MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
SIR JOHN POWER. FIRST BARONET.
Founder <y the Kilkenny Hunt.
MEMOIR
OF
THE KILKENNY HUNT,
COMPILED BY ONE OF ITS MEMBERS
IN THE YEAR OF ITS CENTENARY,
1 897.
DUBLIN:
HODGES, FIGGIS, & CO., LTD., GRAFTON STREET.
1897.
s
PREFACE.
IN publishing the following Memoir of the Kilkenny
Hunt the Compiler is fully conscious of its short-
comings and imperfections ; and were it not that
he felt that in the centenary year of its existence
some record of its life had become due, he would
not have attempted the task at all. Many diffi-
culties have beset him in carrying it out. Had
an attempt been made to write it ten years since,
these would have been considerably less ; for not
only have all the older members of the Hunt, who
might have communicated much of what they had
experienced themselves, and what had been related
to them by some of the original members, passed
away — some within recent years — but many of the
written records which were in the family of the
founder have disappeared. The Compiler has,
therefore, had to rely much upon his remembrance
of facts related to him many years since, and upon
the kindness of a fc\v friends, who gave him such
PREFACE.
information as they possessed, or placed in his hands
such records as remained in their families. Amongst
these must be mentioned Lady Power, Mr. Robert
Watson of Ballydarton, the family of the late Lord
James Butler, and Mr. James Poe.
The Compiler trusts that the matter, such as it is,
will prove of some interest not only to sportsmen
living within the precincts of the Hunt, but to Irish
hunting-men generally, as giving a chronicle, im-
perfect though it be, of the first County Hunt Club
established in Ireland.
Whilst disclaiming the intention of posing only as
landator temporis actt, it has been the aim of the
Compiler to rescue from oblivion the circumstances
attendant on the establishment of the Kilkenny
Hunt, and the details of its earlier sport, rather than
to record the doings of later times — a task which
can easily be carried out at any future time by
reference to files of sporting and local journals, which
contain ample and well-written material. He has,
therefore, passed over rapidly the last twenty years,
trusting that the sport which has been enjoyed
during that period ma}- be full}- chronicled by some
later and better historian of the fortunes of the
Hunt.
In arranging the matter contained in the Memoir,
it has been deemed advisable to relegate to a series
PREFACE.
of Appendices certain lists of hounds, lines written
on the Hunt, correspondence with regard to country
and other subjects, which might have tended to load
unduly the body of the volume with matter which
would probably prove uninteresting to some of its
readers ; and in doing so, the Compiler has endea-
voured, so far as is possible, to place each subject
chronologically rather than with regard to its nature
— an arrangement which he trusts will meet with the
approbation of the majority of those who may
honour him by reading this little record of our old
County Hunt.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
1. Portrait of SIR JOHN POWER. First Baronet . (Frontispiece)
I' AGE
2. (a) VIEW OF OLD KENNKI.S f
.... 40, 41
(/') PLAN OF OLD KENNELS >
3. Portrait of SIR JOHN POWER, Second Baronet . . 46
4. Portrait of MR. GEORGE L. BRYAN 65
5. Portrait of LORD JAMES \V. BUTLER .... 66
6. Portrait of LORD ST. LAWRENCE 70
7. Portrait of MR. HENRY \V. MERKDYTH .... 76
8. Portrait of MR. HENRY \V. BRISCOK 79
9. Portrait of COLONEL FRANK CHAIM.IN .... 86
10. Portrait of C'Ai'T. HARTOi'i' 87
u. Portrait of the EARL OK UESART 88
12. Portrait of CAI-T. KNOX 90
13. Portrait of MAJOR CONNELLAN 91
14. Portrait of CAPT. LANGRISIII. 92
LATER PREFACE BY THE AUTHOR.
In issuing a second edition of this little Memoir
at the instance of a few friends, I have inserted at the
end the changes in Mastership which have recently
come about, but beyond tlnat the Memoir remains as
it wae.
I may, however, be- permitted to indulge in a
few reflections as to the- origin of Hunt Clubs and
other kindred matters which may prove of some
interest to hunting men.
A very interesting book has recently been pub-
lished, of which the Earl of March is the author. It
is styled "The Record of the Old Charlton Hunt,"
and has been very ably compiled from some old papers
recently unearthed at Goodwood, tihe Duke of Rich-
mond's seat near Chichester; portraits of the second
Duke and Duchess and ol certain of his horses and
hounds, etc., being given as additional attractions.
Charlton is a small village lying amongst the
Sussex downs, and within view of the racecourse at
Goodwood. It has long relapsed into peaceful slum-
ber, but during the first half of the 18th century,
and perhaps in a lesser degree before that, it
harboured as brilliant a collection of sporting noblemen
and gentlemen as any foxhunting centre has con-
tained, not, perhaps, excepting Melton. In the reigns
of James II. and William I IT.. if contained two packs
of hounds, the Duke of Monmout'h's and Lord Gray's,
but as time went on thes? either died out or became
merged in a single pack, milliard by a Mr. Roper, a
Kentish Squire, who not only attracted a very distin-
4 PREFACE.
guished company, but by his success in the matter
of sport incurred the jealousy and rivalry of a neighbour-
ing magnate, the Duke of Somerset, wiho endeavoured
in vain to supplant him. Mr. Roper died in the hunt-
ing field in 1722, aged 84, and the Duke of Bolton
succeeded him in the Mastership.
Some articles of agreement as to sport in the
locality were entered into in 1729, and are given "in
extenso" by Lord March, together with the Duke of
Richmond's hunting diary, names of his horses, lists
of ihis hounds, etc. ; and in 1737 the gentlemen be-
longing to the Hunt formed themselves into a Hunt
Club, with rules as to admission by ballot and other
provisions. They held meetings from time to time,
generally in London. To give some idea as to the
distinguished membership of this Club, it may be
mentioned that it contained 8 Dukes, 7 Eiairls and 18
other members of the peerage besides many celebrated
Commoners, and the little village of Charlton musi
have been hard put to accommodate so large ana
brilliant a gathering. A large baoiqueting hall, called
Foxhall, had been erected, and here all assembled in
the evenings, whilst some built themselves small hunt-
ing boxes, all of which seem to have disappeared,
except that of the Duke ot Richmond .
When .the Melton and Tarporlcy Hunt Clubs
were established I do not recollect, but it is probable
that the Clhiarlton Club preceded both of them.
After the Duke of Bolton, who held office for
several years, resigned— lured away by the attrac-
tions of an actress, whom he subsequently married, it
PREFACE. 5
is stated — the direction of affairs fell into the hands
of the Duke of Richmond, assisted by Lord De laWarr,
who seems to have been deeply versed in kennel
management. This regime lasted until the Duke's
death in 1750, when the 3rd Duke moved the hounds
to new kennels at Goodwood. The company gradually
dispersed and it is presumed that the Club died away,
though the pack remained at Goodwood until after the
close of the 18th century, when they were presented,
by the 4tih Duke to King George IV (then Regent),
and were subsequently destroyed owing to madness.
The letters from Lord De la Warr and others,
from the New Forest and elsewhere, prove that
kennel management was much as it is now, that walk-
ing of puppies, hound breeding, etc., were well
linden-stood, and the genet al business of foxhunting
well carried on. Accounts of runs, especially a
famous one from East Dean Wood, extending from
a quarter to eight, a.m., to a quarter to six p.m.,
with a kill in the open to crown it, are given very
fully, and the doings of the Hunt servants strictly
criticised.
As Mr. Meynell was considered the mentor of
the Quorn and adjacent counties in the early nine-
teenth century, so the system of Mr. Roper seems
to have been the pattern of the Gharlton Hunt a
ceintury earlier. Poets were not wanting at Gharlton,
and we are given a long poem in blaoik verso, des-
criptive of tho Charlton Hunt and its doings, written
in 1737, as well as other poetic pieces. Quaint spell-
ing and lack of punctuation are very ob&ervable,
6 PREFACE.
but Lord March's book well repays the trouble of
reading.
If the Charlton Hunt Club could claim to be
the first one established in England we in Kilkenny
can claim that ours was the first to exist on this side
of the Irish Se;ai, and we have the added satisfaction
in the circumstance that ours still remains and
flourishes, though robbed of its former convivial char-
acter, whilst the Charlton glories have long departed.
But we cam carry back flar beyond the Charlton
or any other pack, for the inception of British fox-
hunting. Old Chaucer, writing in the 14th century,
graphically describes a foxhunt, when the whole
community, armed with staves, turned out, assis-
ted by "Coll, our dog, ana T'albot, and Grerlond," as
well as old "Mallun, with her distaff in her hond,"
when cow and calf and hog were put on the run by the
racket, and reynard was pursued by the varied music
of this very "mixed pack."
Now we have evidence that foxhunting was
carried on more than 260 years atgo in Kilkenny. Lord
Castlehaven in his history of the Irish Wars in the
reign of Charles I., several times mentions his hunt-
ing, and relates that being in Kilkenny just after the
peace of 1648, went "early one morning a foxhunting
as I was accustomed all the winter," and he was
accompanied by the Lord Deputy. This would show
that foxhunting was a winter sport here in the first
half of tihie 17th century. Since that time it is prob-
able that it has never been discontinued, though
carried on by private packs, until near the end of the
PREFACE. 7
18th century, but as Irish hunting countries, and
many English, too, were ill-defined until about that
period, every proprietor of a pack could extend his
operations pretty well as he pleased. The establish-
ment of Hunt Clubs put a cur)b to these venatic wan-
derings, and boundaries became understood, and wv
spected ; but after all, these are but the
perfecting of the business of foxhunting, whilst
the principlet of the sport whidh our re-
mote forefathers learnt in a ruder and rougher
school than ours have been handed down to us of a
later generation, still exist as the basis of modern
hunting, and will remain as long as the pursuit of th©
fox endures amongst us, and those who come after us.
Jan: 1911
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
1. Portrait of Sir John Power. First Baronet - (Frontispiece)
PAGE
2. fa) View of Old Kennels ")
(b) Plan of Old Kennels j
3. Portrait of Sir John Power, Second Baronet . . 46
4. Portrait of Mr. George L. Bryan .... 65
5. Portrait of Lord James W. Butler .... 66
6. Portrait of Lord St. Lawrence 70
7. Portrait of Mr. Henry W. Meredyth .... 76
8. Portrait of Mr. Henry W. Priscoe .... 79
9. Portrait of Colonel Frank Chaplin .... 86
10. Portrait of Capt. Hartopp 87
11. Portrait of the Earl of Desart 88
12. Portrait of Capt. Knox 90
13. Portrait of Major Connellan 91
14. Portrait of Capt. Langrishe 92
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
CHAPTER I.
•TtRIOR to the establishment of the Kilkenny Hunt
9f Club, several private packs of hounds hunted
parts of the county. The Earl of Carrick kept a
pack in the last century, and his brother, Mr. Butler
Cooper, is said to have kept a pack whilst residing
at Ballyduff, on the River Nore, and to have ridden
down the rock of Dysert whilst following his hounds.
Tradition says that Lord Carrick's huntsman spoke
only Irish. The ruins of his house remained until
the middle of the present century in the long wood
in Ballylinch, which stretches parallel to the river at
the Thomastown end of the demesne. These packs,
however, hunted only the woodlands, and probably
hunted hares and deer as well as foxes. There were
other packs in various localities also, and the county
may be said to have been hunted in a sense ; but it
was not till the year 1797 that a regular pack of fox-
hounds hunted the whole of Kilkenny. In that year
B
10 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
Mr. John Power brought a pack of foxhounds into
the county from Tipperary, at the instance of Sir
Wheeler Cuffe, of Leyrath, and, settling at Derryna-
hinch, near Ballyhale, established the Kilkenny Hunt
Club in conjunction with his brother Richard. The
two brothers were sons of Mr. John Power, of
Tullaghmaine Castle, in the County Tipperary, and
co-heirs of their uncle, Baron Power, of the Court of
Exchequer in Ireland. Their father had served in
India, and had been aide-de-camp to Lord Clive at
the battle of Plassey. Mr. Power constructed kennels
at Derrynahinch, of which only a very small portion
of one of the walls now remains. The house,
however, still stands much as it was a hundred
years ago, though Mr. Edmond Walsh, who now
occupies it, has re-roofed it and made other improve-
ments during the last few years. Shortly after
coming to Derrynahinch, Mr. John Power married
Miss Harriet Bushe, of Kilfane, sister of the then
owner, Mr. Henry Amias Bushe, and daughter of
Mr. Gervais Parker Bushe, whose ancestor, Colonel
John Bushe, had a grant of Kilfane in 1670, after the
forfeiture of the Cantwells, the original proprietors.
Mr. Power's eldest son, the late Sir John Power,
second baronet, and his twin brother Richard were
born at Derrynahinch, in 1/98 ; but, about the
beginning of the century, Mr. Power took a lease for
ever of Kilfane from his brother-in-law, and went to
reside there. When he established the hunt, he found
the country to a great extent unenclosed, and often
mentioned that, whilst living at Derrynahinch, he
could follow hounds over a district called the Welsh
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. II
Mountains to the bridge of VVaterford without jump-
ing a fence. It might seem rather inexplicable why
Mr. Power should have been induced to settle for
hunting in Kilkenny in preference to remaining in
his native county of Tipperary, a fine hunting area ;
but the explanation may be found in the fact that
Tipperary being a very open country, without many
woodland coverts, Mr. Power was attracted by the
number of strongholds for foxes which exist in Kil-
kenny, and perhaps by the reputation which it, even
then, may have enjoyed for good scenting properties.
Having settled at Kilfane, he proceeded to build
kennels, the ruins of which still exist in a part of the
place called Sunnyvale, not far from the house, but
on the west side of the stream. A circular courtyard
ran round the front of the kennels, which were well
planned and well situated as regards aspect. Here
the hounds remained for nearly forty years. At that
time there were no gorses or made coverts, and Mr.
Power had to rely on woodlands and rough natural
coverts ; but he soon began to make gorses and to
construct earths. No doubt, he availed himself of
patches of natural gorse in wild places, and enclosed
and enlarged them ; but many he planted, such as
Castlcwarrcn, Bishopslough,Cloghila, Dunbell, Knock-
roe, £c. Others, such as Ballyfoyle, Ballysallagh,
Clara, Src., he probably merely fenced. He took
Grennan Wood on lease, both as a nursery for foxes
and for the sake of the sale of timber thinnings and
oak bark. He did not, however, confine his opera-
tions to the County Kilkenny only. At the close of
the last century, and for some years subsequently,
12 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
his was the only established pack of county fox-
hounds in Ireland, and he was practically free to seek
his sport where he would. He went into the County
Carlow as far as Tullow, and even as far as Coollattin,
in Wicklow ; occasionally drew coverts in the County
Wexford, as well as the Durrow woods in the
Queen's County. He had makeshift kennels in
various places, and his practice was to go to a certain
centre, and hunt the surrounding districts for a few
days, moving off to another locality whenever he
wished. The practice at that time was to meet at
daybreak, and Mr. Power often told the compiler's
father that in those days he frequently used to shelter
from the wind under the lee of a house at the place
of meeting till day dawned, and he was enabled to
commence operations. By drawing up to a covert
or " head of earths," the line of a fox was often
taken up and carried into his stronghold, where
hounds fresh finding him when just returned from
his nocturnal ramblings, frequently ran him long dis-
tances, and at that hour with a good holding scent.
Early in the present century, however, the old system
began to die out, and gradually the hours of meeting
became later during the regular season — nine, then
ten, later on ten thirty — and continued at the latter
hour for many years.
And now as to hounds. During the last century
the proprietors of Irish packs bred chiefly an old
Irish hound of a harrier type, rather rough in coat,
inclined to be leggy, and certainly not a " sorty "
hound on the flags, but with good nose and plenty
of music. The type has probably disappeared,
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 13
but some few years back Mr. Edward Fitzgerald,
of Clonmult, in the County Cork, had a pack
of somewhat the type mentioned, and which he
claimed to be of the old Irish breed. He showed
good sport, and his pack was a killing one. At his
death from an accident, the pack were bought by
the United Hunt. Few owners, if any, obtained any
foxhound blood from England ; but Mr. Power seems
to have done so from the first, and to have gone to
good kennels, such as the Duke of Bedford's, Colonel
Thornton's, Lord Darlington's, Lord Talbot's, &c.,
as will appear from a list of some of his pack for
1798, as given in Appendix I. Mr. Power, who was
a tall, heavy man, rode good horses, and seems to
have bred pretty regularly. There were three sires
which he used in the early part of the century, viz.,
Faunus, Gauntlet, and Augustus. He bred several
times from a mare named Nancy, and from one called
the Prizefighter mare. He was essentially a hound-
man, and kept his own kennel book, with breeding
list of each year, and names of persons who walked
his puppies. He thus soon became possessed of a
very good pack, which he, and his son after him, con-
tinued to improve all their lives, and which in time
became famous. He gives in his kennel book a
receipt for cure of madness, as given in Appendix II.
