The Eton College Hunt

T HE ETON C OLLEGE HUN T A SHORT HISTOR! of BEAGLIN G AT ETON ROSSLE! A C . C . ROBERTSON ILLU STRATED B! J. WITH C ONTRIB U TION S ON HARE HU NTING B ! C O LON E L RO B E RT ON -AI AN S KM , M F M A OR I ER R . H LON MAN S H G . G J , . , H W -V T MR . O ARD ! S E AN D O HERS ETON COLLEGE SP OTTISWOODE BALLANT! N E 86 C O LTD , . P REFAC E . THERE seems to be no real reason fo r writing a Preface to thi s book except fo r the purpose o f thanking the many Old Etonians A who have given me their assistance in its production . t the same time I should like to take this opportunity o f explaining I o f E that , when began compiling this record the ton College fo r a Hunt , it was mainly the purpose of musing myself during o f the intervals school work , football and beagling in the 1 92 1 was Michaelmas Half of , and it not until the book was nearly finished that I became bold enough to imagine that it o f th e might be interest to others who , like myself , have hunted hare on the ploughs of Dorney and Datchet . o f f I am only too conscious the inadequacy o my own work , I o f but , in Spite of its defects , hope that this short history a 44 pack of Beagles which has been in existence for 6 years , and which has given their first experience o f hound lore to s o o f many eminent amateur hu ntsmen , may be some interest to e . Etonians past , present and futur I then decided to enlarge the original scope of the book by obtaining contributions from recognized authorities o n th e I various aspects of Hare Hunting . have added these in the I r II I st shape in which received them as Pa t . , and mu thank - - A R J . H O COL . ROB ERT O I M F I S ER . L G M MA . S N AN , , MR G H N AN MR HOWARD -V! E fo r and . S their great kindness in giving me their help . I MES SRS LO G M would also like to thank . N AN for their kind . I I I o f . permission t o include Ch . Part II which has already appeared in the Hare volume o f the Fur and Feather series A fo r n published by them : ME S SRS . RNOLD their kind ess in MRS AZ BROOK allowing me to give a story of Rowland Hu nt ; . GR E o f for lending me the diaries and photographs her father , DW R D CH RRI GTO COL ME! E! -THOMP SO fo r E A A N N and . S N the loan of his diary and for his many letters which have helped t o throw light o n an otherwise dark period . A CROSSL . C . E! . ETON , Dec emb er 19 2 1 . ON TEN TS C . P RT I A . C HAP TER THE OPPI DAN BEAGLES THE C OLLEGE HUNT THE AMA LGA M ATION ROWLAND HUNT AND HIS S U CCESS ORS FR OM 1 8 8 6 TO 1 8 9 9 OLD AGE 1 8 — 1 1 THE G EN , 9 9 9 4 THE WAR AND THE FINA L TR I UMPH P R II A T . C HAP TER H RE B! MA RTH R T . FI HE I . A . A S , J U S R -V I K L M G ME T B . OW D ! E I ! H. H H . ENNE ANA E N , A R S B H . III BE GLI ! G . LO M . A NG, NG AN IV THE H M IT I PE T B C OL ROBERT O A . U AN AR AN S C , Y S N AIRMA N APPE DIC N ES . A P P EN DIX LIST OF MASTERS AND WH I PS RECO RD OF S PO RT LETTER FR OM F . GREN FELL TO Eto n College Chro me/e D MB 8 , ECE ER 1 9 9 “ B H VIO D CO T OL OF TH FI LD B E A UR AN N R E E , Y A ’ MASTER o r HOUNDS OF FORTY ! EA R S EX PER IENCE THE U S E O F THE HOR B H OWARD-V N, Y . H. H YSE RA ION S LIST O F ILLU ST T . PAGE — T GOU L DS MTIH M T 1 9 2 1 2 Fro n tis iec e . C . , AS ER p W H IN TON FOU N OF TH OPP I N B ED ARD C ARR G , DER E DA EAGLES T0 fac e THE S ORT OF DAY W E ALL KNOW AN OLD - TIME BEAGLER GOOD-N IGHT AN U NPARDONABLE INTRU S ION To c e ROWLAND HU NT (CENTRE) WITH HIS HOUNDS AND WHIP S . fa AN AWKWARD