Fine open weather continues, and at the time of writing—the day on which
the mean temperature is, on an average, the lowest in the year—it is so
mild that one would almost think the season would get through without
any lengthy stoppage. Whether sport does not benefit by a little frost
is a question which is open to discussion, and at any rate it cannot be
said that the most open seasons have been distinguished by the most
historical runs.
Nor has there been a great average of sport since I last wrote, though
there have been a few runs the records of which are worth preserving;
the disposition to fog, however, is decidedly against sport, and we have
had a lot of fog this season, hounds having been stopped by it several
times.
It should be noticed that the good example set by Lord Helmsley in the
early part of last month has been followed in many parts of Yorkshire
and the neighbouring counties, and it is satisfactory to see that the
Hunt Servants’ Benefit Society is likely to benefit to a considerable
extent by the plan which had such a happy inception when the Sinnington
met at Habton Village early in December. It may perhaps interest some of
my readers to know that over £80 was collected on the day the Bramham
Moor met at Tockwith. That same day when they met at Tockwith (December
15th) they had a good day’s sport. White Syke Whin, which has been a
certain find this season, and has now got to be a very fine covert,
provided a brace of foxes to begin with, and with one of these they had
a brilliant forty-five minutes by Marston Whin, which they skirted,
Bilton Grange, Bickerton Village, and Ingmanthorpe Willow Garth to
Lingcroft, where they rolled him over. A second fox from the Rash took
them by the banks of the Nidd, and over it to an osier-bed near Kirk
Hammerton Hall, where they marked him to ground; and a short but merry
burst from Hutton Thorns to Collier Haggs, ending in a kill, brought a
good day’s sport to a close.
On Monday, December 25th, they had a very good hunting run of a couple
of hours. The fixture was Woodhall Bridge, and as they were moving off
to draw, a travelling fox was viewed near Addlethorpe. Smith soon had
hounds on his line, and they ran fast by Lund Head to Ingham’s Whin, and
through it by Parkin Wood to Cocked Hat Whin. They checked for a moment,
but ran on again cheerily over Barrowby Hill to the Punchbowl. Then came
some slower hunting to Leconfield Whin, and nearly to Rudding Park; and
then over the railway, when the pace improved, and they fairly raced
over the grass of Spofforth Haggs to Ingham’s Plantation. Here they
checked, but they hit off the line again over the Spacey Houses road,
and hunted nearly to Swindon Wood, where the fox beat them.
They had a useful day’s sport on Friday, January 5th, when they met at
Walton. Walton Wood, as usual, held foxes, and one went away without
much pressing in the direction of Thorp Arch.
Whether he was headed, or whether it was a travelling fox making for the
wood, it is difficult to say, but as Smith was taking hounds to the
holloa they met a fox, and soon ran into him. Then came a long draw
before they found again in New Spring, whence they hunted at a holding
pace by Heslock Field Rash up to Cowthorpe Village. A right-hand turn
took them thence through Lingcroft, where the pace improved, and past
Bickerton Village, and they finally marked the fox to ground not far
from the York Road. Champagne Whin held a fox, which after half an
hour’s ringing round about the Igmanthorpe coverts was killed in
Hatfield’s Plantation. They found again in Thorp Arch Whin, and hunted
with no great scent over the park, and by Walton to Walton Wood, where
the fox beat them.
The Bedale have been having some good old-fashioned hunting runs during
the month. On Friday, December 29th, they met at Scorton, and found in a
small covert named Greenberry. The fox had apparently been gone some
time, for they hunted slowly at first by Hewson Hill to Streetland. Here
the pace improved, and hounds ran smartly, pointing for Pepper Arden,
and then by Rushwood to the Hobden Hill Plantation at Kiplin. They
hovered for a moment when they got through this covert—it was scarcely a
check—and Freeman held them over a sticky fallow on to the grass, and
away they raced again nearly to Ellerton. Then they turned along the
Swale-side to Loughton Village and Loughton Hall. Then crossing the
Swale a little further on they pointed for Kirby Fleetham. Then skirting
Scruton Wood they ran by Morton Flats up to Morton Bridge. The fox
crossed the Swale again at the bridge, and hounds ran on by Morton
Grange and Langlands, and over the Howe-beck, and past Greenhills and
Low Sober, to the Low Plain Plantation at Solberge, within a couple of
fields of which they ran into their fox after a good run of two hours.
The point would be from seven and a half to eight miles, but hounds
would run over twice the distance.
