The King King Hunting Diaries

Jany 3rd.  The Quorn at Ashby Folville.  Very thick fog wh. lost me & others our start as Lonsdale moved to the minutes.  Found in Adam’s Gorse, ran hard to Burrow Hill Wood, then just round the Punchbowl & across by Dalby Hall, turned away from Gartree Hill, by Wheathills, up to Leesthorpe & I shd. say lost.  Bolted a fox out of the (Cottesmore) earth by the pool, ran hard to the Punchbowl, & thence at a fair pace to Ranksboro’ by way of Cold Overton.  Here 3 foxes were on foot, & we had to give it up.

Rode  Skene Dhu
           Peregrine

Jany 4th.  The Cottesmore at Leesthorpe.  Laxton Spinney blank.  Found in the Cottage plantation.  Came away with no great scent by Laxton’s, away to the right, the long plantation on the left, over the steeplechase course by Burton Grange, to ground by Sandy Lane.  Found again in the spinney nearest to Berry Gorse.  Left Burton Grange on the right, Gartree Hill on the left, up to the Punchbowl, down again, Burdett’s on the right & back to Burrow Hill Wood, thence to the left of & round Adam’s Gorse by Thorpe Satchville, a ring up to Gunn’s Lodge, back thro’ Adam’s Gorse, round Thorpe Satchville Hall, Trussells to the left & stopped hounds close to Gt. Dalby.  Ran about a dozen difficult foxes.

Rode  Strategy
           Valiant

Jany 6th.  The Quorn at Lodge on the Wolds.  Found in Owthorpe Borders, got as far as Lord Manver’s planting & lost.  Found again in Kinoulton covert.  Ran fast down the hill to the canal bank, along it to the right by Kinoulton then straight & fast nearly to the Parson, checked, & on over Hickling Standard to Upper Broughton & on to the Curate, to ground outside the covert.  Bolted & killed:  no other fox in the Gorse.  Found again in Willoughby Gorse, ran very hard to Widmerpool then on by Rohoe past Kinoulton covert & Lodge on the Wolds to Normanton on the Wolds, & thence towards Plumtree & Bunney.  I left them running on.

Rode  Sanctity
           Peregrine
           Lost off fore shoe

Jany 7th.  The Cottesmore at Tilton.  Found at once in Tilton Wood, ran thro’ Skeffington wood & away Billesdon side with only 2 ½ couple.  Stopped them, but it was too late when we got the pack & we lost after a little ring by Skeffington Hall.  Found again in a wood by Tugby Bushes.  Ran with a bad start thro’ Skeffington & Tilton Wood, by Halstead, & lost just short of John O’Gaunt.  Found again in Launde Big Wood & came away with half the pack by Withcote, nearly to Owston Wood.  Left them running back.

Rode  Skene Dhu

Jany 8th.  The Belvoir at Waltham.  Duke out.  Found in Waltham Pasture, ran thro’ Freeby Wood & Brentingby Spinnies by Waltham Rectory & lost by Stonesby Gorse wh. was blank.  Dropped on our fox again (as I think) in Newman’s Gorse & killed him.  Found again in Goadby Gorse, ran short & lost by Scalford.  Found again in Melton Spinney, & ran really well a left handed ½ mile to Freeby Wood, checked there by the riders cutting off the hounds, then on by Saxby to ground close to the Coston road.  The fox bolted of his own accord, & ran the same line back to Freeby Wood, thro’ it by the Ashes, & there I left them with the box before them but no scent to hunt him by.

Rode  Valiant with red ribbon

Jany 10th.  The Quorn at Scraptoft.  Found in the Gorse, ran a ring Thurnby side & back to ground in the big field fence.  Bolted & killed.  Found again (Foxholes blank) in Baggrave covert, raced up wind to Ashby Pasture.  Came away down wind equally fast, by Ashby Folville between Twyford & Thimble Hall to Marefield where the fox was running short for his life, crossed & recrossed the railway & the Twyford brook, & was run into in the open near Twyford Station (if that’s its name).  A good day, very cold & threatening snow.

Rode  Sanctity
           Strategy

Jany 11th.  The Belvoir at Piperhole.  Found in Clawson Thorns, ran down the hill, but the fox was headed & turned back thro’ Holwell Mouth to Little Belvoir.  The hounds divided 8 ½ couple going into the vale, the rest along the hillside with 4 or 5 foxes before them.  Got them together at Saxilby Wood & went thro’ Old Dalby wood down the hill to the station & up again directly by Saxilby New Spinney & so nearly to Kent’s Thorns & lost.  Found again at Old Hills, ran a very fast left handed ring towards Melton Spinney & back to the covert, thence over the Melton road, Kent’s Thorns on the left, to Wartnaby.  Checked & p------ on to Grimston Gorse & I left them going on to Grimston Church.  Hounds wild & unhandy to a degree.

