The King King Hunting Diaries

Nov 3rd.  Berks & Bucks Harriers at Taplow Station.  Master looking on, 1^st Whip hunting them.  Blowing a gale.  Found a sufficiency of hares south of the Bath road.  Ran some rings losing our hares.  Chopped a leveret, & finished by killing a half grown hare, wh. the hounds had to themselves.

Rode  Sanctity

Nov 4th.  OBH West at Gerrards X.  Found directly behind the late Mr Oldaker’s house.  Ran very fairly for some 20 minutes to ground.  Found again outside Wilton Park.  Ran ringing round for nearly an hour, when as ----man had got behind his fox by a cart up wind into Bulstrode Park, I left.  Not too wet, but just wet eno’!  Raining most of the day; arable land very deep; grass only greasy atop.

Paid for ketching my oss!
Rode  Strategy

Nov 7th.  The Queen’s at Salt Hill.  Uncarted on Baylip Farm.  The deer with a clear course before him came right back over the line.  Hounds ran prettily just avoiding the river nearly to Maidenhead Bridge.  Here the deer turned, came back & stopped by Surley Hall.  Hounds well taken by Windsor Bridge.  Got on him by Bray Wood, knocked about the Forest some time, then away by tally ho & Claridge Gorses nearly to Warfield Chase, on for Brinfield, & gave him up between Brick Bridge & Shottesbroke.  I changed horses coming thro’ Windsor.  Wind S.W.

Rode  Sanctity
           Strategy

Nov 10th.  The Queen’s at Maidenhead Thicket.  Uncarted at Heywood.  The deer went straight up wind to Shottesbroke Big Wood, then squally straight back thro’ the park, nearly to the Seven Station , turned short back, then short back again & was taken at Mr Lawrence’s Maidenhead Thicket.  Westerly gale with showers, ground up to the girth.

Rode  Sanctity

Nov 11th.  Mr Garth at Wentworth.  A gale from the west.  Found twice over, losing each twice:  the usual Wentworth day.  Left quite early (1-15) as sport seemed hopeless.  All horn & halloa!

Rode  Strategy

Nov 13th.  Mr Garth at the Quirrel.  Drew some outlying spinnies blank, in search of some ------ down cubs.  Found in Tallyho Gorse, got away after a lot of badgering.  Ran hard to Claridges Gorse, & from it to the little coverts beyond where we must have got among the turned down lot, as we killed 3 at once!  Found again in Mr Skippet’s, & ran hard to St Leonard’s Forest.  Ran round & about it for nearly an hour, where I left them in difficulties, not to say having lost him.  Scent good in covert & out.  The first nice hunting day we’ve had this season.

Rode  Strategy

Nov 14th.  The Queen’s at Gerrard’s X.  Uncarted at Mr Moore’s.  Tried to drive the deer down wind, but he turned back thro’ the people, tho’ he was finally turned.  Ran leaving Gerrard’s X to the right thro’ Chalfont Park, nearly to the copper work, turned to the left for Rickmansworth & Chorley Wood, by the OBH kennels, but I pulled up my mare being distressed in the deep ground.

Rode  Sanctity

Nov. 17th.  Berks & Bucks Harriers at Mr Kinross of Datchet.  Had a long draw before finding, then had almost too many on foot.  Killed one & ran ringing about a lot of cabbage fields with others.  Ended up at last close to Horton Manor.  Master at home ill, & too much halloing & horn blowing.

Rode  Strategy

Nov 18th.  The Windsor Drag at Hawthorn Hill.  Went out block on, but after a few fields was founded by line having gone wide, & lost them in the fog.

Rode  Sanctity

Nov  21st.  The Queen’s at Ascot.  Trotted off full speed to “Sir W Hayter’s corner”.  The deer turned & dodged in the wood, with a screaming scent then went away leaving Broadmoor on the right in a line for Tower Hill.  Stopped hounds on the Sandhurst road then went on in the same direction.  Checked on the road, where I slotted him, ran down the road to the Bagshot rhododendrons where he lay down & beat us for a bit then got up & was taken close to the Cricketers.  Wind chiefly East but varying.

Rode  Sanctity

Nov 24th.  The Queen’s at New Lodge.  Uncarted a bit beyond Claridge’s Gorse.  Everything for a wonder done well, but as the deer had had a very hard day this day fortnight he wd. not go a yard.  He waited in the spinney on the hill, & did the same in a pond by Foliejon Park.  There we proceeded to Ascot Heath & finally took him in a gentleman’s grounds where a fox jumped up.  Wind S.W.

Rode  Strategy

Nov 25th.  Mr Garth at Thorpe Place.  Found at last a brace in a nice little Gorse.  Ran one pretty well to St. Anne’s Hill where 2 or 3 were on goot but beat us.  Found again a brace in “Mr Hay’s (?) Wood near his house.  Salters being open one fox slipped in & another met the hounds & was killed in the covert.  Found again certainly another brace in Fox Hills, ran about rather prettily, away & back again, & I left them still at it.  Very poor scent in covert, tho’ it seemed decent outside, & far too many halloas.

Rode  Sanctity

Nov 28th.  The Queen’s at the Yew Tree.  Uncarted down wind on the Hedgerley side.  The deer waited in Hedgerley Wood, ran round it & on by Fulmer, thro’ a lot of woods & over a baby vale with flying fences wh. bothered the Buck hunters.  And so, sharp at last to Denham Court, where the deer beat about the water, & I left hounds & staff on the bank of the canal opposite Denham.  I believe the deer went on over the wired country Harefield way.  Wind S.W.

Rode  Strategy