We have had an open January, hounds having only missed an odd day here
and there, and it is not till the day that these notes are written that
we have had any real wintry weather, though for a few days previous keen
northeasterly winds and flying showers of hail and sleet have shown that
there was frost and snow coming. Should the stoppage be a short one,
sport will undoubtedly benefit, and there will be a good tale to tell in
the April number of BAILY. Sport, on the whole, has not been great since
I last wrote, though there have been a few runs which stand out, notably
a moorland run with the Cleveland, in which a good point was made and a
lot of difficult country covered. Before proceeding, however, with a
record of the sport, some coming changes should be referred to. Fred
Freeman, who leaves the Bedale, will hunt the Pytchley next season, and
I am told that his uncle, Dick Freeman, who has shown such excellent
sport in the North Durham country for so many years, will retire at the
end of the season. An item of news which will please all his many
friends is that Tom Smith, of the Bramham Moor, has returned from his
short visit to Blackpool fully restored to health.
Lord Fitzwilliam’s had a famous day’s sport on Wednesday, January 10th,
when they met at the Oaks, Norton, on the Derbyshire side of their
country. In Whenacre they found a strong show of foxes and hounds
divided, one lot running by Sicklebrook to Troway, where they marked
their fox to ground. With this lot were Bartlett and the bulk of the
field. The other lot ran through the Norton Coverts, and turning to the
right from Gleadless Toll Bar, they rattled on to Hazelhurst, where
Bartlett came up with the rest of the pack, and they ran on at a good
pace past Lightwood to Charnock Hall. Some foot people on the hill
headed the fox and brought hounds to their noses, and they hunted slowly
down the valley and through the Royal Wood, where they worked up to
their fox, and rolled him over near Ford, after a fine hunting run of an
hour and a half. A capital forty-five minutes from Hanging Lea by
Hackenthorpe Church and Birley Spa, and the Beighton Gorse to Beighton
Village, where they marked their fox to ground, made up a good day’s
sport.
The Bramham Moor had some fine hunting in the cream of their country on
Friday, January 12th, when they met at Hutton Hall. There was a brace of
foxes in Hutton Thorns, with one of which they went away to Collier
Haggs with a rare rattle, but the fun was soon over, for he went to
ground near where they met. The other fox was viewed at Marston Village,
and Smith went to the hollow. Of course he was a long way ahead, but
hunting with the perseverance for which they are so famous, hounds
hunted him slowly back to Hutton Thorns and over the Marston Road, and a
couple of wide rings round to Hutton Thorns again, where he beat them.
They ran a second fox from White Syke Whin, leaving Wilstrop Wood on the
right, up to Skewkirk Bridge, and along the Nidd Banks for half a mile,
where hounds were stopped, as the fox had crossed the river into the
York and Ainsty country.
They had another good day on Thursday, January 18th, when they met at
Deighton Bar, the day of the fixture being changed on account of the
Barkston Ash election. They had rather a long draw for the country, for
they did not find till they got to Igmanthorpe Willow Garth. They ran
hard by Bickerton and Minster Hagg up to the Cowthorpe and Tockwith
road, where the first check took place. Hitting off the line over the
road, they ran down to the Nidd, which they crossed midway between
Cattail Bridge and Hunsingore. No sooner had they crossed the river than
they recrossed it, and they hunted down the banks of the Nidd with a
failing scent to Thornville Old Hall. Thence they swung round in the
direction of Tockwith, and finally were run out of scent between Minster
Hagg and Bickerton. A heavy snowstorm drove them home as they were about
to draw the Thorp Arch coverts.
The Hurworth had a rare day from Crathorne on Saturday, January 13th,
running over some of the finest country in the north of Yorkshire. They
found in Trenholme Bar Whin, and ran by Crathorne and Mr. Dugdale’s
coverts to Leven Banks, and on to Crathorne Mill, where they crossed the
Leven and pointed for Hutton Rudby. Leaving Rudby Wood on the right,
they skirted Windy Hill, and with a right hand turn below Seamer
Village, they ran by Tame Bridge, and over the Stokesley Road up to
Busby, finally marking their fox to ground in Carlton Bank in the
Bilsdale country. This is the second time the Hurworth have run into the
Cleveland west country, and it recalls old days when visits were
constantly paid to each other’s countries by the neighbouring packs, and
the best of sport was shown by the stout foxes for which both districts
were then famous.
The great moorland run with the Cleveland took place on Monday, January
22nd, when hounds met at Kilton. The morning was dull, and there was a
little fog about, and at times the mist hung thick on the moor, and
getting to hounds over the rough country crossed was no easy matter.
They found under Howson’s Nab, and ran sharply up to Liverton Lodge,
where they turn right-handed up Church Gill to Liverton Village. They
left Porritt Hagg to the right, and ran up Moorsholme Gill and on to the
moor. Then crossing the Peat Bogs and the Castleton Road, they pointed
for Skelton Warren, but swung left-handed before reaching Lockwood Head,
and crossing Commondale Moor they ran by North Ings and Sleddale Bog,
and through Percy Cross Plantation into Nanny Howe, where the fox
probably got to ground, and hounds went away with a fresh fox over Ayton
Banks and into Brown’s Intake, where they divided. One lot ran to the
top of Roseberry where there were open earths, but they did not mark the
fox to ground. A holloa for’ard at Langbarough Ridge, took hounds into
the low country, but this was evidently a fresh fox, and the rest of the
pack ran a very tired fox by Pinchinthorpe Hall and Ward’s Farm, but he
was a long way ahead, and they had to give it up. Only four men got to
the end. I should add that I never remember hounds running from Kilton
to Cook’s Monument, nor do I remember coming across any record of the
same line being crossed.