MEETING “ THERE SHE LAYS ” A DISAPPOINTING FINISH HOLD HARD ! FRANCIS AND RIVERSDALE GRENFELL PLAN OF KENNELS P . M A TYP ICAL INCIDENT I K DA HS LUC Y ! . u ’ G . K . DU NNING S YEAR To fac e ’ HIS MASTER S VOICE ’ T C BARNETT - BARKER S YEAR To fac e U MAP OF CO NTRY HU NTED BY E . C . H . To fac e F IN TIM BB O H MPIO IP N P EED G E , DA LER , GE RGE C A N , G SY A D RAS ER To fac e T T HE ET ON C O LLEG E HU N . PART I. C APT R H E I . OPP I D B E GL E THE AN A S . IT was a manly country- loving boy who first undertook the task of introducing Beagles to Eton ; a boy , versed in the etiquette o f hu nting and devoted to a healthy Open air life , who loved a o f o f horse and who loved a hound , fond music and fond dancing , who spent every moment o f daylight in cultivating the instincts - of a clean country bred Englishman . E 1 8 94s dward Charrington is unfortunately dead . He died in , two E but he left behind him a diary of his last years at ton , and in this he gives a lucid acco u nt o f how he initiated the . W Beagles He acted on a su dden inspiration . ithin a week he had actually got together su bscriptions and purchased t wo B couples of beagles . u t it is better to give the story in his own x words , in e tracts from his diary M nd n a Ja . 1 8 th 1 8 5 8 T o y , , . hought of getting up some Beagles . Tu e da J n 1 9 t s a . h . u £ 1 0s . fo r y , Got p 7 the Beagles . T r h u s da Jan . 2 1 3 15 Ran y , . with Lawless and Hussey . Beagles . Bad run . “ S atu rd J 2 8 r a an . d . W y , ent with Vyner after 1 2 and o f bought two couples Beagles . There were eight to choose f . W e G rom tried them all in a field . ave £3 a cou ple for . Ran ft 4 o f them a drag a er , four miles . I am huntsman , ” t mi . Johns one whip . All e this is clear enough except th . mention of Lawless and ’ Hussey . Ch arringt o n s pack w as undoubtedly the nucleu s o f the Oppidan Hunt which existed till it s amalgamation with the 1 8 College Pack in 66. But Lawless and Hussey kept a . Th e a few Beagles at the s me time present Lord Cloncu rry , B ETON COLLE E H N 2 THE G U T . h as Valentine Lawless at Eton , given me the following account o f his Beagles and how they originated . I shall be glad if I can help in facts fo r your book about E o f ton and the Beagles , but after a lapse more than Sixty years it is not easy to write from memory without notes . Keeping dogs was an offence under strict school rules , though the r u le O . 1 r 8 5 o . 1 had been often broken , and in ct 7 Feb 8 58 Dr . Goodford , who was then Head Master , invited me to breakfast at his house and to talk over the question o f Lower ’ A Ta . s Boys frequenting p you know , Tap was a private room in a public - house beyond Barnes Bridge where beer and mutton chops were served , and where drinking the Long — Glass and other time honoured customs were maintained . o f Dr . Goodford proposed that , if I (as Captain the Boats) Ta no would put up a notice in p, that Lower Boys be admitted ’ t o a s o this room , he would withdraw the rules ag inst dogs far as to authorise the College Beagles and he would give recognition n T a and assistance . My notice remained o the wall in p for As thirty years , it may be there now for all I know . Captain o f o f the Boats , I became nominal Head the Hunt , but I was a - b o o ar bad runner , and a long legged y named Hussey , stroke of ’ o f the Victory , became the real Master and Huntsman the first O i cial .

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