On Monday, January 8th, they met at Rudd Hall, and had another good
sporting run. They found in Goskins, and ran first by Tunstall Village,
pointing for Brough. Scotton Village was next reached, and then they
made a wide circuit past Hawxwell Hall and Garriston. A long check took
place at Garriston, and then hounds hunted through the Constable Burton
coverts, and then turned to the right over Barden Moor. They hunted
steadily on by Laverock Gill, and ran parallel to the Richmond Road down
to Hipswell coverts, where they worked up to their fox, and they rolled
him over in the open midway between the railway and the River Swale,
opposite Easby Abbey, after a good hunting run of two hours and three
quarters.
The Cleveland had a capital run on Monday, January 8th, when they met at
Marske Station. They had a long draw, all the low coverts being blank,
but they found a good fox on the historic Briar Flat in Wilton Wood, and
ran him at a great pace by Dunsdale and Court Green to Guisbrough Park.
Thence they ran along the brow of the hill to Osborne Rush, and skirting
Jackson’s Plantation, passed Upsall, and ran by Hamilton Hills and
Marton Gill, where they bore slightly to the left and hunted with a much
worse scent by Grey Towers and Sunny Cross to Seamer Whin, where the fox
beat them after a good run of an hour and twenty-five minutes. It was a
seven-mile point, and hounds crossed a lot of country of varied kind.
Lord Galway’s had a capital day’s sport from Gringley-on-the-Hill on
Monday, January 8th. Finding in Gringley Gorse, they raced over the
grass to Pear Tree Farm, where the fox was headed, and crossing the
Beckingham Road, ran by Clayworth Wood and Beckingham Village, and over
the Great Northern Railway to Morton Point, where they turned
left-handed over the railway again and ran by Walkeringham on to Mr.
Naylor’s farm, where they ran him to ground in view after forty minutes
at top pace. Another fox that had evidently done some work was found in
Gringley Gorse, and killed after a sharp short burst on Red Hills. They
found again in a patch of gorse on the banks of the River Idle, and ran
by Drakeholes, nearly to Everton, and then crossed the Chesterfield
Canal, took a line by Prospect Hill to Winton New Covert. Then
recrossing the canal they ran by Mr. Otter’s thorns, and marked their
fox to ground between Hayton and Clayworth after a good fifty minutes.
This is the time of year when changes in hunting establishments begin to
be talked about, and an important change will take place in Lord
Galway’s country, for Sam Morgan, who has been at Serlby for twenty-nine
years, has resigned his appointment. Morgan will have been forty-one
seasons with hounds at the end of this season. His first place was as
extra whipper-in under his father, Jack Morgan, when the latter was
huntsman for the sixth Lord Galway. He held this place for a year, and
then went to the late Lord Portsmouth, with whom he stopped nine years,
two as second whipper-in and seven as first whipper-in. From there he
went to the Percy, then under the mastership of Major Brown, as first
whipper-in, and from Northumberland he went to Serlby again. Forty-one
years as a hunt servant, and only in three places during that time, is
indeed an honourable record, and all hunting men will be sorry to learn
that Morgan is leaving the country with which his name and the name of
his family is so closely associated. I also hear that Freeman is leaving
the Bedale, and rumour has it that he is going to hunt one of the
Midland packs.
AMERICAN v. ENGLISH FOXHOUND MATCH.
The “Van Driver” is indebted to an American correspondent for
particulars of the work done by the competing packs in this unique
“match,” which took place in the Piedmont Valley, Virginia, during the
first fortnight of November last. The American pack consisted of 6½
couple belonging to the Middlesex Hunt and the English of 18 couple
belonging to the Grafton Hunt. The stakes were $1,000 a side, and the
test was to be the killing of the fox. The English hounds were hunted on
five days by Robert Cotesworth, and the Americans worked on six days
hunted by the Master, Mr. H. Smith. The only kill was scored by the
English pack, and as their victim proved to be a tame fox, accidentally
released when the hounds were near, this did not count, and the judges
had to decide the question of merit on the work they witnessed. It does
not appear to have been a very satisfactory method of determining
relative merit, as when scent served well either pack ran clean away
from the field, “held up” by wire or by the occurrence of land on which
the farmers did not desire the presence of horsemen. The number of
refuges open to a hunted fox explains the lack of blood obtained;
stopping earths seems to have been neglected. The judges gave their
award in favour of the American hounds as having “done the best work
with the object of killing the fox in view,” but English sportsmen will
learn with astonishment that on two occasions when the American pack
were at fault a judge lifted them and got them again on the line!
Unfortunately the account sent does not give any information concerning
the breeding of either pack; beyond the fact that the English were
imported hounds and the American bred in the States we are left in the
dark. A picture from a photograph in the _Rider and Driver_, showing the
American pack on the kennel bench, suggests that these are pure-bred
foxhounds.