Highways and Byways in Lincolnshire

Except the fen country and a small corner in the extreme north-west, the whole of Lincolnshire is hunted by fox-hounds. Four packs, namely, the Brocklesby (Lord Yarborough’s), the Burton, Blankney and Southwold hunt entirely in Lincolnshire; while the Belvoir and Cottesmore hunt partly in Lincolnshire. Premier position must be given to the Brocklesby. It is one of the very few packs maintained entirely by the master, and for over 150 years the Earls of Yarborough have done this for the benefit of the residents and farmers in the large tract of country they hunt over. The country hunted extends from the Humber on the north to a line drawn from Louth to Market-Rasen on the south, and from the sea on the east to the river Ancholme on the west. The country is mostly wold, and consequently plough, but very open, the only big woods being those that surround Brocklesby itself. The hounds having been so long in one family are of the best, and there are few kennels in England but have a large infusion of the Brocklesby blood, famous for nose, tongue, and stoutness. For upwards of 100 years the family of Smith carried the horn and did much to establish the notoriety of the pack, while in more recent years Will Dale, a great huntsman and houndman, and Jem Smith, no relation of the former huntsman, have kept it up. Possibly sport in the country was never better than when W. Dale and Mr. Maunsell-Richardson each hunted one pack; when one was hunting the other was always out to render assistance, and as both knew the country perfectly, the result was more good runs and more foxes caught at the end of them than was ever done in the country before or since.

With the exception of Brocklesby there are not many residences in the country, though the Upplebys of Barrow, the Alingtons of Swinhope, the Nelthorpes of Scawby in old days joined the chase; and it is related of the first, grandfather of the present owner of Barrow, that after a good run he was found riding on his pillow shouting at the top of his voice, “Mind you keep your eye on Blossom,” a noted bitch at that time in the pack. At the present time a great supporter is Mr. Haigh of Grainsby, who cannot have too many foxes, though he does all his hunting on foot. Mr. Pretyman’s covers at Riby are equally well stocked; while Bradley Wood, the property of Mr. Sutton-Nelthorpe, is the key of all that side of the country. Probably hunting will continue longer over cultivated country, such as the Brocklesby, than in most parts of England. There are few railways, the country is not adapted to small holdings, the farmers are all sportsmen, and occupy large farms, delighted to have a litter of cubs reared on their land and to see a couple of fox-hound puppies playing in their yards, while such a thing as a complaint about hounds and field crossing their land is unknown.

The Burton comes next in point of antiquity, and takes its name from Burton, Lord Monson’s place near Lincoln, where Lord Monson first started the hounds in 1774. Many notable sportsmen have held the mastership. The old Burton country was of very wide extent, stretching from Brigg on the north to Sleaford on the south, and from Stourton by Horncastle on the east to the Trent on the west. It is now divided into Burton and Blankney, the present southern boundary of the Burton being the river Witham and the Fossdyke. The most notable Masters of the country when undivided were Mr. Assheton-Smith, Sir Richard Sutton, Lord Henry Bentinck, who bred a pack of hounds which for work were unequalled, and their blood is still treasured in many kennels, and Mr. Henry Chaplin, to whom Lord Henry gave his hounds, and when the old Burton country was divided Mr. Chaplin took this pack with him. The Burton country as it is now was established in 1871; Mr. F. Foljambe being the first master, a great houndman with a thorough knowledge of the science of hunting, he very soon established a pack, and with Will Dale as huntsman, sport of the highest order was the result. Mr. Foljambe was succeeded by Mr. Wemyss, Mr. Shrubb and again Mr. Wemyss for short periods; then Mr. T. Wilson came, and for twenty-four years presided over the country. He bred an excellent pack of hounds, and sport, especially during the latter part of his reign, was very good; the country, when he gave up, being better off for foxes than it had ever been; this was in 1912. Sir M. Cholmeley succeeded Mr. Wilson. The Burton country is a fair mixture of grass and plough, with some very fine woodlands on the east side of it, known as the Wragby woods. It is far the best scenting country in Lincolnshire, and being little cut up with railways or rivers, is the best hunting country in all the shire. There are not many residences in the country, but excellent support in the way of foxes is given by the landowners. The Bacons of Thonock have ever assisted; then the Amcotts family of Hackthorn and Kettlethorpe, the Wrights of Brattleby, the owners of most of the Wragby woods, and of Toft, Newton and Nevile’s gorses are perhaps most conspicuous; but the whole country is well provided.

