by their respective 

 secretaries. The funds of the club are applied to 

 the payment for finds, for damage, &c. In 1829 



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