Mr. Power's first huntsman was named Byrne. He
remained with him for many years, indeed, until he
was an old man. The whip enjoyed the sobriquet
of Con, but whether this was an abbreviation of his
Christian name or was his surname, there is no
record.
14 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
In a county where no pack of hounds had before
been established, the field was naturally at first very
limited as to numbers, and sometimes only half-a-
dozen accompanied the Master, though, as time went
on and the doings of the hounds became more widely
known, the number of sportsmen gradually increased,
and in time became very large. The palmiest period
was probably between the years 1835 and 1850.
However, in the year 1816 Mr. Power speaks of
twenty horsemen as a large field. The earliest
hunting members of the Club comprised Sir Nicholas
Loftus, Sir Wheeler Cuffe, Mr. Bayly of Norelands,
Mr. Croker of Limerick, Mr. Joseph Greene, Mr.
Henry Amias Bushe, Mr. Herbert, the Messrs. Hunt,
Mr. Richard Langrishe (afterwards Sir Richard
Langrishe), Mr. John Bushe, the Rev. Richard
Birmingham. These may be termed the " Old
Guard" of the Hunt.
In establishing a county pack, Mr. Power — or
Captain Power, as he was often called from having
been captain of local yeomanry in the year of the
Irish Rebellion — following the example of Melton,
Tarporley, and other hunting centres in England,
formed the Kilkenny Hunt Club, the first of its kind
instituted in Ireland. The club-house, till then
called Rice's Hotel, then received its cognomen,
which it has retained ever since. Twice a year, in
November and February, its members assembled,
and the gathering generally lasted a fortnight. On
these occasions Mr. Power often kept his pack in
Kilkenny for a week at a time, and hunted the
surrounding country. The dinners held at night
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 15
were famous for good wine and good fellowship.
Sneyd's claret, largely "fortified" with Hermitage,
and old port were the liquids. Mr. Power was not
himself one of the three-bottle men, but he was a
very pleasant companion, clever and well read, and
could talk on a variety of subjects besides hunting.
Indeed, at his own table, he was singularly adroit in
turning the conversation into channels acceptable to
his guests, and when he saw that the theme of
hunting was pressing unduly on any of them, he
would lead the conversation away from it. He was
a charming host, and his hospitality at Kilfane was
unbounded. His brother Richard, who had a house
in Kildare Street, Dublin, lived with him on and off",
and though a good rider and pretty regular attendant
in the field, did not profess to be an enthusiastic fox-
hunter. He was, however, a delightful man, highly
cultivated, a collector of pictures and statuary, and
an excellent actor ; and to him is due the institution
of the Private Theatre of Kilkenny, which as time
went on became somewhat famous.
Some of the members of Mr. Power's field deserve
a few words of notice, and the premier place must
be given to Sir Wheeler Cuffe, who was one of his
earliest supporters, and continued for upwards of fifty
years one of the main pillars of the Hunt. He was
a shrewd man, with great knowledge of hunting, and
a sincere love for it. On occasions when Mr. Power,
from indisposition or other cause, was unable to take
the field, Sir Wheeler Cuffe acted as Master. A story
is related how, on one of these occasions, some
member of the field, who considered that he knew
16 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
more than the Master or huntsman, rode up to old
Byrne and remonstrated with him for something he
had or had not done, using the words " Won't you
listen to reason ?" when Byrne, very irate, replied,
" No, sir ! the Master bid me listen to Sir Wheeler
Cuffe." Sir Wheeler had a great knowledge of the
run of a fox, and knew the county so well that he
was enabled, even in old age, to see every run well.
He was the first man in the Hunt to ride a clipped
horse.
Mr. William Evans Morres Bayly, of Norelancls
(generally called " Old Bayly "), was also one of the
earliest members of the Hunt, and one of its chief
supporters. Hospitable to a fault, his dinners at
Norelands and his hunting stables became great in-
stitutions. He was the father of two fine riders,
viz., Mr. Clayton Bayly (who afterwards took the
name of Savage) and his brother William, who lived
at Anamult. Mr. Bayly was a welter, and rode very
big horses. On one occasion he brought a new
weight-carrier to the meet. The horse had an
enormous head, and when he exhibited him to Mr.
Power, the latter remarked that " he must be a
weight-carrier to carry such a head." He had a
famous horse called Giant, which he rode for many
years, and which at one time was sold for ^500, and
actually shipped in Waterford, when Mr. Bayly's
heart smote him, and he got him home again. Mr.
Bayly died about 1847, and was succeeded by his
eldest son Clayton, who had married Miss Forde, but
died childless in 1858, when the late Mr. Henry
Meredyth, his nephew, succeeded to the family
property.
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. I?
Sir Nicholas Loftus was a great character, and
quite one of the old school ; very formal and polite
but a good sportsman and a racing man. He was a
bachelor, and lived with his brother, Captain Francis
Loftus, who succeeded him at Mount Loftus, where
the hunt breakfasts were regular institutions, the two
brothers taking wine with each other, in the approved
fashion of the day, at either end of the table, after
which an adjournment was made to see the racing
stud of Sir Nicholas and the kennel of setters and
pointers belonging to Captain Loftus.
Mr. Henry Bushe, Mr. Power's brother-in-law, also
hunted, and was very fond of horses, which he loved
to train himself. His two sons, the late Colonel
Bushe, of Glencairn, and the late Mr. Richard Bushe,
were afterwards regular hunting men, and utterly
fearless riders. Their relatives, the Bushes of Kil-
murry, also took the field. The late Chief Justice
Bushe, a close friend of Mr. Power all his life, was
then Solicitor-General for Ireland, and came out occa-
sionally ; and his son, John Bushe, was a very hard
rider, and afterwards hunted much from Melton and
other centres in England.
It has been stated by a gentleman who wrote an
account of the various Irish Hunts, some years since,
that Sir Hercules Langrishe, of Knocktopher, was a
prominent hunting man. This is a complete mistake.
When the Kilkenny Hunt was established, Sir
Hercules was an old man, and did not reside in the
county, and there is no record of his ever having
hunted. Nor did his son, Sir Robert, though an
intimate friend of the Power family, with whom he
1 8 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
was much associated in the Kilkenny plays. But
Mr. Richard Langrishe, son of Sir Robert, whom he
succeeded in the baronetcy in 1835, hunted regularly,
as did his brother Robert. Mr. Richard Langrishe
was a good horseman and very fond of hunting. On
one occasion, when hunting in the Freshford country,
hounds ran hard over the Seven Sisters Hill in a
dense fog, naturally getting away from the field. Mr.
Langrishe, riding hard to catch them, overtook a
hound named Doxy, which he knew, and which, pro-
bably from age, could not run up. Hunting out the
line in the wake of the pack, she afforded him a clue,
bringing him over the hill and down into the plain
towards Woodsgift, where he came up with the body
of the pack on emerging into sunshine. Running on
for some way, hounds ran into their fox, Mr. Langrishe
being alone with them when they killed. Looking
back, he could see far behind him the scattered field
pouring down the hillside, and, as he was wont to
describe it, " driving the fog before them." Doxy
may be found in a list of Mr. Power's hounds in
Appendix I.
The Rev. Richard Birmingham (usually called
" Dick Brimmagem ") was also a regular attendant in
the field, as was Mr. Joseph Greene, afterwards sti-
pendiary magistrate for Kilkenny, and father of the
late Mr. Joseph Greene, of Kilkenny. He was a hard
man, and rode a famous grey horse.
The Messrs. Hunt, of Jerpoint, also hunted.
A notice of these early members of the Kilkenny
hunting field would be incomplete without a reference
to a very remarkable man, Mr. Hewetson Nixon. He
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 19
was a younger son of Mr. John Nixon, of Brown's
Barn, on the Nore, where the family were settled for
a couple of centuries. As a young child his sight
was very imperfect, and at twelve years old he was
totally blind. He nevertheless was, during his whole
life, not only able to ride about the country quite
unattended, but actually rode to hounds, accompanied
either by a boy or by some friend, who undertook to
pilot him, and who called out the fences as he neared
them during a run. He hunted for a great many
years, and was considered, in the days when veteri-
nary surgeons scarcely existed, as an excellent judge
of a horse's soundness and shapes. People said that
he could tell everything about a horse except his
colour, and that he could pronounce an opinion as to
a horse's sight ! The following story about him is
absolutely authentic : — One day he had engaged to
meet Chief Justice Bushe for a ride up Brandon
mountain. They met as arranged, and were riding
together, when Nixon turned to the Chief Justice
with the remark, "That is a new horse which you are
riding; I know that by his step." The Chief Justice
replied that it was so, and that he would like Nixon
to examine him when he got home. This he did,
and, after carefully feeling him all over, he said, " He
is a nice horse, but he will be quite blind in a year."
In the time mentioned the horse was stone blind.
Mr. Nixon was fond of bathing, and during the
summer used to walk down through a grove of large
trees at Brown's Barn to a high rock opposite Cool-
more, jump off the rock into deep water, and, after
swimming about, return home the same way. He
20 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
was also in the habit of performing some curious
feats, a favourite one, which the informant of the
compiler often witnessed, being that of jumping his
horse over a stick resting at either end on the chain
back-bands of two carts " heeled up " opposite to
each other, the carts, however, being then much lower
than they now are. He was very fond of music, and
could play several instruments ; and in summer
would lie in bed half the day playing the flute or
whistling. He died in a cottage called Shamrock
Lodge, in the hills above Kilfane, which he had
rented from the compiler's father for several years,
and which still stands. He was said to have had an
extraordinary perception, if it can be so called, as to
the doings of hounds in covert, and an example of
this talent may be found in some lines given in
Appendix IX. They certainly carry no merit with
them beyond the description of the incident recorded.
Mr. Croker, a Limerick man, also hunted pretty
constantly with Mr. Power, as did Mr. George Fos-
bery, from the same county. He was a regular
visitor to Kilfane for a great number of years, and
was celebrated for the richness of his brogue. He
was at one time Master of Hounds in Limerick.
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 21
CHAPTER II.
AFTER the Kilkenny Hunt had been established for
some years, Mr. Power took to keeping a journal of
his sport and of other matters in connection with it.
With regard to finance he mentions little. The pack
was his own, and remained the property of the family
for about seventy years. The kennels were built at
his own expense in his own demesne, and he was a
complete autocrat in the management of the Hunt.
But he took a subscription, and he mentions his
subscribers and the amount they gave him in the
years 1805 and 1815. It seems that a Mr. Staunton
received the subscriptions for him in the former
year. It must be borne in mind that the accounts
given as under for the year 1815 are in English
money, which had then come into use, and that the
actual sums subscribed were given in Irish money.
Captain Bryan, ... ... ... £$6 17 6
Lord Bessborough, ... ... 56 17 6
Mr. Parrel, 28 8 9
Mr. Gough, 28 8 9
Lord Ormonde, ... ... ... 56 17 6
C. Bushe (the Solicitor-General), 2889
Sir W. Cuffe, 56 17 6
Richard Power, ! T 3 ! 5 °
J. Croker, 28 8 9
Bill accepted by Bayly,... ... 113 15 o
£597 3 9
22 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
It would thus appear that he received about £600 a
year from a few of his friends, which, considering the
enormous country he hunted, the many coverts and
earths which he made, and the many other con-
tingent demands on him, was not much. At the
same time he notes that he had so much meal in
his chest, and mentions the quarters from which it
came, thus leading one to the conclusion that he
received meal as a gift to a certain extent. Mr.
Power also gives list of rented coverts, and of wages
paid to his earth-stoppers, Dooley and Tierney.
These two men were succeeded by their sons, one of
whom (Tierney) is now earth-warner on the Bally-
foyle side of the country. Dooley died some twenty-
five years ago. Some information as to breeding of
hounds, &c., is given in Appendix I.
With regard to the important subject of sport, two
practices then much in vogue in Kilkenny may here
be mentioned. It was the habit occasionally to dig
foxes run to ground in large woodlands, and, after
bagging them, to keep them for a few days, and in
the event of two or three coverts being drawn blank,
to turn one down in front of the pack, giving the fox
a fair chance for his life. On several occasions which
Mr. Power mentions, good runs were thus enjoyed,
especially as the fox was often turned down in a
part of the country he was presumed to know. The
second practice was to take out the old pack and
young hounds alternately, or, at all events, on separate
days. This was not invariably done, but it was
usual, especially in the earlier part of the season. It
is not a practice which would commend itself to any
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 23
master nowadays, but it may have worked well then,
and it may have been advisable to take only old,
steady hounds into certain parts of the country, where
hares were abundant or other riot likely. There were
then many dcerparks all over the county, and pro-
bably not a few gaps in the walls of some of them,
entailing a considerable number of outlying deer. On
the other hand, Mr. Power may have liked the practice
from its allowing him to note carefully the merits of
each of his young entry. Be the reason what it may, we
may rest assured that it was a good and a sound one.
Before making some extracts from his diary, it may
not be deemed amiss to give a list of some of his
coverts. The names are given as spelt now, in order
that readers may be able to identify them. In the
district round Kilfane there were Kilfane, Glcncoum,
Borleagh wood and gorse, Bishopslough, Cloghila
(near Dungarvan village), Dunbell, Gowran, Mount
Loftus, Brandon coverts, Grennan, Dangan, Wood-
stock, Rock of Inistioge, Laurel Hill, Bolger's woods,
Coolhill, Ullard. Above the Dublin road were Kelly-
mount, Castlewarrcn, Clara, Ballysalla, Ballyfoyle,
Johnswcll, Uskerty, Clogharinka, Leyrath, Jenkins-
town. Round Kilkenny, Castle Blunden, Knockroe,
Kilfera, Killarcc (near Ballydaniel Hill). In Frcsh-
ford country, Uppercourt, Woodsgift, Killoshulan,
Kildrina, Clone, Ballyragget, Lowhill, Castlecomer.
On Desart side were Desart, Pottlerath, Ballykecffc,
Ballintaggert wood. Towards the Ross River were-
Annaghs, Brownstown, Coolnahaw, Tor}' Mill,
Clonassy, Snowhill, Bishopshall. Round Knock-
topher were Kiltorcan, Ballagh (near Coolmccn ,
24 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
Castle Morres, Knockdrinya, Flood Hall, Chapclizod,
Norelands, Mount Juliet, Kilmoganny, Garryricken.
At Bessborough end were Bessborough, Castletown,
Annfield, Owning, Garryduff, Carricktriss. Besides
these coverts in the County Kilkenny, Mr. Power
drew Borris, in the County Carlow, frequently, as
well as the Poulmounty and Bahana woods below
Borris, and also Durrow woods in Queen's County.
Occasionally he went further afield as far as Cool-
lattin in Wicklow, and into North Wexford. Many
of these coverts still exist, and may be found in the
excellent hunting map lately made by Mr. James
Poe, junior, of Rose Hill.
Let us now turn to a record of Mr. Power's sport.
In the season 1813-14, Mr. Power started, as he
tells us, with thirty-six couple of hounds, but as he
had fifty-one couple the following season, we may
presume that in the former year the number of hounds
he gives were exclusive of the entry. He remarks
that the weather had been bad in the month of
October, and sport correspondingly bad, particularly
in the Tullow country, where game was scarce.
On November 6th he was at Laurel Hill, near
Inistioge, and had a nice run to Russellstown. Sir
Wheeler Cuffe, Mr. Richard Langrishe, and the two
Messrs. Hunt, of Jcrpoint, were his only attendants.
He was there again on the 2Oth, and not finding
there or in the neighbouring coverts, he turned down
" a fox taken last day at Woodstock. A capital run
of more than an hour, all horses well beat ; the fox
' rocked' near Ballinvarra (on the Graigue and Rower
road), having run more than ten miles. The hounds
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 25
hunted in capital style, and ran abreast over the
mountain. Shannon horse [presumably the horse
Mr. Power rode] well beat. Huntsman beat the field
upon the Clara mare."
There is no further record for that season ; but in
the autumn of 1814 Mr. Power began cub-hunting
with fifty-one couple of hounds, which he pro-
nounces to be " a very promising pack." He says
that " during the latter end of the month of Septem-
ber the old pack hunted upon Brandon and Black-
stairs mountains, were very steady, and killed a brace
of foxes at Poulmounty woods." On October the 3rd
he was at Woodstock. " Found several foxes. The
hounds divided; seven couple went away with a game
fox, crossed the park (then on Mount Alto), through
Mr. Robbins' demesne (Firgrove), and, after an excel-
lent run, the hounds were beaten near Derry (close to
Kiltorcan). The ground very dry, and bad weather
for hunting."
During the remainder of the month he was at
Borris twice, at Woodstock, Garryduff, Garryricken,
Mount Juliet, Castlcmorres, &c., taking out the
old and young pack alternately. From the latter
place, on October 24th, he had a fine run of two
hours, after a very wet morning, finally running
to ground in Castlemorres. He carries his notes
for this season no further.
