Page:VCH Rutland 1.djvu/362

 A HISTORY OF RUTLAND (1840) comes into the pedigree of Belvoir Rally- wood, son of Brocklesby Rallywood, to whose excellence the beautiful quality of the Belvoir blood at the present day is in a great measure due. An old record, brought to light by a writer on the Cottesmore in the Sporting Pictorial, says, • Sir William Lowther — afterwards first Earl of Lonsdale — lived at Uffington when married in 1 78 1, residing there three or four years, and then took Stocken, where the present lord was born; he remained there till 1796. The late earl kept harriers when at Uffington, and at the Duke of Ancaster's death converted them into foxhounds, and made rides which still exist in Bourn, Kirkby, Aslackby, Grimsthorpe, Balby Hall, and Dusby Woods. When Lord Lonsdale's hounds were sold the pedigree of his pack went back 130 years." The same authority gives the boundary of the Cottesmore Hunt in 1842, when Lord Lonsdale gave up the country. To the east as far as possible. To the south it is bounded by the River Welland as far as Duddington ; it then extends to the Wakerley Woods, joining the Welland at Harringworth, which again divides the country as far as Rockingham. To the west the brook that runs from Rockingham to Allexton is the divi- sion ; Allexton Wood is neutral ; the remaining part of the west side of the country is marked by the boundaries of the lordships of East Norton, Tugby, Skeifington, Tilton, Newton, Marefield, and Bur- rough ; these lordships are all in the Cottesmore country with the exception of the coverts on Newton Hills, which are neutral. To the north, the lordships of Little Dalby, Burton Lazars, Stapleford, Wymond- ham, Sewstern, Gunby, Stainby, Colsterworth, are all in the Cottesmore ; the road that runs between Easton and Witham Woods to Irnham Village divides the country ; the Burton Woods, Easton Wood and Pasture, Bitchfield, Osgoby Coppice, Irnham Old Park Wood, Stoke Park Wood, Bulby Hall, Keisby, Aslackby, and Dunsby Wood being neutral. In 1807 Lord Sherard made a covert in Stainby, conditionally that it should be hunted alternately by the Cottes- more and Belvoir packs. On the llth March 1822 it was agreed by Lord Forester on the part of the Duke of Rutland, and Colonel Lowther on the part of Lord Lonsdale, that Stoke Park Wood, Keisby, Kirkby, and Aslackby Woods should be given up to the Belvoir Hunt. The first Earl of Lonsdale kept the Cottes- more hounds until he was eighty, and died two years after resigning the mastership. Mr. C.J. S. Birch Reynardson ^ gives some interesting re- miniscences of the Cottesmore in 1826 : You could see at a meet at Woodwell Head or Little Dalby the pick of England, amongst whom were such men as Lord Clanwilliam, John Moore, Sir James Musgrave, Sir Francis Burdctt, Gilmore, Val Marr, Lord Chesterfield, Frank Forester, Lord Wilton, Maxse, Horatio Ross, Lord Kennedy, Charles Wynd- ham, Otway Cave, and Lord Alvanley. Punctual to the moment also arrive Lord and Lady Lonsd.ile and Lady Frederick Bentinck in their red habits, and Colonel Lowther, sitting on his horse as if he and his horse had been cast in the same mould. Jack Slack was huntsman at that time, with Jack Lambert as first whip, and Jack Abbey as second whip, each rising in due course to the post of huntsman. The author gives an amusing description of the headgear of the Cottesmore hunt servants : . . . the tall chimney-pot hats, which had as much nap on them as there is wool on many a Southdown sheep's back, and which were much in the shape of a garden pot — regular chimney pots. The said hats were wonderful to behold, not only from their height and shape, but also for their marvellous discomfort, for when they got wet through they became as soft as tripe, as heavy as if they had been made of sheet lead, and a mixture of something after the manner of gum or glue would trickle down one's face and neck to one's endless discomfort. They took a deal of drying and ironing with a hot iron to get them into any kind of shape again. The hat of those days was very unlike the light silk affair that we cover our brains with in these days ; but in spite of this the seri'ants of the Cottesmore Hunt preferred them to caps, and were always allowed to wear hats, making an excuse that with caps the rain got down their necks. Of the huntsman our author says : Jack Lambert was a wonderfully keen fellow ; he had an eye like a hawk, was a capital rider, knew his busi- ness thoroughly well, and was withal left-handed ; and with his left hand he was wont, if put out, to punish a hound with a peculiar cut, given under the horse's neck. The poor, good old earl could not bear to hear a hound punished, and many is the time that I have heard him say, ' Oh, that fellow Lambert ! why does he hit those hounds in such a savage way I ' Lord Lonsdale's long reign was divided by Sir Gilbert Heathcote's short mastership of four years. During that time hounds were kennelled at Normanton Park by Stamford, and at Stocking Hall on the borders of Lincolnshire. Jack Abbey was huntsman, and the celebrated Dick Christian was engaged as rough rider, the hunters in con- sequence at Sir Gilbert's dispersal sale making prices that compare with those of to-day. 'The Druid '^ tells much that is of interest about the Cottesmore Hunt in the time of the first Lord Lonsdale and Sir Gilbert Heathcote, in the words of Dick Christian, who saw a great deal of hunting with the Leicestershire packs. Mr. Meynell and Mr. Noel ; I mind they once joined in the Ranksboro' country. Noel's had all the best of it ; Arthur Abbey hunted them. Mr. Smith and Lord Lonsdale clashed three times when I was out, and Mr. Smith got the fox every time. . . . Lord Lonsdale's were not so quick in the open, but they had the longest runs. They had a fine wild Sports and Aitccdotti (1887). Silk and Scarlet, 1 9. 302