Rode  Skene Dhu

Jany 13th.  The Quorn at Six Hills.  Found in Ragdale Wood, ran across to the gorse then back & with the help of halloas to Walton Thorns.  Here Londsdale being annoyed took the hounds home to the dissatisfaction of some 400 people.

Rode  Peregrine
           Valiant
“------ going to do without ‘em”

Jany 15th.  The Belvoir at Croxton Park.  Blowing a whole gale.  Found in Bescaby Oaks, got away at once up wind nearly to Sproxton Thorns thence after a check to Waltham where a beaten fox saved himself in the village:  killed a fox in Freeby Wood.  Found again in Burbidge’s covert.  Fox hung there till hounds were taken away, then showed himself but was headed back.  Presently hounds forced him out & they ran sharp up wind again to ground by Sandy Lane.

Rode  Sanctity

Jany 16th.  The Quorn at Prestwold 11.30.  Found at once by the church, ran right well, & pretty straight leaving Wymeswold on the right, to Walton Thorns, right thro’ it, & on for Seagrave:  checked & ran back to Burton Spinney where we may have changed.  Ran the same ring back, & I had to leave them going well to the left of Walton Thorns, my horse having overreached or otherwise hurt his heel.  Blowing still but less.

Rode  Valiant

Jany 17th.  The Quorn at Beeby.  Found in Barkby Holt & away at once, round South Croxton to Baggrave Covert, where hounds chopped a fox, but got away with the hunted one & ran hard round Baggrave Hall, Carr Bridge on the right & killed in the open close to the Twyford brook, halfway or so between Twyford & Ashby.  Found again in Baggrave covert, ran to Barkby Holt, thence by Queniboro’ & Gaddesby Spinnies, round South Croxton again to Baggrave covert, thence pointed for Keyham, turned to the right & killed by the Beeby Bottom.  A fresh fox jumped up close to us as we had finished breaking up the other, but we cd. not run a yard.  Fresh found him or another in Baggrave Covert, ran round the hall again & lost by the Tilton road.

Rode  Skene Dhu
           Peregrine

Jany 18th.  The Cottesmore at Stapleford Hall uninhabited.  Found at once by the decoy, a brace, one went over the railway, the other ringed back to the Cottage plantation, thro’ it & thro’ the bottom of Laxton, over the brook, to ground or lost towards Whissendine.  Found again in Wymondham Rough (so called) ran a horse shoe towards Wymondham & checked by the Ricketts.  Got a view & ran fast another ½ mile & killed at Saxby village.  Very bright sun & quite wind enough.

Rode  Sanctity (fell)
           Strategy

Jany 21st.  The Cottesmore at Cold Overton.  Sharp frost, moved off about 12.  Lady Wood blank.  Found in Overton Park, ran pretty well a right handed ring of some 25 min & lost, I don’t quite know where, Oakham Pastures blank.  Found again in Ranksboro’, a brace.  Came away smartly over the Melton road & ran nearly to Ashwell & back in horseshoe form & lost rather unaccountably between Langham & the railway crossing.  Pretty while it lasted.  Left them going to Burley Spinney.

Rode  Peregrine

Jany 25th.  The Belvoir at Clawson.  Frost quite gone, indeed they hunted yesterday, & raining all day.  Found in Sherbrook’s, ran by Hickling to Colston Bassett & on to Wiverton, tho’ by no means straight & lost by the Hall.  Smite Hill Gorse blank.  Found again in Harby Covert, ran smartly to Colston Bassett, there a left handed ring ending at Hose Thorns.  Left them there, the day being apparently over.

Rode  Sanctity
           Strategy

Jany 27th.  The Quorn at Wymeswold.  Willoughby & Ella’s Gorses blank.  Found in Walton Thorns.  The fox I believe ran the road like a bad deer, to ground near Burton, came out of his own accord, & to ground again 3 fields off in a stickheap.  Chopped a fix in Ragdale Wood.  Found again in the gorse, gave him rather a long start, ran a ring in the Hoby Vale, back by Ragdale Village, slow hunting past Shoby Lodges, & ran out of scent below Saxilby Grange.  W wind, rather too much of it.

Rode  Skene Dhu
           Peregrine

Jany 28th.  The Cottesmore at Brook Hall.  Found in Manton Gorse & ran by Preston into a country unknown to me & infested with railways, then turned back left handed & lost in or close to Linden Low Pasture.  Found again in Prior’s Coppice, ran by Manton rather the morning’s line but I left.

Rode  Sanctity

Jany 29th.  The Belvoir at Croxton Park.  Found in Sproxton Thorns & wandered to Buckminster Park, then a ring on the Heath back thro’ the park, by Saltby, nearly to Bescaby Oaks where I think we fresh found our fox & took him back to Sproxton Thorns, where he hung some time & went away at last with just eno’ scent to lose him.  Stonesby Ashes & Newman’s Gorse blank & home.

Rode  Strategy