A gloom was cast over Yorkshire hunting last month by the death of
Captain J. R. Lane Fox, the much respected Master of the Bramham Moor.
Captain Fox had been in failing health for some months, but no immediate
danger was anticipated. On Sunday, February 25th, he had a seizure and
he died the next morning, a couple of days before completing his
sixty-fifth year.
It is just ten years since he succeeded his father as Master of the
Bramham Moor Hounds, and it is unnecessary to say that during his tenure
of office the old traditions of the Hunt were well maintained. Captain
Lane Fox’s amiable temper and unfailing courtesy gained him a host of
friends in all classes of society, and he will long be a missed man in
the country with which the name of Lane Fox is so closely and honourably
associated.
A biographical notice of the late Captain J. R. Lane Fox appears in
another column.
The Bramham Moor had a nice hunt on Monday, February 12th, from
Beckwithshaw Bar. After rather an unusually long draw for the country,
they found in the Boar Holes and pointed for Swarcliffe, but a blinding
storm came on, caused the fox to swing round at Penny Pot lane, and they
hunted back slowly by Birk Crag and Ruddocks Wood, and finally marked
the fox to ground in the quarry at Thirkell’s Whin. They found again in
the Lake Plantation at Farnley, and at a good pace hounds rattled along
over the Washburn, pointing for Leathley. Then they ran on by Riffa
Wood, but bore left-handed for Stainburn Gile. Before reaching this
stronghold the fox was headed, and, turning short back, hounds left
Riffa Wood on the right and ran on by Bailey’s Whin and across the
Stainburn road, where they got on good terms with their fox. He was
viewed here and headed, and hounds checked and did no more good. Up to
the check it was a sporting run over a sporting country.
The Holderness had a good gallop on Monday, February 19th, when they met
at Brandesburton Moor. Nunkeeling Whin provided a stout fox, and hounds
were scarcely in covert before they were away close at his brush. They
streamed away to Billings Hill and thence by Dunnington to Dringhoe.
Here they checked momentarily, but they righted themselves and ran on at
a fine pace to Nunkeeling Whin, finishing the ring in a little under the
hour. The fox was only just in front of them and had no time to dwell in
covert, and they rattled along cheerily by Frodingham Grange, North
Frodingham and Trickett’s Whin to Beeford Grange, where they rolled
their fox over in the open.
The Sinnington commenced the month of March well. They met at Bowforth
on the 1st, and, after a run from Muscoate’s Whin and round by Mr.
Martin’s Farm, which ended in the fox giving them the slip, they went on
to Jack Slater’s Plantation, where they found a straight-necked
hill-fox, such as the Sinnington country is famous for. They ran first
over a charming low country over the Ness road, and nearly to
Nunnington, and then, twisting to the right, they ran on over the Riccal
Beck and across the end of Riccal Dale. Then, at a famous pace, they ran
by Con Howe, nearly to Carlton Village, where they swung to the left
into Ashdale. They ran close past the main earths and over Birk Dale to
the Griff Farm, where they checked at the road, but, recovering the line
in an instant, they ran right up to the railings at Rievaulx Terrace.
Here, unfortunately, the field halloaed them on to another fox, and the
run came to an end, after a famous gallop of an hour and three minutes.
The York and Ainsty had quite an useful day’s sport on Tuesday, March
6th, when they met at Rufforth Village. According to arrangement, they
went to draw the Bramham Moor Friday’s country, and found a brace of
foxes in White Skye Whin. Unluckily, hounds divided, and seven couple
went away with a fox in the direction of Bickerton Spring, and were soon
stopped. The body of the pack ran on cheerily for a little short of a
mile, pointing for Marston Station. Then the fox was headed, and they
hunted him slowly back to White Skye Whin, where he beat them. They drew
Wilstrop Wood blank, but found in the Rash hard by a brace of foxes,
which they took across into Wilstrop Wood, and with one of which they
went away slowly to Hutton Thorns, where scent failed. Then came rather
a cheery run from the Crow Wood, by Rufforth Village into Rufforth Whin,
whence they hunted back by the Crow Wood into Collier Stagg, and through
it to Fairy Carrs, where they marked their fox to ground. They went to
draw Collier Hagg, but, before hounds were in covert, a fox was halloaed
away at the other side, and they ran at a good pace by Rufforth Village
into Rufforth Whin. After a turn or two round the covert they went away
again and hunted slowly back to Collier Hagg. Thence they took a line
out on the Marston side, and, with a left-hand turn, pointed for
Healaugh, and worked up to the fox and rolled him over on the Askham and
Healaugh road, so making a satisfactory finish to a day in which there
was a lot of hard work for hounds.
AMERICAN v. ENGLISH FOXHOUND MATCH.
It appears that some errors crept into the account of this event,
published in BAILY’S for February, The Grafton Hunt has American-bred
hounds and the Middlesex imported hounds. Each pack hunted on six days,
and the strength of either was: American hounds, 6 couple; English, 18½
couple. Mr. Harry Smith, Master of the Grafton, has been kind enough to
put us right on these points: he adds that the English hounds are
drafts, principally from Mr. Fernie’s, and that the American pack, as
the “Van Driver” conjectured, are pure-bred foxhounds, descended from
imported English hounds. The American-bred hounds stand about twenty-two
inches high, and are lighter in build than their imported relatives. Mr.
Smith observes that “in America, where the scent is bad and the sun is
hot, it is absolutely necessary to have a pack able to take up a cold
trail from the night before, work it to the kennel and start the fox
themselves. If they lose it on a dusty road or wall the same faculty for
cold trailing is necessary.” The American method, in fact, is that in
vogue on the fells, where hounds unkennel their fox in much the same
way. Mr. Smith tells us that though his pack did not kill during the
match, they killed three red and two grey foxes in the open during the
two following weeks, hunting the same country.