In the autumn of 1815, Mr. Power began his cub-
hunting very early, with forty-nine and a-half couple
of hounds. In July he was at Brandon again, but
does not appear to have taken the field in August,
returning to Brandon early in September. On the
C
26 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
1 6th he took out the young hounds for the first
time, and not finding at Glencoum, owing to the
earths being left open by mistake, he turned out a
fox before the pack, and had " a nice and fast run
from Kilfanc to near Dungarvan, and killed in
capital style, without the least riot." During the
remainder of the month he was in other woodlands
with varying success, and on the i6th October,
meeting at Annfield, he drew Kilmoganny, whence
" he went away with a game fox by Castlemorres
to Annfield, through Owning rocks, and were beat
near Kilmacoliver, a capital run of an hour and
twenty minutes over a superior country. The best
run this season, and a good one for any part of the
year." On the 2Oth of the same month he ran a
fox to ground at Grennan, got him out, and had
" an excellent run of more than an hour, and killed
near Clifden bottoms." From Grennan to Clifden
bottoms is a nine mile point, so the pace was more
than respectable. The field appears to have been
limited to the Master, Mr. Bayly, the Solicitor-
General, and his son, John Bushe, and Mr. Croker.
On the 25th he was at Chapel Izod on a very bad
scenting day; but he killed a brace of foxes, making
seven and a-half brace up to date. On the 27th he
was at Desart and Pottlerath. From the former
he killed, after a nice run, near Callan. On the
3<Dth he was at Clonassy ; on next day at Snow Hill ;
and on the 3rd November at Bishop's Hall and Tory
Hill, evidently remaining in that part of the country
for three days' hunting. On the 2Oth November he
chronicles a very fine run as follows : — " Drew
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 27
Kcllymount with the old hounds. The frost so hard
that there was no hunting till one o'clock, and,
indeed, not very fit for it at any time. Chopped
a fox. Drew Castlewarren furze ; went away in
good style with a fox, and ran fast to Clara, the
scent evidently not good. Ran through the covert
without much delay, and had most excellent hunting
to Ballysalla, and from thence to near Bally foyle,
closed on the fox, and ran through Castlewarren to
Kellymount, where we were obliged to take off the
hounds at night, after a run — or rather a hunt —
of two hours and thirty minutes. The best hunting
I had ever seen." On the 22nd he was in the same
country, and " drew Ballyfoyle with twenty-two
couple of young hounds, a very steady pack. A
very hard frost and wind from the north. Found
several foxes. Went away with one immediately,
and had a very fast run of half-an-hour, and earthed.
The hounds hunted extremely well. Found again
most beautifully in Clogharinka, a new covert, the
first time the covert was ever drawn, and ran to near
Ballyfoyle, and earthed. Found a third fox in
Johnswell, went away quite close to him, ran over
Ballysalla Hill to Clara, fresh found, and had a very
good run till night. The hounds were well beat,
having hunted with very little intermission from
half- past ten o'clock to half-past four. An excellent
day's sport. The hounds ought to have got one of
the foxes, which could easily have been done, as
they went merely into rabbit-holes."
On November the 27th, Mr. Power, having drawn
Kilmoganny and Castle Morrcs without finding, went
28 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
on to Ballagh, a covert near Ballyhale, where he found
a game fox, and ran him to Castle Morrcs, and on
towards Kilmoganny, into the bottoms in the direc-
tion of Ballytobin, eventually losing him near a wet
ditch, into which he had been seen to crawl, and
where he supposes he was drowned. A few days
afterwards he took his hounds to Mount Juliet,
" merely to give them exercise." The result, of
course, was a find, and a run by Norelands, Innisnag,
and Danesfort, hounds being stopped in the dark.
The circumstance of this run called to remembrance
the experiences of Mr. Jorrocks from Pinch-me-near
Forest, as related in " Handley Cross." This bye-
day was the prelude to some very fine sport during
the remainder of the year and during the following
January and February.
" Wednesday, 6th December. — Drew Cloghila with
young pack, twenty-two couple. Found in beautiful
style, and went away quite close to our fox, and had
a nice hunt to Gowran demesne, where the fox got
into a sewer. Drew Clara, found a game fox, ran by
Freestone Hill, crossed the Dublin road, and ran
through Blanchfield demesne, by Clifden bottoms
covert and Dunbell ; turned to the left, and went by
Bishopslough, Kilbline, and so by Killarney to Mount
Juliet, where the fox was earthed. A capital run of
one hour and forty minutes. The hounds hunted
extremely well, and the country was very good.
Nearly twenty horsemen at starting ; several well beat.
Wind north-west, and scent not the best, but a capital
day's sport." The point from Clara to Mount Juliet
is just eight miles.
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 2p
From Grennan, on the 8th December, many foxes
were on foot. Hounds divided on the hills, the body
of the pack hunting their fox — not the hunted fox in
Mr. Power's opinion — to Coolnahaw, whilst two
couple brought the original quarry to Castle Morres ;
both are respectable points from Grennan.
On December I3th, one of the finest runs Mr.
Power ever had is recorded, and must be set down
entirely in his own words. " Drew Kilfera with
twenty-three and a-half couple of young hounds.
Found a brace of foxes, and went away with one in
high style across the river by The Rocks ; to Dunbell,
Clifden, Blanchfield, Clashwilliam ; skirted Cloghila
covert ; went by Huntington and Bramblestown, and
over the hills nearly to Glencoum, where hounds came
to the first fault, after a most brilliant run of one
hour and twenty minutes. The hounds appearing to
have lost the fox, were held forward towards the
covert of Glencoum, when they fresh found the fox "
—he had probably lain down in the heather — " and
ran towards Borris ; turned between Graigue and
Borleagh, and ran for Brandon, over the top of the
mountain, and was run to ground after a run of more
than three hours. One of the best days' sport ever
seen in this country. Nothing could excel the ex-
cellent hunting of the hounds. When skirting the
covert of Cloghila, a fresh fox went away in the
direction of Castlcfield, and a second fox was viewed
leaving the covert of Glencoum. Wind westerly and
a capital scent." The point from Kilfera to the top
of Brandon is twelve miles, but as hounds ran the
run could not have been less than seventeen or
3<D MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
eighteen miles ; all the places mentioned en route will
be very familiar to the present hunting field.
Grennan wood can hardly be said to be a favourite
covert nowadays, and is very seldom drawn ; but
in these early days, and indeed later, it would seem
to have been the starting-point of many good runs,
of which the following is a specimen, whilst twenty-
five years later it furnished two of the finest runs the
late Sir John Power ever had.
" Tuesday, 26th December. — Drew Grennan at half-
past eleven ; found immediately, and went away with
a fox, after running through the entire covert, to
Jerpoint Abbey, and by Castlecosker to Coolnahaw.
Skirted the coverts of Coolnahaw and Brownstown
(one and a-half hours), and went on for Glen more.
From Brownstown to Glenmore had capital slow
hunting for an hour, and lost the fox after a run of
two hours and a-half. Ran full eighteen miles."
The point from Grennan to Glenmore is nearly twelve
miles.
On January 3rd, 1816, after a run from Cloghila,
Mr. Power " turned down a fox, taken the last day
at Mount Juliet. He evidently knew the country,
and ran direct for Clara, where he went to ground,
after a very nice run."
On Friday, the I2th, he drew Kilmoganny "with
sixteen couple of old hounds, a chosen few. The fox,
a wild one, went out of covert as hounds went in,
and ran for Windgap, where he turned and ran for the
slate quarries ; turned again to the left, and ran
through Annfield covert and demesne, by Castletown
to Martin's earths, where he just saved his life by
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 3!
getting into the earth, the hounds being quite close
to him. This was, taking everything into considera-
tion, one of the best runs of this season. One hour
and five minutes without a check, over a beautiful
grass country. Nearly every horse was beat." As
this run was about nine miles, it will be seen that it
must have been fast all the way.
On January 26th, Kilfane furnished a fine run.
After a ring towards Dangan, the fox went away by
Closcregg Castle, over Saddleback Hill, and into
Laurel Hill ; crossed the Xore at the Red House,
and was killed in Woodstock.
" Feb. 5th. — Drew Ballyfoyle. Day very fine, with
slight frost and fog, which went off before ten o'clock.
Found three foxes. Went away with one across the
glens ; ran by Gaulstown, Corbettstown, and Webs-
borough towards Castlecomer. Turned towards
Uskerty, and ran by the new covert of Clogharinka,
and from thence in the direction of Johnswell. The
fox then turned and ran for the covert of Ballyfoyle,
where the earth was opened by the covert-keeper, and
the fox's life saved. A nice run, over a very good
grass country, of full ten miles. Then drew Johns-
well ; found, and went away at a great pace. Skirt-
ing Ballysalla Hill, turned to the left and ran to the
covert of Clogharinka, a complete burst of six miles.
Went away from the covert close to the fox ; ran by
Purcell's and through Hogan's fine grass farm, where
Mr. Herbert's horse lay down, and where all the
horses were well beat. The fox saved his life by
getting into a rabbit-hole near Ballyfoylc. Scent
very good, and a most superior day's sport."
32 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
Monday, 26th February, 1816, shall furnish the
final run chronicled in these memoirs taken from the
founder's diary : —
" Met at Clone. Found three foxes. Killed one
in covert. Another went away and gained some time
whilst hounds were eating the first fox. Ran for
Killoshulan, and from thence towards Woodsgift ;
was headed, and ran back for Killoshulan, where the
earth was opened and his life saved. A nice run of
nearly an hour. Drew Upperwood (Uppercourt) ;
found, and had most capital covert hunting for half-
an-hour, and killed. Drew Killaree ; found one brace
of foxes. They hung a very long time in covert.
After half-an-hour, one fox went away and ran for
Dunmore, when he crossed the river and ran for
Ballyfoyle ; turned, and ran over Corbettstown Hill
for Castlecorner. A run of nearly two hours over a
fine grass country ; nearly fifteen miles. Every horse,
except Mr. Herbert's and the huntsman's, beat, and
some did not get home until next day. This was a
most superior scenting day."
After some more good sport, Mr. Power finished
his season on April 6th, and so ends the only journal
of his sport now forthcoming. Twenty-one brace of
foxes were killed during the season, including seven
and a-half brace in cub-hunting.
Though the county had by this time become more
enclosed than when Mr. Power began his reign, there
were many portions still very open ; and it has been
stated on excellent authority that between Clara and
Glencoum — a line often run by foxes — there were
only three fences to be negotiated en route !
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 33
In Mr. Power's account of his sport, there are two
or three points to be noticed, and some conclusions to
be drawn from them. Firstly, that the packs taken
out were very large. Twenty-three and a-half couple
of hounds seems to be a very large pack for the
month of December. But, as Mr. Power was in the
habit of drawing large woodlands, he may have con-
sidered a strong pack indispensable. Secondly, that
horses seem to have been in less good condition than
those of the present day, a state of things which pro-
bably arose from the practice of letting them run at
grass all the summer. Thirdly, that well-bred hounds
could travel as fast as they do in these days with a
scent. Nine or ten miles in an hour and five minutes
could not be surpassed. But it must be borne in
mind that, as fences were fewer, hounds could keep
closer order and run harder in some parts of the
country than is now the case. Fourthly, that foxes
were remarkably stout and bold, and usually left
woodlands, from which it is often hard to get them
away now, and that, having gone, they generally
made some distant point. Fifthly, that drains were
very uncommon. When foxes were run to ground,
they found refuge almost invariably in earths or
rabbit-holes. ' In fact, the country was undrained, and
in its wet state usually carried a scent. Foxes \vere
therefore pressed at first, and forced to leave covert
soon when they went away for some distant earth.
Hounds appear, from the foregoing accounts, to have
got away on good terms with their foxes as a general
rule.
34 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
CHAPTER III.
As time went on, additional coverts were made and
earths constructed, and the sport improved. Mr.
Power's sons were now growing up, and his eldest
son, John, early took the field, and imbibed a
passionate love for the chase and all connected with
it, which lasted unabated to the end of his life, and
was transmitted to his son and grandson. After
leaving Cambridge, he came to reside at Kilfane,
and soon became associated with his father in the
affairs of the Hunt, and with his uncle in the Kil-
kenny plays, though only in a minor degree. Mr.
Power's sport now began to attract many hunting
men from a distance, and became widely known.
The Kilkenny plays have just been alluded to.
Instituted by Mr. Richard Power in 1802, they
continued until 1819, and as the company contained
some very good amateur actors, people were attracted
from all parts of Ireland to Kilkenny. As was
natural, Mr. Power assisted his brother, and though
he only took minor parts, he gave every possible
encouragement by asking actors and others to his
house, and arranging his meets to suit all parties.
Thus the Kilkenny Hunt Club and the Private
Theatre of Kilkenny became closely allied, and one
contributed to the success of the other. The younger
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 35
sons of Mr. Power also took the field, and his third
son, Ambrose, afterwards Archdeacon of Lismore,
though one-armed, was a hard rider.
It has been before mentioned that, when Mr. Power
began to hunt the country, he was practically free
to go where he would in search of sport, and
extended his operations outside the Kilkenny border.
After a time, however, other hunts were formed,
and his wanderings became more restricted. The
Carlow Hunt was formed by the late Mr. John
Watson of Ballydarton in 1808, though the country
hunted by him did not extend to all Carlow coverts,
and of course did not embrace the Island country
and other portions of the existing Carlow Hunt,
so long and so ably presided over by the present
Mr. Robert Watson, his son, who has earned the
unique distinction of having carried the horn for
fifty-two seasons, and afforded brilliant sport to two
generations of his field. His grandfather used to
keep a pack at Ballydarron, hunting mainly wolves,
hares, and deer, the latter enlarged from deer-parks ;
and a portion of the kennels he used — nearly 200
years old — still remains at Ballydarton, and is con-
nected with the existing kennels, which were con-
structed some seventy years ago. The Tipperary
Hunt had also been formed, and the Ossory Hounds,
hunting a part of the Queen's County, were given
leave to draw certain coverts in that count}' which
had hitherto belonged to Mr. Power. This arrange-
ment led to some correspondence later on.
At this time the " new system " of riding to hounds
had come thoroughly into fashion. In earlier days
36 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
of fox-hunting, men rode to hunt, and horsemanship
was a secondary consideration, the performances
of the pack absorbing all the interest of hunting
men. As time went on a new generation sprang
up, which took a lessened interest in hunting, and
hunted to ride, or, at all events, made horsemanship
their study. In the last century there was, of course,
much open country all over the kingdom, and
jumping was, therefore, to a great extent unneces-
sary. The fashion of riding to points, and making
free use of lanes, &c., was also in vogue. Indeed,
horses were scarcely fit to go a quick run over
a strong country, being grass-fed all the summer.
However, in the days of the famous Mr. Meynell—
that is, early in this century — the habit of riding
straight to hounds was set by Mr. Childe, of Kinlet
Hall, in Shropshire, a personal friend of Mr. Meynell,
and became the fashion in the Quorn Hunt, from
which it gradually came to be adopted in other
countries, and is now, of course, universal, except in
certain mountainous districts, where riding to points
is imperative. Amongst the exponents of this new
system in the County Kilkenny were Mr. John
Power, junior, the brothers Bayly, Sir Richard Cox,
Mr. Joseph Greene, Sir Wheeler Cuffe, Rev. Richard
Packe, Mr. John Jones of Mullinabro, Mr. Hewetson
Nixon, Mr. John Bushe, the Messrs. Baker of
Kilcoran, Mr. John Watson of Ballydarton, Mr.
Richard Langrishe, and several others, and their
ranks became speedily augmented as the number of
Mr. Power's followers increased.
In the year 1824 Mr. Richard Power died at Kil-
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 37
fane from disease of the lungs, from which he had
long been an invalid. He was a great favourite with
all his acquaintances, and it was said of him that he
never made an enemy. His funeral, confined almost
exclusively to members of his family, took place at
Kilfanc Church at a very early hour (about daybreak)
on a winter's morning. At his death Mr. Power
received a considerable accession of fortune and a
valuable collection of pictures, statuary, engravings,
&c., which had been collected in Italy and elsewhere.
Mr. Richard Power had built stables adjoining the
road which leads to the Coppenagh Hills, and a few
hundred yards above the church, and these were sub-
sequently utilised as kennels by his nephew, the late
Sir John Power, when he came to Kilfane after his
father's death.
After a great many years' service as huntsman, old
Byrne retired to a house at the cross-roads of Kilfane>
where he died at a good old age. He was succeeded
by an English huntsman named Robert Caunt —
brother of the celebrated pugilist — who, however,
went by the name of " Count " generally. He was
an excellent man in every way, and very fond of
hounds, in making and manning of which he was
especially an adept, and, indeed, may be said to have
introduced the English systems into the Kilkenny
kennels. It has been related to the compiler how he
would, after hunting in Kilkenny, go on to Hally-
darton in the evening, and inspect the hounds in
kennel with Mr. John Watson, by the light of a
lantern, travelling on next morning to hunt at Cool-
lattin or some such distant meet. When he came
38 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
over to Kilkenny from England (it is believed from
Air. Musters), he brought a couple and a-half of
hounds from Lord Yarborough's kennels, named
Grappler, Gracious, and Graceful, and through them
Mr. Power's pack was greatly improved. Grappler's
pedigree will be found in the Hound List of 1839, as
given in Appendix IV.
Towards the year 1830 the number of Mr. Power's
followers had become largely increased, and now in-
cluded not only many additional hunting men resi-
dent in the county, but a considerable number of
strangers from other districts. The Hunt Club was
now approaching its zenith, and the meetings became
more crowded, the dinners more largely attended,
and the fun fast and furious. In the year 1826 four
of its members made an expedition to Melton for a
season's hunting in Leicestershire. The quartet were
Mr. John Power, junior, Sir Richard Cox, of Castle-
town, Clayton Bayly and William Bayly, sons of
Mr. Bayly, of Norelands. All were excellent horse-
men and hard riders, and well sustained the honour
of their county in Leicestershire. The late Sir John
Power once mentioned to the compiler that, when he
was at Melton in this year, cocktail horses and snaffle
bridles were the fashion.
Robert Caunt was an excellent huntsman, and a
good man in kennel. A list of the pack for 1839 is
given in Appendix IV., by which it will appear that
Mr. Power had a very well-bred and valuable kennel.
Mick Butler became first whip under Caunt, and Jim
Dwyer second whip, and under their regime sport
proved first-rate. In 1835 Mr. John Power married
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 39
Miss Wade, daughter of Mr. William Wade, of Clone-
braney, in the County Meath, and shortly afterwards
his father resigned the mastership of the pack into
his hands.
Mr. Power had always been a strong Whig, espous-
ing the cause of Catholic Emancipation, and was an
influential man in his county, and therefore much
thought of by the party to which he belonged. The
names of Whig and Tory have become obsolete, and
the principles which they advocated somewhat merged
in modern ideas ; but the line of demarcation was
then very strong, and Mr. Power had no love for the
Tories of his day, their rigid notions of Conservatism
being little to his liking. It is related that on one
occasion, after a good run, his hounds were running
up Tory Hill, at the southern end of the county, and
horses were pretty well beat. Mr. Power jumped off
and proceeded to lead his horse up, exclaiming as he
did so, " I ivis/i every Tory was rolled out flat >" His
political opinions, together with his prominent posi-
tion in the county, led to an offer of a baronetcy by
Lord Normanby, the Whig Lord Lieutenant of the
day, shortly after he had paid a visit to Kilfanc in
the year 1836. At first Mr. Power was disposed to
refuse the honour. However, his friends advised
otherwise, and he eventually accepted the offer, and
was created a baronet in July, 1836. Henceforth we
must know him as Sir John Power. After marriage
his son continued to live at Kilfane for a year or two,
and then went to reside at Sion, near Kilkenny, to
which place he moved the hounds, after keeping them
for a year or so at Blackwcll Lodge, near Bennett's-
40 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
bridge. The old kennels of Kilfane were finally
abandoned, and have gradually fallen to decay during
the last sixty years. Enough, however, remains to
enable the compiler to give a photograph and plan of
them, which may give some idea as to their con-
struction. A circular courtyard, bounded by a wall
nearly five feet in height, and with pillars about every
seven and a-half feet, rising to an additional height
of about four feet, the spaces between filled with
iron railings, ran round the front of the kennels,
whilst at the back was another small yard communi-
cating with the smaller kennel. Other buildings
adjoined, and there appears to have been a feeder's
or wrhip's room at the back. There were originally
twenty pillars round the large yard, of which four-
teen now remain. Large trees overshadow the ruin,
and some have grown up within it since its abandon-
ment.
It will be evident that, as additional coverts were
made, and the stock of foxes thereby increased, it
became impossible to hunt the whole of Kilkenny
properly and country outside as well. Sir John
Power had given up drawing coverts in the County
Wicklow and County Wexford, and had practically
made over the coverts in the neighbourhood of
Burrow to the Ossory Hunt. In the year 1839,
some dispute or misunderstanding arose as to the
stopping of the Durrow earths, and Sir Wheeler
Cuffe was deputed to confer with Mr. Drought,
Master of the Ossory Hounds, on the subject. This
matter was settled amicably, and the arrangement
arrived at was that " the earths of Durrow woods
Q
(f)
(D
O
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 4!
and coverts be stopped at the beginning of October,
and opened at the end of March," &c. The corre-
spondence in relation to the matter will be found in
Appendix III., and the formal language of the day
may be noted.
Robert Caunt died about the year 1840, from
aneurism of the heart, brought on, it is said, by a
bad fall, and Mr. John Power took the horn himself,
with Mick Butler as kennel huntsman and first whip,
and for many seasons showed brilliant sport. In
1843 Mr- Power came to an arrangement with Henry
Marquis of Watcrford — who had given up the Tip-
perary County, and begun to hunt the County
Waterford — by which it was agreed that Lord Water-
ford should draw certain coverts in the County Kil-
kenny a specified number of times in the year.
Correspondence and details will be found in Appendix
VII. In the same year a meeting of representatives
of the Kilkenny and Ossory Hunts was held. On
the Kilkenny side were present the Earl of Desart,
Mr. Clayton Savage, Mr. Augustine Butler, Mr. James
K. Aylward. On the side of the Ossory Hunt were
Mr. Michael Drought, the Master, and Mr. Henry
Walker. The result of the conference was that it
was arranged that Ballyouskill, Phcroda, and Lowhill
were to be drawn by the Ossory Hounds occasionally.
The matter is noted in Appendix VI.
Mr. Briscoe of Tinvane had succeeded his father
in the proprietorship of a pack of hounds in the
year 1834, and had been in the habit of drawing the
wild hills above Castlctovvn and Bessborough. Mr.
Ponsonby, afterwards the Earl of Bessborough, was
D
42 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
anxious that his operations should be extended,
and a correspondence (Appendix V.) took place in
1842-43, by which it appears that Mr. Power agreed
that Mr. Briscoe should have the privilege of draw-
ing the Bessborough coverts (except Carricktriss,
which was specially reserved) once a week up to the
1st March, when the Kilkenny Hounds were to
draw them. The arrangements indicated lasted,
with some modifications, for many years — until
1859, when the death of Lord Waterford rendered
it necessary to make fresh arrangements, which will
be noted further on.
At this distance of time it is difficult to ascertain
with any accuracy the details of sport in Mr. John
Power's early mastership ; but one or two runs may
be mentioned. On one occasion — in 1843 — a very
bold fox was found at Pottlerath, and afforded a
grand run, which ended beyond New Birmingham, in
the County Tipperary. Mr. John Wade was riding
a grey horse belonging to old Sir John Power, and
saw it best, or shared the honours with Mr. George
Gough of Birdhill.
Two runs from Grennan wood are worth record-
ing. In the season 1843-44, Mr. Power found a
fox in Grennan, ran him past Coolnahaw, and on
towards Tory Hill, bore left-handed, and, passing by
Glcnmorc, brought his fox down to the Ross River
at Carrickcloney. Here he viewed him swimming
across the wide tidal river. Procuring a boat, and
getting all the hounds he could on board, he was
rowed across as fast as possible, landed up to his
knees in the mud, pursued his fox on foot into the
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 43
County Wexford, and killed him a few fields from
the bank. He then re-crossed the river with the fox's
pate. Mr. Power was alone when he arrived at the
bank of the river ; but some of his field got up
before he returned to the Kilkenny side, Mr. John
Wade being one of them. Whilst hounds were
drawing Carrickcloney, about a year and a-half since,
the Compiler was mentioning this run to one of the
field, and remarked that they must then be standing
somewhere near the crossing-place. The occupier
of the land, who was standing close by, was referred
to, and said he well remembered seeing Mr. Power
crossing below the exact spot at which the field was
posted, and was able to point out the place on the
Wexford side where the fox was killed. The point
was twelve and a-half miles, but as hounds ran
was probably seventeen or eighteen. Mr. Power
dined that night at Norelands, and received the
congratulations of the assembled company.
On another occasion he was drawing Dangan
wood on the opposite side of the River Nore.
Finding a fox, and running him a long time in
covert, he disturbed all the foxes in Grennan, and no
less than nine foxes went away from that covert,
there having been several strong litters in the place
that season. Mr. Power, having run his fox to
ground in Dangan, started to come round to Grennan
through Thomastown. All the foxes had gone away
from Grennan. It happened, however, that a man
was out coursing at Ballylowra, a place two miles
off, in the direction of Knocktopher, and disturbed
an outlying fox, which, escaping the greyhounds,
44 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
ran towards Grennan, broke through the foot-people
at the top of the covert, and got into the wood just
as Mr. Power arrived on the scene. Finding him at
once, Mr. Power ran him back towards Ballylowra,
past Ballyhale, and finally lost him below Castle-
town, having covered an immense extent of country.
He was probably a fox travelling in the spring, and
was, in any case, a very stout one.
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 45
CHAPTER IV.
ABOUT this time Sir John Power's health began to
fail, and it was apparent to him, as well as to his
friends, that he was breaking up. He, however, con-
tinued to attend the meets in a carriage almost up to
the last, when he often spoke to his immediate friends
of his approaching end, remarking that his life had
been a very happy one, and one that he would have
been content to spend over again. He died at Kil-
fane in February, 1844, and was buried at the old
churchyard there, having followed his hounds for
forty-seven seasons. His widow survived him nearly
ten years, continuing to live at Kilfane with her son.
She was a clever woman and good hostess, and had
largely contributed to the reputation of his hospi-
tality and the comfort and happiness of his life. He
had six sons and two daughters, viz., John and
Richard (twins), the latter, an officer in the army,
predeceasing his father ; Gcrvasc, Lieut-Colonel, loth
Regiment, died in India in 1843; Ambrose, late
Archdeacon of Lismore ; Henry, Colonel in the
Madras Army ; George ; Mary, married Mr. William
Burton, of Burton Hall, and died in 1839; Frances,
married, 1840, Mr. John Power of Gurtccn, father of
Count dc la Poer, and died in 1893. The death of
his eldest daughter had an effect on Sir John which
he never recovered.
46 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
With the death of Sir John a striking personality
was removed from the Kilkenny hunting field and
Kilkenny society ; but his son John proved a worthy
successor, and the Kilkenny Hunt continued to
prosper under his popular and genial sway. Whether
in the kennel or in the field, he was unsurpassed. He
was an excellent horseman, very observant of the
doings of hounds, and very quick when required, but
equally patient on a bad scenting day. A very fine
horseman, with excellent hands, he could ride a
refractory horse better than most men ; and there are
many who may recollect how, even in old age, he
used to ride a horse called " The Peeler," a big,
awkward-tempered customer, as none other could ride
him. He had a ringing and most musical voice, and
hounds flew to either his voice or his horn. Few
there are who recollect his mastership, but those who
do (none, alas ! amongst the present Kilkenny field)
recall with enthusiasm the fine sport he showed. He
was a great houndsman, and loved to spend his days
amongst hounds, where, seated in the kennel-yard,
cigar in mouth, he would remain for hours criticising
or admiring each hound. He was an excellent judge
of hounds, and had a strong predilection for a deep
hound, and always said that such hounds came home
" with their sterns up." Nobody understood breeding
hounds better, or did so more successfully, and none
were more qualified to speak on kennel management.
During the spring and summer he took infinite
trouble to protect vixens and cubs, and would visit
the various coverts of the Hunt, and satisfy himself
that cubs were safe and well taken care of by the
SIR JOHN POWER. SECOND BARONET.
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 47
keepers. However, on one occasion one of his
covert-keepers endeavoured to do a little sly traffic
on his own account with some cubs. At that time
Henry Lord Waterford was hunting the Tipperary
country, which was short of foxes in some localities,
and he had imported foxes from mountainous dis-
tricts, which he had turned down where required. He
had built at Curraghmore a Turkish bath for his stud
of chasers, as a means — then advocated — for getting
them into training without the necessity of galloping
in clothing, &c.
Whilst residing at Curraghmore, in the late spring
or early summer, he was visited by a man with a
brace of cubs, which he offered for sale. Lord Water-
ford cross-examined the man, and succeeded in ascer-
taining that he came from the County Kilkenny, and
the locality from which the cubs had been taken. In
fact, the man (W , the keeper of a well-known
covert of the Hunt) let the cat out of the bag instead
of the cubs. Having learnt as much as he wanted,
and being determined to punish the culprit, Lord
Waterford engaged him in conversation, the cubs
meanwhile having been deposited in some safe place,
and walked with him round the stables and offices,
finally leading him into the Turkish bath. Direct-
ing him to remain where he was till he returned, he
left the building, and, when outside, quickly fastened
the door. He then gave orders that the Turkish
bath should be fully heated, and when this had been
done, he returned. In the meantime the unfortunate
W , waiting inside, became hotter and hotter,
and tried to get out, but, being barred in, he soon
48 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
began to howl, exclaiming that he found his way to
the infernal regions, and to shout that he was being
roasted alive, begging Lord Waterford, who had
come to the door to inquire how he was, to release
him ; and it was not until Lord Waterford had
pointed out forcibly to him the heinousness of his
offence, and adjured him to make his confession to
Sir John Power, that the door was opened, and he
emerged in a state easily imagined, and fled home
with all possible speed, needless to say without the
cubs, which Lord Waterford returned to their proper
country. Sir John constructed a great many earths of
a very elaborate pattern, and the majority exist still,
though some of the coverts in which they were made
have been cut down. Some were what he called
"decoy earths," made to induce foxes to run certain
lines, and as such were successful.
It has been mentioned that Mick Butler succeeded
Caunt as kennel huntsman, and as such he served
Sir John, second baronet, whilst hounds were at
Sion, proving an excellent man at his work. In
the year 1844, a hunting correspondent of the
Sportsman's Magazine, under the noni dc phnne of
" Brusher," describes how he crossed the Channel to
see some Irish kennels. Arriving in Kilkenny by
coach, he found his way out to Sion. Sir John, who
had lately succeeded his father as second baronet,
was at Kilfanc, and Mick Butler was away a-court-
ing ! Moreover, the hounds had been dressed the
previous day, and he could not, therefore, see the
pack to advantage ; but he describes it as " by far
the best pack of hounds he had ever seen," notwith-
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 49
standing the train oil and sulphur ! He then went
on to Curraghmore, and afterwards to Castle Martyr,
to see Lord Shannon's hounds, and while he was
there Sir John Power turned up with a hound which
he had brought dowrn all the way from Kilkenny.
Having said so much with regard to Sir John, it
seems fitting to give some description of his field.
Mr. Bayly and Sir Wheeler Cuffe still came out, and
some of the older members of the field already men-
tioned. Sir Richard Cox of Castlctown hunted
during the earlier part of Sir John's mastership, and
was a very fine rider, with a beautiful seat ; and his
brother Henry also hunted. William and Robert
Stannard were fine riders, the former a very finished
horseman (who for a bet, on one occasion, rode
several miles across country with a half-crown under
each foot), and his brother Robert a regular thruster,
albeit a tall, heavy man. He hunted and rode very
hard up to a late period of life, and died a few years
back at a great age. Clayton Savage and his brother,
William Bayly, were both hard men. The former
hunted all his life in Kilkenny, in fact for upwards of
forty years, and was a great friend of the second Sir
John. Then there were John and Harry Baker of
Kilcoran. The latter was a great character. At
Kilcoran was a celebrated fox, called the " black-
fox," from his being very dark. He afforded many
runs, though none very straight ; but he invariably
beat hounds, and seemed to possess a charmed life.
Mr. Harry Baker used, after dinner, to wax very-
eloquent about the black fox, and swear there were
none like him. Eventually it was agreed that, on
50 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
the next occasion of drawing Kilcoran, foot-people
should be placed so as to head the fox off certain
points. He was duly found and driven off his usual
line, going right into the heart of Tipperary, as far as
a coal-pit near Coalbrook, Mr. Langley's place, where
hounds could make nothing of him. However, he
never returned to Kilcoran, and it was conjectured
that he fell into the coal-pit. Mr. Harry Baker rode
a cob named " Puck," with which he was wont to
make matches. The late Earl of Desart was not
only a fearless rider, but a most beautiful and finished
horseman ; as one who often saw him in the hunting
field has said, " It was a treat to see him ride across
country." He was a good sportsman as well, and
thoroughly appreciated hound work.
Captain Thomas Ponsonby was another good
sportsman, who, on leaving the Carabiniers, settled
in Kilkenny, and hunted regularly all his life, and
thought nothing of riding a hack twelve or fourteen
miles to covert when quite an old man. He was
never a very hard rider ; but knowing the country
thoroughly, and always galloping hard, he was
enabled to make use of gaps, gates, and lanes,
and saw every run. He was a most kindly, genial
man, beloved by all who knew him ; a good shot,
and expert fisherman.
Mr. James Kearney Aylward of Shankill hunted
for a great many years, and, being an excellent man
of business, with a clear head, was a most useful
member of the Hunt Club Committee. He had'
been an excellent cricketer, and was one of the"
original Kilkenny Eleven, all of whom have passed
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 51
away. His place in the field \vas in the slips, called
" nips " at Eton in his schooldays ; and as he was
always placed " short nips " at school, he got the
appellation " Nips," which stuck to him all his life, at
all events amongst his intimate friends. As a genial
host and good raconteur, he was unsurpassed.
Mr. Horace Rochfort of Clogrennan, in the County
Carlow, was a medium-weight, and a very good all-
round man, riding hard and playing cricket well ;
whilst quite late in life he took to polo, and played
for his county.
Colonel Tighe of Woodstock supported the Kil-
kenny Hounds all his life. He was not a very
regular fox-hunter, but rode well, and had a very
good seat and hands. Like many other Kilkenny
hunting men, he kept the saddle till well past
seventy years old, and at the age of seventy-six
rode a good run from Woodstock into Brownstown.
Mr. Thomas Conolly of Castletown was a Kildare
man, but often hunted in Kilkenny, and was a
bruising rider.
Lord James Butler was a welter, riding nearly
eighteen stone ; but was a very hard man, and bad
to beat. He will be noticed later on in this Memoir.
On the other hand, there were three well-known
light-iueigJits, none of whom could have weighed
more than ten stone, all of whom rode to hounds
till very late in life, and lived to extreme old age,
ng during the last ten years. They were
rf John Wade, brother-in-law of Mr. John Power,
*IVlf. Hanford Flood of Farmly, and Mr. John Jones
of Mullinabro.
52 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
Mr. John Wade hunted with the Kilkenny Hounds
for the best part of fifty years, and probably saw
more good runs than any man of his time. He
rode hard and well, was a thorough sportsman, a
good judge of hounds and horses, and had a great
knowledge of hunting, and a keen love for it.
Mr. Flood rode fearlessly, and kept the field till
past the "allotted span." He had a famous horse
called Carlow, which had belonged to Mr. Blackwood
Hamilton, a relative of Lord Dufferin, and acquired
him in the following manner : — Mr. Blackwood
Hamilton had been hunting in Kilkenny, and, a frost
setting in, left his horse at the Club-house and went
away. The frost lasted some time, and when it
broke up horses had, of course, more or less lost
their condition. It chanced that the first day
hounds were enabled to hunt the meet was in the
Freshford country, and, as is often the case on the
break up of frost, scent was good, and they ran
hard over the hills round Persse's gorsc, and horses
were well pumped, Mr. Blackwood Hamilton's horse
dropping lifeless under him. He got back to Kil-
kenny as well as he could with saddle and bridle,
and at the Club dinner that night was naturally a
subject for condolence. Mr. Flood was also dining,
and during dinner exclaimed, "I will give you ,£15
for Carlow's body." Mr. Hamilton told him there
was only his skin ; but Mr. Flood persisting in his
offer, he closed with him, and the bargain was made.
Next morning hounds met somewhere in the same
country ; but early in the morning Mr. Flood sent to
the Freshford hills, which he caused to be thoroughly
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 53
searched for Carlow's body, without success. On
hearing the report at the meet, he said nothing, and
had his day's hunting. Riding home in the evening,
he heard a horse galloping behind him, and, looking
round, saw Carlow coming down the road, had him
captured, and got him into Kilkenny. Knowing
that the horse was not fit, he had guessed, when he
heard the story of his death, that he was only
pumped out, and would come to in the night air.
This had actually happened, and Carlow had
wandered grazing through the country until he
heard a horse on the road near him, and followed
him. Mr. Flood rode him for years afterwards, and
said he was one of the best horses he had ever
owned.
Mr. Jones of Mullinabro hunted for more than
fifty years in Kilkenny, bred a great many good
horses, and made them himself. He was a very
shrewd man, a clever agriculturist, a fine judge of
cattle, and a useful country gentleman. In old age
he was to be seen in the field with his three sons,
usually riding a four-year-old himself, and always a
well-bred one. He lived till long past eighty, and
was fresh and active up to the last. Lord Duncannon
(afterwards Earl of Bessborough) came out occasion-
ally, as also did Mr. John Walsh of Fanningstown,
at the southern end. Late in life the latter kept a
pack of harriers, and hunted the country between
Bessborough and Castle Morrcs. Mr. John Congrevc
of Mount Congrevc also came out at that end, as
did Mr. Briscoc of Tinvane.
Mr. John Power of Gurtecn, usually called
54 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
" Johnny Gurteen," to distinguish him from his
brother-in-law, Mr. John Power of Kilfane, was
probably the hardest rider of the field. In fact, he
was a reckless rider, and utterly fearless. He used
to keep twenty horses at the Club-house, Kilkenny,
during the season, and hunted six days a week.
There were numerous stories as to his riding, but
one, related to the Compiler by an eye-witness about
a year since, will serve as a specimen. Hounds were
running hard one day across a demesne in the Kil-
kenny country — the exact locality forgotten — when
they reached a masonwork wall bounding the place,
got over, and of course went on. The field was
apparently pounded ; but Mr. Power of Gurteen,
coming up in the front rank, espied a place in the
wall where stones had been loosened, and which,
with a bold horse, would have been just jumpable,
had it not been that a strong bough of a tree, grow-
ing by the wall, stretched straight over the place, and
made it apparent that any rider attempting to jump
must be swept out of the saddle. Without one
moment's hesitation, however, Mr. Power went slap
for the place, and, as his horse rose at it, threw him-
self clean back till his hat almost touched the horse's
tail, in that position got safely over, and swinging
himself up again on landing, never lost one yard of
his place with hounds, the remainder of the field
having to seek some other means of exit. On
another occasion he was nearly killed in jumping
over a high wall into a farmyard at the bottom of
Ballykecffe wood. Major I/od and his son, the late
Mr. L. N. Izod, attended fairly often. The former kept
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 55
a pack of harriers for many years. Mr. Frankland
came from Cork, and was the author of the greater
number of the stanzas in the verses describing the
Kilkenny Hunt in 1845, which will be found in
Appendix IX., and which are worth the reader's
perusal.
Sir Theophilus St. George of Woodsgift was also
a regular hunting man. The present Sir Robert
Paul occasionally came up from Waterford to the
Club-house. Sir John Blunden also hunted for a
great many years, and towards the close of his life
often joined the meet in a carriage. His son, the
present Sir William Blunden, used, later on, to ride
a black kicking mare very well. Mr. William Pitt
Blunden of Bonnetstown, brother of Sir John, hunted
for many years, and was a very good man in a quick
thing of twenty minutes, not caring much for any
other kind of run or for the doings of hounds. His
brother-in-law, the present Captain Knox of Caher-
leske, also hunted, as did Mr. Rcade of Birchfield,
Mr. Edmond Smithwick of Kilcreene, and Mr.
Robert Walsh of Tullow. Lord Shannon came up
from Cork for portions of the season. Mr. Congrevc
Fleming hunted for a long term of years, mainly at
the lower end of the county, and was a fine rider.
The present Mr. Robert Watson of Ballydarton
occasionally came out on the Gowran side of the
county. There were also Mr. Thomas Power of
Kilkenny and Dr. O'Reilly, both good men.
But, besides these, were many from a distance, and
the late Captain Thomas Ponsonby, who kept a
hunting diary, mentioned in the hearing of the Com-
56 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
piler that, in or about the year 1845, there were
stabled in Kilkenny and the surrounding district as
many as 200 horses belonging to visitors. As many
as 150 red coats have been counted at one covert
side.
In the latter portion of Sir John's mastership there
were Mr. Bryan of Jenkinstown, Mr. Warren (a very
hard rider), Mr. Lambert of Dysertmore, Mr. Flood
of Paulstown, Mr. Lalor of Cregg (a light-weight and
quick man with hounds, always well mounted), Mr.
James Foe, happily still amongst us, and taking as
keen an interest in the chase as ever ; Mr. William
Madden Glascott of Alderton, in County Wexford,
who, indeed, may be said to have occasionally hunted
with Sir John Power during the whole of his master-
ship, and who was a very hard man with hounds, a
coursing man, and a good sportsman in every way.
He died within the last few years, aged eighty-eight.
Besides these were the officers of the /th Hussars,
quartered in Kilkenny during the last fe\v years Sir
John kept the hounds. Amongst them was the
present Duke of Beaufort — then Lord Worcester ;
the present Lord Howth — -then Lord St. Lawrence ;
and other good sportsmen. There are many others,
no doubt, who should appear in the list of Sir John
Power's field ; but we must now turn to the fair sex,
and here the task is an easy one, for, broadly speak-
ing, ladies did not then grace the field, though, no
doubt, some may have been riding spectators from
the road. However, there were two who made them-
selves conspicuous by their good riding, viz., Lady
Dcsart, who happily still survives, and who was a
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 57
most finished horsewoman over a country; and Miss
Fetherstonhaugh, a lady who hailed from West-
meath, and had the enviable reputation of being able
to keep a foremost place in every good run. There
are some who still recollect how she and Mr. Horace
Rochfort alone saw the finish of a very fine run from
Bishopslough, when the fox, running into a church-
yard, was killed on a tombstone ! She married
Colonel Arthur, who commanded the 3rd Dragoon
Guards. A gorse covert, now cut down, was called
after her " Fetherston's gorse," and was situated on
the hill on which the spectators stood in the " point-
to-point " race in 1896.
Many good runs had their starting-point from
Fetherston's gorse. On one occasion the present
Mr. James Poe of Rose Hill was posted by Sir John
Power at a certain point to view the fox away. In-
stead of viewing a fox, however, he saw a hound
named Fancy, which had been walked by his uncle,
Captain Poe (a Peninsular and Waterloo veteran, who
lived at Rossmore, and was a great ally of both the
Sir Johns), and which he knew, feathering away on a
line. He holloaed, and Sir John came up, and asked
if he had viewed the fox. He was answered, and
was very indignant with Mr. Poe, who, however,
asked leave to ride after Fancy. Sir John gave him
permission, and expressed the hope that he might
break his neck ! Away he went, but he had not gone
far when he heard Sir John's horn going in his wake,
and he presently came up with the pack, hit the line,
overtook Fancy, and had a rare gallop into Kilfane
to ground. Needless to say that, at the conclusion,
E
58 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
not only was Mr. Poe forgiven, but he and F^ancy
came in for a large amount of kudos.
Mr. Poe was riding a chestnut mare belonging to
Mr. Marum. The point is between eight and nine
miles, and the country very good.
On an earlier occasion a fox found in the same
country ran through Leyrath and straight down by
Windgap (near the present railway station, Kilkenny)
to a drain under Lacken. This being stopped, he
crossed the River Nore, and ran down by the old
canal to the Black Quarry, where he was headed.
Recrossed the river, and was eventually killed at
Hebron. On both occasions the Master, the first Sir
John Power, crossed with the hounds, and was alone
with them when they killed, the field galloping round
by John's Bridge on a fruitless errand.
Many of the present field will have a lively recol-
lection of the fine run from Carricktriss to the walls
of Woodstock during last season ; and it will be
interesting to them to read the record of a similar
run more than fifty years ago, ending in a kill, as
well as two other great runs in the same country
during Sir John Power's mastership, as supplied by
one who was out : —
" Met at Mullenbcg cross-roads. Found at Car-
ricktriss. Fox went away within fifty yards of the
whole field. Sir John got his hounds out very quickly.
Ran very fast across the heath past the village of
Boolaghglass, on by Catstown ; left Hugginstown on
the left, and ran close up to Carrickshock, where
there was a slight check. Then bent rather to the
right and ran by Kiltorcan covert, but did not go
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 59
into it ; passed on over Jerpoint Hill into Grennan
wood, where hounds were stopped, and where we
viewed the fox swimming across the River Nore into
Dangan."
" Met at Mullenbeg cross-roads. Ran hard by
Boolaghglass village, where fox was headed, and
turning sharp to the right, went down past Lisma-
teige ; left Moonroe bog on the right, passed by
Greywood, on past Castlegannon, and straight on to
Coolnahaw ; leaving the covert to the right, dropped
into the valley ; crossed the Arrigle river, and up by
Firgrove into Mount Alto, where we killed our fox."
The point in both of these runs is upwards of ten
miles.
" Met at Castlemorres. Found at Wynne's gorse,
and ran down by Curraghmore and Tullahought
village, on nearly to the slate quarries ; turned to the
right, ran past Davis's gorse (without entering it) ;
on over the hill by Butler's wood and the back of
Killamery village ; by Garryricken, and on by
Coolagh cross-roads, where the fox was viewed just
in front of the pack ; ran him from scent to view,
and rolled him over in the open within three fields
of Ballytobin."
This run was somewhat in the shape of the letter
V reversed, the acute angle being at Killamery, and
distance traversed about twelve miles.
6O MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
CHAPTER V.
OF the early rules of the Kilkenny Hunt Club
there is now no record ; but as time went on they
were, no doubt, revised. In November, 1843, it
became necessary to pass certain resolutions as under,
the committee present being the Marquis of Ormonde,
the Earl of Desart, John Power (afterwards second
baronet), James K. Aylward, Clayton Savage, William
Bayly, Austin Butler, Joseph Greene.
Resolved, — That any gentleman being proposed for the Club, must
have his name, together with that of his proposer and seconder, placed
in the Club Room one clear week before the ballot takes place, which
will be held every Friday at ten o'clock during each meeting. Ten
members must be present at the ballot, and one black ball excludes.
Resolved, — That no member do introduce any person into the Club
Room during the meeting under any pretence. This rule having of
late been infringed upon, the Committee think it right to remind
members that this is one of the old rules of the Club, and ought to be
strictly adhered to.
Resolved, — That all yearly subscriptions to the Club and entrance
fees received by the secretary be lodged upon receipt in the Provincial
Bank, Kilkenny, to the credit of the Committee, and that the secretary
do keep the letters and vouchers of the Committee.
Agreed, — That an account be opened in the Provincial Bank, Kil-
kenny, to the credit of the Committee of the Kilkenny Hunting Club,
and that no money can be drawn without the signature of one of the
Committee.
Whatever the earlier rules may have been, there
was apparently nothing in the constitution of the Club
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 6l
which formed a bar to any escapade which a member
felt inclined to indulge in. For instance, Henry
Lord Waterford performed the feat of riding his
horse up the brass-bound staircase into the Club
Room (now the commercial room of the Club House
Hotel), jumping him over the dining-table, and
returning the way he came. Practical jokes of all
kinds were perpetrated continually ; but in the latter
years of the Club meetings they died out altogether,
and the festivities were limited to an occasional
dinner. The picture of the first Sir John Power
used to hang in the Club Room, but was afterwards
moved to Kilfane. Mr. John Walsh kept the Club
House for a great number of years, and was a well-
known character. The rules as to the admission of
" strangers" were very rigid, and on one occasion the
brother of one of the most prominent members of
the Club was refused permission to breakfast in the
Club Room. The Club subscription was ten guineas,
but was afterwards reduced to ,£5. The "Club
button" carried considerable authority with it, and
the mastership still more. Even one of Her Majesty's
judges on one occasion recognised the importance of
the office in the following manner : — Sir John Power
(second baronet) was serving on the County Grand
Jury, the business of which extended rather longer
than usual, and encroached on a hunting day. As
the hour for meeting approached, Sir John, with a
great-coat covering his pink, appeared in the Grand
Jury gallery, and, addressing his lordship, represented
that he had " important business," and requested to
be excused from further attendance. The judge
62 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
smilingly replied that, as he was aware that Sir John
Power's "important business" would be the means
of affording pleasure to many persons, he would
accede to his request, the business being nearly com-
pleted.
Shortly after the death of his father, Sir John
Power returned to Kilfane, and having fitted up
kennels at the stables built by his uncle, Richard
Power, adjoining the road above the church, moved
the hounds from the Sion kennels.
As his diaries of sport have, with one excep-
tion, been lost, it is difficult to give account of any
of his runs. A few, however, are here recorded. It
may be mentioned that, towards the close of his
mastership, Sir John, wishing not to be too much
tied to home by having to hunt the pack himself at
all times, had tried Mick Butler as huntsman. The
arrangement not proving satisfactory, Mick Butler
left, and went to Curraghmore about 1847. Subse-
quently he went to Ballydarton, to Mr. Watson,
where he remained some years. He died there from
the effects of a fall, and while lying in bed he, shortly
before his death, had his cap and whip hung where
he could see them on the wall. He was very fond of
hounds, a neat, smart man, and, it is needless to say,
that from the training he had had, knew his business
well. Stephen Goodall was promoted from second
whip to fill his place in the Kilfane kennels, and
remained with Sir John till he resigned the master-
ship in 1850, when he went to Kildarc, where he
afterwards made a great reputation as huntsman.
James Wilson was whip under him at Kilfane, and
James Dwyer also.
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 63
Sir John records in his diary a good run on De-
cember 28th, 1846 : — " Met at Desart. Found in the
decoy. Took a ring in the wood ; went away
through the pleasure ground for Farmly, skirted it,
turned to the left, passing Ballybur Castle, on near
to Tenny Park, where hounds checked (about thirty
minutes); on through Grange wood to near Bally-
keeffe, turned to the left through Desart, and lost at
the decoy. From near Grange a hunting run. Alto-
gether two hours twenty minutes. A very nice run
indeed. Tom Conolly, Goodall, and Wilson the only
men that rode it."
On the 2 1st November he met at Killeen (Lower),
the meet having been changed from Dr. Dillon's
gate, Ballyquin, to suit Prince George of Cambridge,
who came out. " No find at Killeen. From Kiltor-
can had a fine hunting run, but, unfortunately, the
fox went right over the bogs to near Firgrove, and
then retraced his steps to near Kyleagh, where he
was lost. The Prince must have a deep impression
of Kilkenny hunting."
Meeting at Thomastown, on January 2nd, 1847,
he had another good run from Kiltorcan, " leaving
Killeen to the left and to ground in the direction of
Carricktriss. Ran over a beautiful country ; pace
first-rate at times." About the same time he had
another very fast run from Castlewarren, ending at
Clara, in which Lord James Butler, on Barbarian, and
the late Mr. Edmond Smithwick of Kilcrcenc, cut
out the work, though both welters.
In the northern end of the county Sir John had
also some fine runs. The Rock, which was made by
64 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
the Rev. W. Gregory, then rector of Johnstown
about 1820, was one of his favourite coverts, and he
used to meet at Foyle Bridge to draw it. On one of
these occasions he learnt at the meet that a good
number of gentlemen from across the border were
waiting for him at the Rock. He immediately went
off to Beech Hill, a famous covert in the direction of
Ballyragget, where he found, and had a fine run up
to the Rock covert, where the peccant sportsmen
were still posted. Mr. Savage collected their half-
crowns, and then Sir John exclaimed, " Gentlemen,
we are now going home. You will please in future
come to the meet." The lesson was severe, but, no
doubt, necessary. Amongst the farmers Sir John was
immensely popular, and practically they would do
anything for him. Several hunted and went well,
amongst whom were some of the Hogan family from
Gaulstown, and other good sportsmen.
The number of ladies hunting had now increased.
The Misses Langrishe of Knocktopher came out ;
Miss Smithwick from Kilcreene a little later. During
the last two years of Sir John's mastership, Lady
Worcester (the present Duchess of Beaufort) was
hunting, and was a very fine horsewoman. Miss
Rosabel Langrishe (now Mrs. Williams, and still
riding) could hold her own in the best of company,
and Miss Smithwick saw many fine runs.
In the year 1850 Sir John Power resigned the
mastership, which had been held by himself and his
father for fifty-three years ; but the pack remained
his property for many years afterwards. Mr. George
Bryan of Jenkinstown thereupon took the hounds,
MR. GEORGE LEOPOLD BRYAN.
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 65
keeping thirty-one couple at Jcnkinstown, and having
Denny Callaghan as his huntsman. After one
season Thomas Mathews became huntsman, and
remained with the pack for some years. Mr. Bryan
was a fine horseman, and rode very well-bred horses.
He was quite a picture on a horse, being an unusually
handsome and striking-looking man. He showed
some good sport; but in 1852 he resigned, and the
Hunt was continued by a Committee, of which
Sir John Power was a prominent member. The
hounds were moved to St. James's Green, in Kil-
kenny, Matthews remaining on as huntsman, and
contracting with the Committee for all kennel
expenses, feeding hounds, &c. The contract, as
showing the cost of providing the various articles,
will be found in Appendix XI. It would seem that
Mr. Bryan hunted five days a fortnight, and the
same arrangement would appear to have been
continued under the Committee. The kennels at
St. James's Green, let to the Committee by Mr.
Thomas Bradley, who fitted them up, though
somewhat cramped and confined, and surrounded
by houses, were remarkably healthy, and hounds
did very well in them during the dozen seasons they
remained there. In 1854 Matthews left, and Lord
James Butler took the hounds in 1855, engaging a
man named Purslow as huntsman. Lord James, as
stated before, was a welter, but a very hard rider.
In 1851 a steeplechase, somewhat in the nature of
a point-to-point race, came off at the Whitefields
of Coppcnagh, on the hills behind Kilfane, between
members of the Hunt, when Lord James sailed in
66 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
first on his horse Freebooter, Mr. Bryan being
second on Blueskin, and Mr. Kellett third on May-
boy. A light-weight race followed, and it is remark-
able that the timing in the welter race won by Lord
James was very nearly as good as that of the light-
weight. There was a big wall near the finish. Lord
James made a popular Master, and turned out his
men well. He hunted three days a week, and an
account of some of his runs, as chronicled in his
diary, follows. He rode and kept good horses, such
as Giantess, Snowdrop, Grimalkin, Primrose, Fusilier,
Brian Boru, Moll, Lord Gough, Tam-o'-Shanter,
Princess, &c.
"1855, 26th November, Meet, Gowran. — Found
two foxes in Gowran, which were both run to
ground. Found at Bishopslough, fox headed, ran
back, and was killed in covert. Went away with
another very fast to Castlegarden bog, through it,
and on to Kilfane, passed through the head of the
wood — some hounds getting on another fox — and
towards the chapel of Mong, turning towards
Dangan, ran through Brown's Barn to the wood
on the left bank of the river at Kilmacshane bridge,
where they eat him. Very fine pace all through,
the hounds nearly by themselves."
The point is about six and a-half miles.
" December 3rd, Club-house. — Large meet. Found
at Sutcliffe's gorsc, ran fast to Castle Blunden, then,
as usual, towards the town, afterwards slowly to
Birchfield, and lost him running, I think, for Kilfera.
Found at Knockroe, ran as if for Sutcliffe's, then
towards Barnaglissawny, afterwards, turning again,
LORD JAMES WANDESFORDE BUTLER.
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 67
ran to Brown's wood, and took off the hounds at
dark. The turns threw out most of the field. The
dinner at the Club of supporters afterwards went
off well. Some thirty dined. A good deal of
speaking."
" December 24th, Club-house. — Knockroe blank.
Found at Oldtown, and ran straight and very fast to
BallykeefTe, about the wood a bit, broke near the
quarry, turned back, and was eaten. Found at
Sutcliffe's gorse, and broke quickly. Ran very fast,
as if for Castle Blunden, went again to the right,
then again to the left — the old line — but was headed
in the middle of a field. Ran very fast over
Ballyhendriken bottoms to Bonnetstovvn, over a very
stiff country, there lost a shoe, and pulled up, the
hounds having got at least two fields away from me.
They ran into Bonnetstown, turned to the left, ran
under Knockroe, and were taken off at Stannard's
farm at Ballydowel, near Ballinamara. The whip
went through with ' Tarn ' well ; Marum and Mr.
Sullivan also. Purslow got up at last, but was thrown
out at the turn at Ballyhendriken. No check."
At the end of the season Lord James Butler re-
signed, and never hunted very much afterwards. He
was a singularly gifted man, with highly intellectual
tastes and much general information, and as a con-
versationalist shone much in society. He was a
remarkably fine, handsome man. He was succeeded
in 1856 by Lord St. Lawrence, the present Lord
Howth, who still keeps the saddle, and hunts at
Pau. During the five years he was in Kilkenny he
showed capital sport. A light-weight, a good rider,
68 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
always well mounted, and devoted to hunting — being,
indeed, bred to it — he was bound to succeed, and
during his regime the Kilkennies prospered.
After the resignation of Sir John Power, Club
meetings had become fewer, and the field consider-
ably lessened. Matters, in fact, had got into low
water to some extent ; but on Lord St. Lawrence's
advent there was a decided revival, Lord Howth and
Lord Clanricarde, both capital men across country,
coming down to hunt, together with some other
visitors. Mr. Robert Watson also came down from
Carlow from time to time, with his pack, to keep the
ball rolling. Lord St. Lawrence had as his first
huntsman George Jones, and afterwards Pat Cody;
and as first whip he had Jem Monahan, who after-
wards became a trainer at the Curragh, and rode
many good races. During his mastership, Lord St.
Lawrence occupied a house at the corner of James's
Green, near the railway station, Kilkenny ; but much
of his time was spent at Kilfane and elsewhere in the
county.
Some good sport marked Lord St. Lawrence's first
season, of which the two following days are speci-
mens : —
"Jan. I2th, 1857. — Met at Kilmanagh. Found at
Killeen, and ran hard in the direction of Kilcooly.
Turning down to the Munster River, which forms the
boundary between the counties of Kilkenny and
Tipperary, hounds ran fast down its bank to Shipton,
through Pottlerath, but turning there, made a wide
ring by Oldtown, and back to Killccn. Here it was
conjectured that a change of foxes might have taken
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 69
place. Going away again, hounds brought their fox
down to Shipton, and then ran at a slapping pace
nearly up to Ballintaggert wood, but did not enter it.
Making a wide sweep to the right, they ran into the
County Tipperary, passed by the village of Farren-
rory, and then straight into Kilcooly, right through
the demesne, and on over the bottoms towards
Woodsgift ; but again bearing right-handed, this stout
fox succeeded in reaching the earth in the Punchbowl
covert. The huntsman got a fall ; but Lord St.
Lawrence and Mr. Bryan, with a few Tipperary
gentlemen, saw the whole run. All the other horses
were beaten, and Lord St. Lawrence's horse so done
up that he had to leave him at a farmhouse." The
time this run occupied is not recorded, but it was fast
as a whole, and the extent of country covered could
scarcely have been less than fifteen miles. It is
needless to tell any of the present Kilkenny field —
who have of late years enjoyed such a succession of
fine runs in the Kilmanagh country — that the line
was, for the most part, over the finest portion of the
Kilkenny country.
On the 26th of the same month, meeting at the
Barracks, Kilkenny, where the i6th Lancers were
then quartered, a fox was found at Kilmogar, and ran
down over a fine grass line nearly to Lcyrath.
Wheeling back, however, he ran up to Clara and over
the Brown Mountain on to Frencystown, and by
Baurnafea into Castlewarren covert, straight through
it, and down to the Dublin road, where, hard frost
having set in, hounds had to be stopped.
The following season was also marked by many
7O MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
good runs, amongst which the following may be
chronicled : —
February loth, 1858.— Met at Shankill. After
drawing several coverts without much result, a game
fox was found at Kilmogar, and went away up wind
through Clara, and over the bottoms of Flagmount,
through the covert, and passing the wood of Castle-
warren on the right ran along the valley through
Baurnafea, and on towards Uskerty ; but turning
into the wind again, hounds ran at a great pace nearly
to Old Leighlin, where he made a short turn, and
reached Mr. Aylward's gorse covert over Shankill.
Time up to this point was an hour and ten minutes,
and distance traversed about ten miles. Here hounds
divided, seven couple going on towards Castlewarren
with the hunted fox, and were not found when night
set in. Remainder of the pack were stopped off
other foxes. Mr. Bryan and the late Sir Richard
Power (then a boy) cut out the work, but most horses
were beaten, even Mr. Marum's succumbing.
Two days later (i2th February), meeting at Bally-
ragget, and finding at Pheroda, Lord St. Lawrence
had a capital gallop towards Castlecomer, then turn-
ing to Fennon, wheeled back past Pheroda, and on to
the Rock covert ; crossed the Ballinakill road, and
thence to Decrpark to ground. From Conahy he
had a second very fast spin of twenty-five minutes
past Fennon and into Castlecomer to ground.
In the following November he had a sporting run
from Uskerty into Ballyfoyle to ground ; a blazing
thirty-five minutes, which Mr. Robert Stannard, Mr.
Marum, Mr. Thomas Power, and the two Messrs.
VISCOUNT ST LAWRENCE
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. /I
Smithwick saw best. During the season Lord Clan-
ricarde, Lord Howth, Lord Droghcda, Lord Dun-
kellin, and Lord Listowel came down to hunt, as did
some others.
In January, 1859, meeting at Ballykceffe, after a
sharp scurry of thirty minutes to ground at Pottlerath,
a bold fox was found at Oldtown, and running past
Mount Gale, Ballinamara, Wellbrook, and Leugh,
finally reached Barnaglissawny, after a good run
over a fine line of grass. Killeen furnished a racing
gallop of twenty-seven minutes to ground at Kil-
dreena on February 2nd ; and on the 2ist there was a
fine run from the Rock by Belmont towards Durrow,
through Aharney, over Binonea hill, and a kill in the
open within a few fields of Bally ring covert.
72 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
CHAPTER VI.
IN the year 1859 Lord Waterford was killed in the
hunting field while running a fox from one of the
coverts in the hills above Bessborough ; and on the
1 5th June of that year, a committee of the Hunt
Club, consisting of Mr. Flood of Farmly, Mr. John
Walsh of Fanningstown, Sir John Power, and Mr.
Edward Lewis Warren, recommended that that por-
tion of the Kilkenny country hunted by Lord Water-
ford, and the portion known as Briscoe's country,
together with Carricktriss, Tory Hill, and Knock-
brack, be given up to Lord Bessborough, as chairman
of the Curraghmore Hunt Committee, on his guaran-
teeing to the Kilkenny Hunt the sum of .£50 per
annum, which, however, Mr. Warren considered
should be £?$. This recommendation was adopted
by a general meeting of subscribers to the Kilkenny
Hunt on the 2/th of the same month, with the
stipulation that the arrangement should only last for
one year, and that, if Kilkenny desired to resume
the country, they could do so on giving notice, &c.
Correspondence on the subject will be found in
Appendix VIII.
It may be mentioned that Lord \Vaterford had
been lent additional coverts in the Kilkenny country
on account of Lord St. Lawrence hunting only five
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 73
clays a fortnight, and used to meet at Hugginstown,
Castle Morres, Newmarket, &c., drawing Kiltorcan,
Sir John's gorse, and Lower Killeen, as well as
Wynne's gorse, Carricktriss, &c. Wynne's gorse
received its name from the fact that an officer named
Wynne, of the 68th Light Infantry, quartered in Kil-
kenny, and who hunted much with the Kilkennies
and took a great interest in the sport, selected the
spot for the covert. He was killed at Inkermann.
Locally the covert has always been called " Black
bog," the name of the townland on which it is
planted. Both Sir John Power and Lord Waterford
had many good runs from it.
About this time there were hunting in Kilkenny
many of Sir John Power's old friends, and, in addi-
tion, the following gentlemen :— Mr. Warren of
Lodge Park, who went well on a little brown horse ;
Mr. Staunton of Seskin, Mr. C. Gregory, Mr. Thomas
Power, Mr. James Tidmarsh, the Messrs. Smithwick,
Mr. Hort, Mr. Alexander Hamilton, Mr. Hamilton
Law, Mr. Brent Neville, Colonel Mollan, Mr. Grove
Annesley, Mr. Cahill, Mr. William (now Sir William)
Blunden, Major Wemyss, the present Colonel Izod,
Mr. George Bryan of Jenkinstown, Mr. M'Creery,
Mr. George Webb, Mr. W. Cormick, Mr. Ralph Bun-
bury, Mr. R. Wright, Mr. H. M. de Montmorency,
Mr. John de Montmorency and his sons, Captain
Langrishe (now Sir James Langrishe), Mr. C. B.
Ponsonby, roth Hussars ; Sir Henry Marsh, Major
St. George, Mr. Maher, Mr. Seigne, Mr. H. Burt-
chacll, Mr. Bookey of Doninga, Mr. Kavanagh of
Borris, Mr. Bolger of Ballinabarney, Mr. Arthur
F
74 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
St. George, Mr. Anthony Packe, Mr. Hutchinson,
the present Lord Desart, when at home ; Mr. Augus-
tus Kennedy, Major the Hon. L. Agar Ellis (now
Lord Clifden), and others.
Besides these were several good men from the
Queen's County and from Tipperary. Belonging to
the former county none was better than Mr. Charles
White, though only one-armed ; and of the Tip-
perary men few could beat Mr. George Gough of
Birdhill, a light-weight, and at one time Master of
the Tipperary Hounds. He died quite recently,
and had hunted regularly till within a few years of
his death. Many of these friends from across the
borders had been in the habit of attending Kilkenny
meets in the time of Sir John Power's mastership.
Of the old field none were going better than Mr.
John Wade, who, indeed, rode well for more than
twenty years longer, Mr. Marum, Mr. Robert Stan-
nard, Mr. Rochfort, Mr. Flood, Mr. Thomas Power ;
but some of the best of the old men, such as Mr.
Clayton Savage, Mr. William Bayly, Sir Richard
Cox, Mr. Power of Gurteen, and others, had passed
away, and the green fields of Kilkenny knew them
no more. Of these, Mr. Savage was the last to go.
He had been a close friend of Sir John, and usually
collected the half-crowns in the field, a duty which
was afterwards taken up by Mr. John Wade, who
performed that and many other important functions
in connection with the Hunt up to a late period of
life, and took the keenest interest in its welfare up to
the last.
Captain Thomas Ponsonby was still a familiar
MEMOIR OK THE KILKENNY HUNT. 75
figure in the field, and remained so for many years
afterwards; and Mr. Congreve Fleming kept the field
during the whole of the succeeding mastership, and
during a portion of Mr. Briscoe's time. So did Mr.
Flood, Mr. Robert Stannard, Mr. Rochfort, Mr.
Marum, Mr. Thomas Lalor, and Mr. Aylward. In
addition to the above may be mentioned the follow-
ing, who also hunted with the Kilkenny Hounds
about this time, or during the two succeeding reigns : —
Major Bunbury (a very hard man, who rode well-
bred horses), Mr. James Poe, Mr. Mosse, the Messrs.
Murphy of Mount Loftus, Mr. John Power, Mr.
Doyle, the Earl of Carrick (who usually bred his
own horses, and rode them well), Mr. Richard Bushe,
Mr. Bookey, Mr. Hamilton Law, Mr. Cormick, Mr.
Samuel Bruce (afterwards Master of the Duhallows),
Mr. Cramer Roberts, Dr. Bradley, Mr. Cooper, Mr.
J. Connellan, Mr. Adams, Mr. Pallin, Mr. James
Sullivan, Mr. Hart, Mr. J. Xowlan, Mr. Joseph
Thacker, Mr. Richard (afterwards Sir Richard)
Power, the Messrs. Jones of Mullinabro, Messrs.
St. George, and others. Lord Bessborough rarely
missed a meet at his end of the country, and,
though he was never a hard rider, loved a hunt as
well as any man, and saw much of the doings of a
day. Colonel Tighc joined in on his side, as did Mr.
Alexander Hamilton, who hunted the Woodstock
Harriers for about ten years in the neighbourhood
of Inistiogc, where hares were then abundant, and
where most days were marked by a gallop over the
slopes of Brandon or the walls of Kilcross.
76 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
CHAPTER VII.
IN 1 86 1 Mr. Henry William Meredyth took the
hounds. He was son of the late Sir Henry
Meredyth, who had married the only daughter of
Mr. Bayly of Norelands, and father of the present
Sir Henry, who succeeded his grandfather in the
baronetcy. Mr. Meredyth engaged William Boxall
as huntsman. He was a very good man in kennel,
and remained with the Kilkennies for several years.
Mr. Meredyth was a good sportsman, and " built to
ride," being tall and beautifully made, and no
man could have looked better on a horse. He
was a good shot, fisherman, and cricketer, and a
cheery, genial man. He rode very trained horses,
generally above his weight. After four seasons Mr.
Meredyth took the horn himself, Boxall whipping
in to him ; but the latter then left, and afterwards
hunted the Dartmoor pack for years. He retired on
full annuity from Hunt Servants' Benefit Society
some years since. Walter Bell replaced him for one
season, and then Mr. Meredyth engaged Richard
Scarth, who belonged to a family of Yorkshire
yeomen. He was a fine rider and a keen man, and
remained with Mr. Meredyth to the close of his
mastership, having John Tidd as whip, subsequently
going to Kildare under Sir Edward Kenned}-, and
eventually emigrating to Canada.
Met. HENRY WILLIAM MEREOYTH.
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 77
Mr. Meredyth's reign lasted nine years, and much
good sport, especially in his earlier seasons, was
enjoyed. About 1866 he moved the hounds from
James's Green to Xorelands. In 1867 Sir John
Power sold the pack to a Committee of the Hunt
Club for ^300, with a proviso that should they be
given up at any future time, his son and successor
should have the refusal of them at that price. The
ownership of the pack thus passed from Sir John
Power's family after uninterrupted possession for
more than seventy years. Mr. Meredyth hunted
three days a week, and had an occasional " bye."
He followed the custom of hunting a May fox, and
there are some who may recollect how that meeting
at Rosbercon, on the 3rd of May, about the year
1865, he found a fox at Lucy's Rock, and ran him to
the top of Tory Hill.
Amongst Mr. Meredyth's good runs in that
country may be mentioned a run from Woodstock
into Lucy's Rock, an eight mile point over a nice
country ; and the usual run from Brownstown wood,
a covert belonging to Sir John Power, was into
Lucy's Rock or Annaghs, both about five miles from
Brownstown. At that time there were no intervening
coverts, Weatherstown having been made by the
late Lord Waterford, and Mullinahone an unfenced
piece of gorse.
The following good runs took place during Mr.
Meredyth's mastership. In February, 1866, meeting
at Five-Mile Stone, a fox was found at Castlewarren,
and went away over the stream and nearly to Old
Leighlin, but turned through Shankill and down to
78 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
Paulstown, wheeled round, and ran up to Flagmount,.
passed by the covert, and went on across the
bottoms to Clara, through that covert, and out at
the bottom, and was run into three fields from the
covert. Time, one hour fifty minutes. In February,.
1867, a blazing gallop from Chapel Izod, leaving
Knockdrinya to the right, by Stonecarty, Oldtown,
on towards Jerpoint. Turned into Mount Juliet, ran
through it and Norelands, and eventually marked to
ground in Norelands. At the close of 1867, Mr.
Meredyth had a very fast run from Mount Juliet by
Ennisnag, turned back, and ran past Norelands and
Mount Juliet to Goatsbridge, close up to Thomas-
town ; but turned past Frank's plantation, and went
on to Ballyconway, bore to the left, and ran down to
Coolmore to ground. Mr. Meredyth had also some
fine runs in the Mount Loftus country, and much
sport in the country round Kilmoganny. In the
Freshford country, Ballyring and the Punchbowl
were his best coverts.
Unfortunately, the close of Mr. Mcredyth's master-
ship was marked by some very unpleasant incidents,
which at one time threatened to break up the Hunt,
and which arc now best forgotten ; but the good
services of the late Lord Portsmouth and the present
Lord Cork, who kindly consented to act as mediators,
restored the good feeling which is a necessary quality
amongst all hunting communities. It is enough to
say that when Mr. Meredyth retired he did so with
honour, and with the thanks of the Hunt for his
efforts to promote sport. His portrait was presented
to him, and a photograph of it is attached. He was
MR. HENRY WHITBY BRISCOE.
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 79
very popular in the field, and turned out his men and
hounds well. He died in 1878.
After his retirement in the spring of 1870 there
was a considerable difficulty in providing a Master,
partly owing to the differences which had arisen.
This difficulty, however, was happily overcome by the
offer of Mr. Henry Briscoe of Tinvane (at the instance
of Mr. Poe) to take the Hounds, and it is probable
that, under the circumstances, no better selection
could have been found. Mr. Briscoe, who, it will be
remembered, had a pack of his own, and hunted the
Bessborough country, had taken the Curraghmore
Hounds on the death in the hunting field of Henry
Lord Waterford in 1859, and had kept them till
1870, when the late Lord Waterford took them up
again. It will be apparent that Mr. Briscoe, from his
long experience, possessed many qualifications for the
mastership of any pack, but in the present case he
was especially fitted for the post. He knew the
country and the people in it ; he was very popular
with all classes ; and he brought a ripe experience to
bear in the matter of hounds, horses, and hunting,
having carried the horn so many years. Few men
have understood better the breeding of horses ; pro-
bably none the breeding of hounds. With regard to
the former, he, perhaps, imported more good sires
than most men of his day. Red Heart, Glenmasson
(sire of Emigrant), Legatee (sire of Pale Star), all
made their mark, and proved a great benefit to a
wide district ; but still better than any of these was
Great Heart, sire of Ace of Hearts and other good
horses. Mr. Briscoe had himself been a good man
8O MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
between the flags when young. He won several
races with a mare by Economist, and on Wedge won
his last steeplechase at Whitefields, beating Lord
Waterford, Mr. Power of Gurteen, and Lord Desart,
all three first-rate men across a country. In the
matter of hounds he had greatly improved the Cur-
raghmore pack, which he had hunted himself ; and
when he took over the Kilkennies, proceeded to im-
port sires and breed largely. At first he had to
procure drafts, but after two seasons he relied on his
own entry to supply vacancies, and in the year 1875
he put forward fourteen couple, of which he says, in
a letter to the Hunt Committee, " he was rather
proud." By the wish of the Hunt Committee he
engaged John Tidd as huntsman, and got William
Nevard as whip. The hounds were moved to Blunden
Villa, near Kilkenny, where they remained for about
fifteen years, and hunt stables were fitted up in the
town. Sir James Langrishe, who had acted as Hunt
Secretary for about nine years, and had done much
good service in that capacity, resigned in 18/1, and
was succeeded by Mr. Seigne ; whilst John Hcarns
was appointed earth-warner for the greater part of
the county in place of Doolcy, incapacitated by ill-
health, and has remained in that position ever since.
Needless to say, Mr. Briscoe showed good sport,
and his second season must ever stand out as a red-
letter epoch. John Heffcrnan, who had been hunts-
man in Tipperary at one time, succeeded Nevard as
whip, and later on William Ouinn came from Cur-
raghmore, where he had been second whip under
John Duke.
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 8 1
During Mr. Briscoe's mastership there was a fine
run of sport. Amongst many good days it is no
easy task to select the best ; but there are two
sportsmen now living who will recall with pleasure
a great run from Kiltorcan, inasmuch as they alone
saw it, nobody else being near hounds, viz., Mr. <• *<-
Hamilton -Stubber of Moyne, in the Queen's County, **"*'*
and Mr. William Forbes of Garryhunden, in the
County Carlow. By a lucky chance at the railway
near Knockwilliam, they jumped into the old road
near an arch, and, when they had passed under the
line, found themselves alone with hounds (the re-
mainder of the field being "hungup" lower down),
and had the run to themselves. Hounds ran quite
straight and without check past Hugginstown and
Boolyglass village, over the Kilmacoliver hills, and
into the vale below, killing their fox — a small, dark
one — in an orchard between Castletown and Bess-
borough. The time was a little over an hour, and
the pace so good that none of the field overtook
them. The point is between nine and ten miles, and
those who know the line will recognise what a fine
country was traversed.
The following were amongst Mr. Briscoe's many
good things: —
1871, 1 3th January. — Found at Knock roc, ran
very hard by Stannard's plantation into Upper-
court, right through it, and out at the far end
nearly to Kilrush, but wheeled round to the right,
passed near Freshford, and up the hills again. Ran
nearly up to Knockroe, but bore left-handed, and left
off at Brownswood at dark. During this run Mr.
82 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
Edmond Smithwick was so unfortunate as to stake
and kill his horse, which gave rise to the lines written
by Major Whyte Melville, who was out, and which
will be found in the Appendix.
The 25th January may be marked as a red-letter
day. Meeting at Coolagh cross-roads, where Lord
Waterford and a large contingent from the Curragh-
more Hunt put in an appearance, Mr. Briscoe drew
Garryricken, found at once, and, after a turn in covert,
went away with a big game fox up to Butler's wood,,
bore right-handed, and went on to Killamery, then
ran past Kilvemnon, and nearly up to Mullinahone,
wheeled round towards Callan, and back to Garry-
ricken. Without dwelling a moment, this stout fox
pursued his way straight through the demesne, and
passing by Coolagh, nearly reached Bally tobin, but
kept left-handed, and travelled on nearly to Harley
Park, from whence he worked his way back by Kil-
coran to Garryricken, where he saved his brush by
squeezing into a rabbit hole, after a fine hunt, albeit
a twisting one, of four hours over a very heavy
country. It is superfluous to say that horses were
well beat, and many did not get through the run.
Towards the close of 1871, Mr. Briscoe had a fine
run from Grcnnan, a double ring, which ended at
Coolnahaw at nightfall ; fast all through ; one hour
and twenty minutes.
On the 1 5th January, 1873, meeting at Freshford,
a fox was found at Barrington's gorsc, ran hard to the
Punchbowl, straight through it, and away into the
bottoms nearly to Woodsgift. Leaving this to the
right hand, ran through Tallyho, and bang into
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 85
Kilcooly, where the fox passing the open earth was
killed just beyond it. This was a cracking fifty
minutes, and none saw it better than Mr. Robert
Stannard, though then not far short of seventy years
old.
On February r/th, meeting at Dunmore, Mr.
Briscoe brought off a fine ring from Ballyfoyle by
Gaulstown, nearly to Uskerty, over the Brown
mountain, and so back by Wildfields and Park. In
the same year he had two fine runs from Kiltorcan,.
closely following each other, and from Ballyspellan,.
drawn at twenty minutes to four on the 5th Decem-
ber, he scored a blazing forty-three minutes by
Frankfort, Persse's gorse, the Seven Sisters, Mary-
mount, right into Urlingford village in the dark.
On the 2 1st December the same covert furnished
another fine run to ground at Marymount, and the
Punchbowl a capital run through Barrington's gorse,.
past Trenchardstown and Tullaroan, and to ground
on Mr. Dillon's farm.
During Mr. Briscoe's mastership it happened more
than once that deficiencies existed in the matter of
finances, and that difficulties were encountered in
making up the sum required for the Master. On
one occasion — in 1874 — Lord Ormonde, who was a
great supporter of the Hunt, gave an additional £70
for the purpose mentioned, and in 1875 he cleared
off a debt of ^500. This was followed by large
donations on other occasions ; and it is certainly not
too much to say that he saved the Hunt, if not from
extinction, at all events from dropping to a two days
a week affair, and that, had he not come forward
84 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
when he did, the Hunt would have been placed in a
very awkward position from not being able to meet
its engagements.
On the loth May, 1871, a proposal was received
from Lord Waterford, through Mr. Horace Rochfort
of Clogrennan, at a Hunt meeting, to take over the
Rosbercon country (often erroneously called the
" Ross " country), which Mr. Briscoe declined to
hunt. This tract of country embraces all the area
from Tory Hill to the village of Rosbercon, and from
that up to Woodstock. Lord Waterford proposed
to take the country for ten years, and to make new
coverts, &c. The arrangement proposed was carried
out, and remained in force till the Curraghmore
Hunt came to an end. This country has for the
last few years been hunted by the Kilkenny Hounds
again, having reverted to the Kilkenny Hunt when
Lord Waterford gave up the country. In the early
autumn of 1873 Sir Jonn Tower died in London,
aged seventy-five. He had hunted regularly up to
the last two years of his life, and a very few years
before his death hunted six days a week with the
Duke of Beaufort, whilst staying at Badminton
during part of the season, riding just as forward as
he had ever done. Whilst staying in Dorsetshire
during the spring of 1872, he went too earl)- to a
meet, caught a chill whilst waiting, and was sei/ed
with a stroke, from which, indeed, he rallied, but was
never the same man afterwards, and was never able
to hunt again. His death left a gap in the Kilkenny
hunting field and in Kilkenny society which it is
scarcely possible to estimate. All over Ireland, and,
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 85
indeed, to a great extent in England, his authority
on all matters pertaining to hunting was unques-
tioned ; whilst as a country gentleman, his kindly,
hospitable nature, and his hearty, genial manner,
made him beloved wherever he went, and especially
in his own home, where he loved to sec all round
him happy. He was in all matters as "straight" as
in his riding, the truest of friends and best of
neighbours, and his death was regretted by all
classes. He was succeeded by his eldest surviving
son (his eldest boy, John, having died from the effects
of a kick from a horse at Boulogne whilst quite
young), the late Sir Richard Power, who inherited
much of his character, and was himself a beautiful
horseman, always riding good horses and sound ones.
Sir John had five sons and one daughter, viz., (i)
John, who predeceased him ; (2) Richard, third
baronet, died in 1892 ; (3) Adam Clayton; (4) George;
(5) William ; (6) Augusta, now Lady Wade. The
latter rode well, and often accompanied her father
when hounds met within reach. Mr. Richard Power,
who married Miss Elliott of Goldingtonbury, Bedford-
shire, in 1869, lived for some years in Kildare after
his marriage, and, together with Mrs. Power, hunted
much there, and afterwards in Kilkenny. He died,
much regretted, in 1892, and was succeeded by his
eldest son, the present Sir John Power.
•86 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
CHAPTER VIII.
IN 1876 Mr. Briscoe resigned the mastership, and
received on retirement a testimonial from the Hunt,
in the shape of a well-filled purse, and a resolution
of thanks for the fine sport he had afforded, as well
as for the state in which he left the pack, which, as
the resolution proposed by Sir James Langrishe ex-
presses it, was in a state of " unsurpassed efficiency."
He was succeeded by Colonel Frank Chaplin, who
had commanded the 4th Dragoon Guards. He did
not profess to be a houndsman, but he knew where to
get good hounds, and kept up the pack by fresh
blood. He also bought good horses, and mounted
his men well. Jack Tidd remained on as huntsman,
with W. Ouinn as whip. Colonel Chaplin retained
the mastership for four years. During his first season
he had very fair sport. Two runs from Bishopslough
deserve mention, and, curious to say, occurred within
two days of each other.
Meeting on I5th January, 1877, at Flagmount,
after a run of forty-five minutes from Flagmount to
ground at Gowran, Bishopslough furnished a good
fox, which ran nearly to Gowran, then turned left-
handed, and went on by Blanchfield, and to Clifden
bottoms. One hour and fifteen minutes.
On January I7th the meet was at Lcyrath Gate.
Clifden (not unnaturally) was blank, but Bishops-
COLONEL FRANK CHAPLIN.
CAPTAIN
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 87
lough held a fox — not unlikely the same fox as
afforded the run two days previously — which went
away the same line nearly to Gowran, which he left
on his right, and went straight on to Flagmount,
which he reached in forty-nine minutes, just in front
of the pack. Here a change of foxes occurred, and
hounds ran to Castlewarren and back, but getting
on to the original fox, killed him.