The Blankney was first formed as a separate country in 1871, when Mr. Henry Chaplin took command, and as he brought the pack given to him by Lord H. Bentinck, and H. Dawkins as huntsman, very good sport was shown. On Mr. Chaplin giving up he was succeeded by Major Tempest. Then followed Mr. Cockburn, and for a short time Lord Londesborough joined him; Mr. Lubbock followed, then an old name in Lord Charles Bentinck; Mr. R. Swan came next and is still in command. Changes have been rather frequent, as in many countries.

The Blankney country is now a good deal intersected by railways, and the vale towards the Trent has two rivers, the Brant and Witham, which cut it up further. The Wellingore vale is looked on as the best part, having a large proportion of grass, “the heath,” in the centre, is all light plough and very bad scenting country, while on the east there is a strip of country bordering on the fen of good hunting character, and a portion of the Belvoir country towards Sleaford, which is lent to the Blankney, is also very fair.

The Southwold was the last part of Lincolnshire to be established as a separate country (later, that is, than either the Brocklesby or the Burton); it was not till 1823 that it was hunted regularly. It has a wide range, extending from the sea on the east to the river Witham on the west, and from Market-Rasen and Louth on the north to the fens on the south. It is probably more varied than any part of Lincolnshire. The marsh with its wide ditches comes on the east; the wolds, mostly light plough, in the centre; while on the west they dip into a mixed country of grass and plough. The fen country, all ditches and plough, is in the south; hounds, however, only occasionally get into it, as there are hardly any covers. Very short masterships have been the rule, but a committee ruled for nearly twenty years (1857-76), at the end of which time foxes were very scarce in the country. Mr. Crowder then came for four years, and in 1880 Mr. E. P. Rawnsley took the country, and is still master. With latterly the aid of Mr. J. S. V. Fox, and now of Sir W. Cooke, so great an alteration has taken place that whereas formerly four days a week sufficed to hunt the country, now it is always hunted six days, Sir W. Cooke taking the north side and Mr. Rawnsley the south. Sir W. Cooke has a pack of his own, while Mr. Rawnsley hunts the pack which belongs to the country and has been bred from all the best working strains of blood obtainable. Though there are some very big woods on the edges of the country, the centre is all open; there are few railways and no rivers, the scenting conditions are fair, and it is probably the second best hunting country in Lincolnshire.

Conspicuous supporters of the hunt are the Heneages of Hainton, and the large extent of covers and country owned by them has always been open to hounds. The Foxes of Girsby and Mr. Walter Rawnsley of Well Vale have been the same. The late Captain J. W. Fox was for many years chairman of the committee when it ruled the affairs of the hunt, and his son was for seven years joint master with Mr. Rawnsley, during which time the sport was of higher average merit than it had ever attained. Many more residents now come out than was formerly the case, and everywhere the stock of foxes is far better than thirty years ago.

Somersby, the birthplace of Tennyson, is situated in the centre of the hunt, but we never heard of the Poet Laureate joining the chase in his young days. Then Spilsby, the birthplace of Sir John Franklin, and Tattershall Castle, noted as one of the finest brick buildings in England, are both of them in the Southwold country.

NOTE
By Author

It appears that Mr. Charles Pelham, who was the last of the Brocklesby Pelhams, was the first M.F.H. of The Brocklesby, at first as joint and then as sole master, till his death in 1763. Also that Lord Yarborough hunted what is now the Southwold country for a month at a time in spring and autumn, having kennels at Ketsby until 1795, by which time his gorse covers round Brocklesby had grown up and he was able to dispense with the country south of Louth. Then till 1820 a pack of trencher-fed harriers hunted fox and hare indiscriminately. These from 1820 to 1822 were called “The Gillingham” and were hunted by Mr. Brackenbury from Scremby, after which the kennels were transferred to Hundleby and the name changed to “The Southwold.” They now kept to fox entirely, and the Hon. George Pelham, then living at Legbourne, was the first master.

The following is a complete list of the masters of the Southwold up to the present date, 1914:—

From this it will be seen that until the days of the committee no one hunted the pack for even five years, with the exception of Mr. Heanley and Mr. Hellier, until the present master, Mr. E. P. Rawnsley.

With the reign of the committee central kennels were established for the hunt at Belchford in 1857. Previously each master fixed his kennels as it suited him, either at Louth, Horncastle, Hundleby or Harrington.

Now, April 1914, Sir William Cooke having given up, Lord Charles Bentinck has succeeded him. He brings his own pack with him, and the country no longer is divided into north and south, but hunted as a whole again.