HARE SHOOTING 
be protected under the Larceny Act (24 and 25 Viet. c. 96, s. 17); but its 
possession gives none of the rights of free warren which can be derived 
only by a grant from the Crown — a privilege no longer extended — or by 
prescription or long use which presupposes or implies a grant. 
The late Mr John Simpson, author of “ Game and Game Coverts ” 
(1907), and a useful little book, “ The Wild Rabbit,” now in a third 
edition, writing in 1908, observed: 
“ My occupation in connexion with woods and game preserves in 
many parts of Great Britain has often afforded opportunities for 
discussing this subject; but I have never seen or heard of a real hare 
warren conducted on practical lines.”* 
About halfway in point of time between the late Lord Pembroke’s hare 
warren at Wilton and the present day we find an interesting bit of evidence 
concerning the abundance of hares in Wiltshire in that entertaining work 
by William Cobbett, ‘‘Rural Rides.” Writing from Uphusband in October, 
1822, after referring to the fine coursing he had witnessed at Tedworth, 
over the land of Thomas Assheton Smith, the famous M.F.H., he remarks: 
‘‘ Not far above Amesbury is a little village called Netheravon, 
where I once saw an acre of hares. We were coursing at Everley, a 
few miles off, and one of the party happening to say that he had seen 
an acre of hares at Mr Hicks Beach’s, at Netheravon, we, who wanted 
to see the same, or to detect our informant, sent a messenger to beg 
a day’s coursing, which being granted, we went over the next day. 
Mr Beach received us very politely. He took us into a wheat stubble 
close by his paddock; his son took a gallop round, cracking his whip 
at the same time. The hares, which were very thickly in sight before, 
started all over the field, ran into a flock like sheep, and we all agreed 
that the flock did cover an acre of ground. Mr Beach had an old grey- 
hound that I saw lying down in the shrubbery close by the house, 
while several hares were skipping about, with as much confidence 
as cats sit by a dog in a kitchen or parlour. Was this instinct in either 
dog or hares ? Then mind, this same greyhound went amongst the 
rest to course with us out upon the distant hills and lands; and then he 
ran as eagerly as the rest, and killed the hares with as little remorse. ”f 
*In my volume on the Rabbit in the Fur and Feather series (1898) I have devoted a chapter of thirty pages to the 
subject of warrens, and to this the reader may be referred who may desire information on the history and signification 
of the term “free warren,” and the legal rights conferred by a grant of the same. 
\ Rural Rides in the Counties of Surrey, Kent, Sussex, Hants, Wilts, etc.” hy William Cobbett, M.P. for Oldham, 
edited by Pitt Cobbett, Vicar of Crofton, Hants, 2 vols, 8vo, 1893. 
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