G. E. Collins

“ Grantham, in the centre of the hunt, and Sleaford, on the Blankney borders, are the best Lincolnshire hunting centres for followers of the Belvoir.
The best country on the Lincolnshire side lies round Folkingham, where there is a wide extent of grass and two capital gorse coverts—Folkingham Gorse and Heathcote's Gorse; the Sapperton and Newton Woods also always hold stout foxes. There are some large woods on the southern part of the Lincolnshire country. ”

“ There is very little grass. Some wire occurs near the sea, but there is none farther inland. The hunting days depend on the fixtures of the Brocklebsy and the Southwold, and meets are notified only to those owners and farmers whose lands the hounds hunt. ”

“ Cooke's resignation the country was managed by a committee (1857–76) . But the 'Golden Age' of the Southwold may be said to have commenced when Mr. E. P. Rawnsley succeeded Mr. Crowder in 1880, as each succeeding year saw the pack improve in work and looks, while the sport provided was excellent. Mr. Rawnsley is a splendid horseman and one of the foremost amateur huntsmen of his time; as a woodland huntsman he has no equal. Much had been done before to get a workmanlike pack together, but it was left to Mr. Rawnsley to bring things to their present state of efficiency. ”

“ In no part of the county are its sporting traditions better maintained than in the Southwold Hunt, and nowhere does the field include more tenant farmers. Agricultural depression has laid its hand less heavily on the Southwold country than elsewhere in the county. Some of the farms are thousands of acres in extent. The country extends some thirty miles from north to south, and twenty-four from east to west. ”

“ The Cottesmore claim a corner of Lincolnshire at Bourne, but the country is seldom hunted, and some of it has been lent to the Marquess of Exeter, who shows much sport. The Marquess of Exeter's pack, partly foxhounds and partly harriers, was established in 1899. It was at first a harrier-pack pure and simple, with hounds entered in the H. and B. Stud Book. ”

“ Gautby is on the extreme north-east; Barnby Manor, Sleaford, and Asgarby are on the south; while Haverholme, Digby, and Kirkby Green are fixtures on the east. The Burton hounds hunt the country on the north; the Rufford and Lord Galway's on the west; the Belvoir on the south; and the Southwold on the east. When the Blankney country was created for the reasons given on a previous page, Mr. Henry Chaplin built the existing kennels at his country seat, Blankney Hall, and a committee was formed with Colonel Edward Chaplin as master. ”

“ Brackenbury kept a pack at Scremby, which he called the Gillingham. In 1822 the hunt became known as the Southwold, hounds being kennelled at Hundleby. The country as at present constituted has existed since 1841; prior to that date hounds had hunted two or three days a week, but enlarged boundaries adopted in 1841 have enabled the pack to hunt four days a week. ”

“ That gentleman continued in office till 1877, when Mr. Chaplin took the reins and continued to hunt the country four days a week till 1881, when on the death of his wife he retired from the active duties of the office. ”

“ The earliest records show that the Brocklesby used to hunt it for two months in the year, from kennels at Ketsby, till 1795; and for the next five years some trencher-fed harriers hunted fox or hare impartially. ”

“ Aswarby, Culverthorpe, Dembleby Thorns, Haydor Southards, and Rauceby, are the best coverts in the north. Round Stubton Gorse, the starting point of many a good gallop, there is another fine stretch of country. ”

“ Long runs are the rule, and hounds nearly always account for their fox if he remains above ground. The kennels are at the resident of the master, who hunts his hounds himself, his whippers-in being Mr. ”