On November I3th, 1878, Colonel Chaplin had a
good run from Clara, over Freestone Hill, across the
Dublin road, and on past Clashwilliam. Ran close
to Bishopslough, turned right-handed, came through
Blanchfield and Clifden bottoms, and marked to
ground in Leyrath. The following January he had
a very fine run from Butler's wood by Windgap,
close to Wynne's gorse, passed Owning covert, and
by Kilmacoliver into Castletown, where hounds were
stopped in the dark.
In 1880 Colonel Chaplin resigned, and was re-
placed by Captain Hartopp, a very fine rider, though
a \vclter. There were some fine runs in his first
season, though part of the country was short of
foxes. He retained John Tidd as huntsman, and had
Stephen Smith and Ben Capell (late huntsman to
the Blankney, and now huntsman to the Belvoir) as
first and second whips. Smith left at the end of
Captain Hartopp's first season, and Dan Carroll
came as second whip.
About the best run during Captain Ilartopp's
mastership was from Gowran. Going away on the
western side of the demesne, a very stout fox took a
good line nearly up to Bishopslough, but bore right-
88 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
handed, crossed the railway some way on the Kil-
kenny side of Gowran station, passed Flagmount and
Castlewarren coverts on his right, ran through Clara,
and away nearly to Uskerty wood ; but, turning left-
handed at the road above it, passed by Muckalee
Chapel and so on to Ballyfoyle covert, where he
found safety in the earth. Though this run was not
straight, it covered a great extent of country, and is
remarkable for the number of coverts which were
passed, but not entered, by this very bold fox.
On the resignation of Captain Hartopp in 1882,
the hounds fell under the management of a com-
mittee, consisting of the Earl of Desart, Mr. Daniel
Smithwick, Mr. James Sullivan, Mr. C. B. Ponsonby,
and Major Bunbury ; but at the close of the year
Lord Desart took the sole mastership, and kept the
hounds until the spring of 1884, showing good sport
under most trying circumstances, and using every
endeavour to keep up the pack, which, from relying
on drafts rather than on home-bred entries, had to a
certain extent deteriorated, and working with a very
attenuated subscription.
The agitation with which Ireland was then con-
vulsed naturally affected most hunting districts, and
Kilkenny was no exception, though it suffered much
less than many other Hunts. Gradually, as matters
settled, troubles died out, and disappeared altogether
nearly ten years since. But it is not too much to
say that Lord Desart came in for the most difficult
period.
It is not intended to attempt to chronicle the
sport during his mastership, but the following run
THE EARL OF DESART
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 89
may be mentioned as amongst his best : — Finding at
the Punchbowl, hounds ran hard over Knocknamuck
Hill, passed Tullaroan on the right, and went as if
for Oldtown, but bearing left-handed, swept along
the bottoms under Knockroe, by Ballinamara,
Stannard's plantations, past Wellbrook, Leugh, and
into Barnaglissawney. All who know the country
will recognise what a fine line of grass was traversed
in this run, which was fast the whole way.
In 1884 Captain Butson, from the County Galway,
became Master on Lord Desart's resignation. About
this time the pack was rather short, and the necessity
arose for procuring hounds, as getting puppies walked
was no easy matter. A chance of a strong draft, or
rather of a pack, from Tipperary occurring, Lord
Desart purchased it, and generously sold it to the
Hunt for half the sum he had paid for it, and thus
relieved the Hunt of a rather serious trouble. Captain
Butson, on John Tidd leaving, took the horn himself
his second season, with George Brown as kennel
huntsman, and with Tom Glasson and Tom Whelan
as whips.
During Captain Butson's mastership the Hunt
funds had become much in debt, and it is but proper
that a tribute of thanks should be recorded for a very
munificent act on the part of the late Lord Clifden,
who was then hunting in the country, and who not
only gave a very large subscription to the Hunt, but
paid off a debt of ,£550 which had accrued, and, in
addition, gave a further donation of £100 to the funds.
In 1886 Captain Butson resigned, and Brown went
to the Blackmoor Vale as huntsman. The subscrip-
G
9O MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
tions had now greatly fallen off, and it seemed in-
evitable that the affairs of the Hunt must be wound
up, and the pack dispersed, in order to meet outstand-
ing liabilities. In fact a portion of the pack was
actually sold, and went to England, and the remainder
was in process of being disposed of to Mr. Burke,
Master of the Tipperary Hounds, when Mr. Edmond
Smithwick of Kilcreene, to his honour be it spoken,
came forward just in time, and bought back twenty
couple of hounds, to which Mr. Burke very sportingly
waived his right, remarking that " if he could help it,
Kilkenny should never be without a hound." Thus
was the Hunt saved from dissolution.
The difficulty of mastership was solved by Captain
Chaloner Knox agreeing, at the request of some
members of the Hunt, to hunt the hounds two days
a week for the ensuing season, confining himself to
coverts on the western side of the River Nore. Mr.
Robert Watson very sportingly undertook to hunt
the other side of the country in order to keep it open,
and showed good sport for the season. Amongst
other runs, he had a rare gallop in the teeth of a gale
of wind and rain from Castlewarren to Ballysalla to
ground, and a very fine hunting run from Gowran,
with a kill in the open.
At the beginning of the season, Captain Knox
procured George Mulhall as kennel huntsman from
the Queen's County, where he had long filled a
similar post under Colonel Garden and Mr. Hamil-
ton Stubbcr, and, by permission of Lord Desart,
moved the hounds from Blunden Villa to Desart
Court, where he fitted up temporary kennels. Capt.
CAPT. R. CHALONER KNOX.
MAJOR J. H. CONNELLAN.
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. QI
Knox had some good sport, a brilliant gallop from
Ballyring being about his best.
At the close of the season he resigned, and was
succeeded in 1887 by Major Connellan, who moved
the hounds, which he purchased from Mr. Smithwick,
to kennels at Ennisnag. Here he kept them for
three seasons, hunting them himself with George
Mulhall as kennel huntsman.
In the spring of 1890 he was succeeded by
Captain Langrishe, who has retained the mastership
ever since with much success. For one season
Mr. Charles Nugent Humble brought a pack to
Portlaw, and hunted the Rosbercon country, as well
as some coverts near the southern end of the
county ; but for the past two seasons Captain
Langrishe has resumed every portion of Kilkenny,
hunting four and five days a week. In 1891 Mulhall
was succeeded by P. F. Dalton, who came from
Pembrokeshire, having, however, hunted the Duhal-
lows some years back, and having served with the
Kildares and Louths at one time. William Stacey
served as second whip to Mr. Langrishe for several
seasons, and last year was replaced by William
Wheatley. The pack is now the property of the
Master, and has been moved from Knnisnag to his
own residence, where they will be under more direct
supervision.
Mr. Seigne resigned the secretaryship of the Hunt
in 1880, after holding it for nearly ten years, and
was succeeded by Captain R. C. Knox. Later on
Captain Stannard held the post, and the succeeding
Secretaries have been Major Connellan, Mr. George
92 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
Butler of Maiden Hall, Mr. Tighe, and Captain the
Hon. E. B. Stopford, who now performs the duties
of the office, which are onerous enough.
It may be mentioned that some twelve years ago,
when the dispersal of the pack was nearly coming
about, it appeared that the old Hunt Club must also
cease to exist, and, indeed, without a pack and a
Master, its raison d'etre was hardly apparent. How-
ever that catastrophe was happily averted, the Club
subscriptions were continued, and a few years since
the Club rules were framed afresh, and matters gene-
rally placed on a proper footing as regards entrance,
&c. Though the system of meeting for dinners, &c.>
which obtained a hundred years ago and in the first
half of the century could now no longer be carried
out, it is hoped that some other form of social
enjoyment may shortly be inaugurated in connection
with the Club, which seems likely to prosper in the
future.
Though the increased facility for moving about,
and the number of Hunts now in existence, make it
improbable that Kilkenny will ever again have the
opportunity of welcoming any great number of
strangers, we have had for some seasons a certain
number of visitors from neighbouring Hunts, who
come down for a day or two a week, and add not a
little to our enjoyment, and it is hoped to their own.
There have, too, generally been a few sportsmen
from other countries who make Kilkenny their head-
quarters during the winter. Amongst the former
may be mentioned Mr. and Mrs. Grogan, Mr.
Stewart Duckett, Captain Forbes, Mr. and Mrs.
CAPT. H. R. L.ANGRI3HE.
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
93
Kavanagh, Mr. Pike, Captain and Mrs. Horc, Major
Alexander, and Mr. Thorpe, from the Carlovv
country. Amongst the latter have been Mr. Andrew
Garden, Mr. and Mrs Odell from King's County,
Mr. Bryant, and others. Amongst regiments quartered
in Kilkenny there are generally a large proportion
of officers who join the field, and give the Hunt
every support.
94 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
CONCLUSION.
IT will be evident from the foregoing Memoir that
on more than one occasion the Kilkenny Hunt, and
with it the old Club, was perilously near extinction,
and probably has had more hairbreadth escapes than
most packs. The events which occurred at the close
of Mr. Meredyth's mastership very nearly led to a
break-up of the Hunt. Later on, in 1880 and suc-
ceeding years, matters were in a very critical state in
Kilkenny, as elsewhere in Ireland ; and in 1886 it
seemed inevitable that a final dissolution of the Hunt
\vould occur. But, on all these occasions, the sport-
ing instincts which are bred in all Irishmen asserted
themselves, and a way was found out of the dilem-
mas which threatened the Hunt, and hounds are now
out oftener than ever.
With regard to sport, it is invidious to draw com-
parisons, but it may at least be said, that foxes are
capable of making as long points as they ever were,
and hounds as capable of hunting them. A scries of
fine runs from Rossmore gorse, a covert thoroughly
well preserved, culminating in a great run to Upper-
court, and a fine hunt last season from Carricktriss
to Inistiogc, sufficiently warrant both assertions. It
is true that coverts arc nearer to each other than was
the case in early days. Some of them, such as
MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 95
Pheroda, Fennon, Clifden bottoms, and the Rock, as
well as many of the older coverts, have disappeared ;
but, speaking broadly, the majority of the old coverts
exist still, whilst many additional ones have been
made during the last fifty years. The number of
coverts in the country is now about eighty-four,
though some are seldom drawn. The proximity of
coverts to each other naturally tends somewhat to
make foxes run short, and perhaps they may do so
more often than was once the case ; but, with a good
scent, they will travel as far as ever in all probability,
and coverts such as the two Killecns (situated at
opposite extremities of the country), Knockroe,
Rossmore, Knockbrack, Bishopslough, Windgap, and
Carricktriss, may be counted on to furnish as stout
and straight-running foxes as most coverts in any
hunt.
As regards the keeping of the country, the early
practice of leaving everything to the Master was re-
placed about thirty years ago by the system of division
into districts, certain gentlemen paying all charges as
to coverts, damage, &c., in given areas ; and the latter
arrangement, wisely carried out, is probably the
better one, and fairer to the Master as well as to the
farmers and covert-keepers. At all events, it has
worked fairly well so far as foxes arc concerned, the
country being fully stocked in most parts.
As to the country, though in some districts there
is a considerable amount under tillage, the greater
part of Kilkenny is under grass, which carries a par-
ticularly holding scent, and hounds can travel fast
over it ; and it is this latter characteristic which has
96 MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT.
won for the country the high reputation which it has
always enjoyed. Wire, the curse of so many English
counties, may be said to be conspicuous by its ab-
sence, except in one or two places, and, indeed, its
erection would be a superfluous expense, the stout
banks and walls which prevail being sufficient fences
against cattle, and infinitely preferable to weak
hedges fortified by wire.
But better than all these happy circumstances, a
cordial good feeling exists between the Hunt and the
farmers, several of whom join in the sport, many of
whom walk puppies and preserve foxes, and all of
whom enjoy seeing a fox handsomely found and well
hunted.
As regards members of the field and their per-
formances, it may, perhaps, be said that as there were
larger fields fifty years ago there were more hard
riders, but that the proportion is as great now as
then. It is, however, probable that horsemanship has
declined, as well as knowledge of hunting and love for
hound-work. But, at least, it may be claimed that the
same good feeling animates the Kilkenny field, and
that, in the words given in the stirring lines of the
Appendix, " No jealousy here mars the joy of a run,"
and that " good fellowship reigns with the young and
the old." That this characteristic, so long attribu-
table to the Kilkenny Hunt, may ever continue is the
fervent and final aspiration of the Compiler of this
little Memoir.
ADDENDUM, 1911.
Since this Memoir was published Mr Langrishe has
resigned, and Mr. Isaao Bell is now in his third season
as Master, having his resjuence and kennels at Birch-
field. He has resumed the Castlecomer and some
other country. The Eastern and part of the Southern
country is now called the "East Kilkenny" country,
and is hunted by Lord Southampton, being taken on
lease by a Committee, whilst Mr. Bell, by arrange-
ment, gives him the drawing of practically aJl the
Coverts in the- neighbourhood of Gowran and Kilfane,
where Lord Southampton has been residing for the
past three years.
APPENDIX I.
97
APPENDIX I.
LIST OF MR. JOHN POWER'S HOUNDS,
I798.
NAME.
Myrmidon
Mindful
Sempstress
Roman
Rebel
Rowzer
Rupert
Relish
Boxer
) Col. Thornton's Milton,
>- by Merlin, out of
) Muzzy.
Lord Darlington's Vul-
can, by Rattler, out
of his Version.
r Mr. Willoughby's
Rover.
Lord Darlington's
Bowler, by his Bow-
man, out of Lord
Mexborough's Ruby.
Mr. Willoughby's Skilful,
by Volant, out of Sing-
well. Volant was bred
by Mr. Osbaldeston, and
got by Lord Fitzwil Ham's
Chandler, out of Mr. Os-
bakleslon's Vista ; Sing-
well, by Mr. Osbaldes-
ton's Saxon, out of Prin-
cess.
One of Lord Darlington's.
Mr. Wharton's Racket.
N.B. — These five always
good hounds, and Relish
bred well with every dog.
Mr. Wharton's Rosamond.
Dexter
Willing
Mr. Wrightson's Hero,
by his Valiant, out of
his Harmony.
Lord Darlington's
Wyndham.
Mr. Wrightson's Daphne,
by Mr. Pelham's Dash-
wood, out of Mr. Fol-
jambe's Blameless.
His Fury.
98
APPENDIX I.
NAME.
SIRK.
DAM.
Strider
Mr. Pelham's Neptune.
His Gay Lass.
German*
Gayman
Lord Talbot's
Grappler.
Mr. Wharton's
Gauger.
His Proserpine.
His Daisy.
Gallant
Duke of Bedford's
His Handmaid.
Gallant.
Challenger ...
Duke of Bedford's
Challenger.
His Transport.
Plunder ... 1 >uke of Bedford's
Pillager.
Cowslip.
Grasper
Turpin
Random
Duke of Bedford's
Tyrant.
Duke of Bedford's
Turpin.
Duke of Bedford's
Ragout.
His Vixen.
His Rosamond.
His Darling.
Tawdry
Hannibal
^
Clinker
Leader
Brusher
Gipsy
Hector
V Breeding not given.
Countess
Curious
Tantrum
j
Loyal
Lawless
)
Dreadful ... - Breeding not given.
Ringlet ... i
Manager ... /
NOTE. — The first two hounds mentioned, Myrmidon and Mindful,
bred in Col. Thornton's kennel apparently, may have strained back to
the family of the celebrated Merkin — the fastest hound of her day —
noticed in Appendix VIII., and carried the best blood in England,
Colonel Thornton's and Mr. Osbaldeston's packs having been by far
the best bred and stoutest in the kingdom.
A famous InnUmi; hound.
APPENDIX I.
1804.
LIST OF OLD PACK.
Boaster
Binder
Danger
Fireball
Lightning
Masker
Rambler
Ranter
Bluecap
Bravo
Bluster
Fairmaid
Famous
Guardian
Monster
Merkin
Music
Reveller
Royster
Rattler
Chaser
Gulliver
Mermaid
Swaddler
Comely
Duster
Drummer
Ilavock
Harper
Harpy
Madman
Kavisher*
Rival
Traitor
Worthy
Wonder
1804.
LIST OF
YOUNG PACK.
Bender
Gallant
Galloper
Murder
Bellman
General
Gadfly
Tragedy
Coiner
Jumper
Gambol
Fair Lass
Drowsy
Melody
Fleecer
Mindful
Daphne
Melton
Hasty
Blueman
Fowler
Random
Hazard
Countess
Gameboy
Syren
Hero
Tyrant
Goldsmith
Timon
Darling
Terrible
Granby
A famous --ire hound.
100 APPENDIX I.
LIST OF YOUNG PACK, SEPTEMBER, 1805.
NAMES.
SIRES.
DAMS.
Dashaway
Dairymaid
Dareful
Dainty
Diligent
Doxy
1
Drummer
Melody.
Dwindle
Dreadful
- Reveller
Doxy.
Gulliver
Hackler
Harbinger
Hector
> