THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
or stations. These stations are at two places, viz., Bampkin (Ramps- 
gill) and Bannerdale, where the deer chiefly lye, and where the tenants 
stand with their dogs, to prevent the deer escaping to the mountains. 
This service, which they are to render once a year, is called ‘a boon 
day,’ and for this every tenant has his dinner and a quart of ale. It 
is also a custom here that the person who first seizes the hunted deer 
shall have the head for his trouble. It is remarkable that the first 
buck taken here was seized by a woman; she, for the sake of his head, 
laid hold on him as he stood at bay on a dunghill, threw him down, 
and getting upon his head, held him fast. The late Mr Hassel (sic) 
frequently called upon the tenants for this service.” 
A succession of severe winters recently reduced the stock of deer to 
about one hundred head, but, by careful preservation, their numbers are 
now again on the increase. I am indebted to the Earl of Lonsdale for the 
following particulars of the state of Martindale Forest, of which he is the 
present tenant: 
‘‘There seems to be some mistake as to the size and importance 
of Martindale, which is in reality only a small piece of ground amongst 
many hundreds of acres of the neighbouring forests owned by my- 
self. It is a sort of Naboth’s Vineyard for the deer, which range over 
the whole of the surrounding hills in large numbers. In the whole 
ground 150 red deer were killed in 1911 and a similar number in 
1912. Occasionally good heads are obtained late in the season, but 
not at Martindale, where the heads are poor, though the bodies are 
good. 
‘‘The heads are usually about the same as Scottish deer, but if a 
very good one is obtained, it is generally somewhat better than the 
best Highland deer. The deer weigh very heavy all through the forest, 
especially in the Naddle Forest, which is densely timbered. 
‘‘We consider that Martindale is not the only wild forest in these 
parts. There is the forest of Hartsop, for instance, and the deer range 
right from Windermere to Shap. Here there are thousands of acres 
of wild forest which belong to myself, so that Martindale can hardly 
be said to be the only forest in the north of England. There is also 
another forest near Ullswater called Gowbarrow, part of which now 
belongs to the National Trust. For hunting in these forests it is not 
possible to drive there, so ponies and pack ponies are used. 
“Recently Canon Hasell, the owner of Martindale, from whom I 
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