Communicated by Miss M. Eyre Matcham, of Newhousc. 291 



"The other transaction was during the time Mr. Beckford held the Walk 

 and I believe it was in the year after the Quarrel happen'd between the 

 Keepers and some of Mr. Arundell or L d Arundells Tenants. I was not 

 present, but I heard that Brinton coursed and kill'd a Deer I believe a Fawn. 

 Mr. Beckford talked of prosecuting him but drop'd it saying that he was 

 unwilling to bring on any dispute between L d Rivers and Lord Arundell. 

 Had Mr. Beckford been active at that time all claims of a public Hunt would 

 have drop'd. The first of these attempts was in the late L d Arundells time, 

 the other in the present Lords, but I never heard of any in the time of the 

 grandfather. 



" I am your ob l H ble Servant 



" Wm. Chafin." 



Wm, Chafin to Mr. Salisbury : — 



"Chettle, Dec r . 18 th , 1793 

 " Sir I received your letter and I will give you the best intelligence I can 

 respecting Ashcombe. The first time I ever was out with Deerhounds in my 

 life was with Mr. Jones then the Head keeper of Rushmore. I was at that 

 time about ten years old, and was permitted to go out under the care of Mr. 

 Jones to see a blooding Deer hunted. Several young deer were hunted in 

 Rushmore and Staplefoot walks in the course of the day and lost. Mr. Jones 

 then said He would try at Ashcombe where the deer may be kept in till 

 blown, accordingly the Keepers went there and found a young Female Deer 

 which ran into Rushmore Walk and was also lost. At that time Mr. Wyndham 

 lived at Ashcombe and I never heard that he made any objection to the 

 Keepers hunting the Deer from thence. When Mr. Lovell was Keeper at 

 Rushmore my late Brother and I went with him to try for a Buck at Ashcombe 

 which had been seen there, we all carried Guns we found a Male Deer there 

 but not a Buck, the Deer took over the Hill into the vale to Berwick and 

 ran into a Field of Wheat where I shot him. Mr. Coker of Woodcots was 

 present at the finding of the deer and at the death. Mr. Arundell was very 

 angry with my Brother for coming to Ashcombe with the Keepers and wrote 

 a very severe letter to him complaining of a breach of Friendship in so 

 doing, and it caused a shyness between them for many years. I have 

 questioned James Pettes concerning what pass'd respecting the Deer at 

 j Ashcombe during the time he lived there which was about Twenty-three 

 years ago. He says that he remembers the Keepers hunting several Deer at 

 different times from Rushmore to Ashcombe but does not remember their 

 ever coming to try for deer there. That Deer frequently did stray from the 

 Chace to Ashcombe and that whenever they came there Mr. Arundell's People 

 endeavoured to destroy them as soon as possible, but always took care that 

 | the Keepers should not see them, that he has frequently been sent out to 

 \ exercise the Horses upon the Hill and to keep a good look out towards 

 Rushmore to see if the Keepers were coming, whilst the other servants were 

 hunting the deer in the Woods, that he does not remember any Deer being 

 hunted into the Paddock. 



I am sorry to hear that Lord Rivers has given up the matter in dispu te 

 with Mr. Chapman. It is too late now to say anything about it, but I could 



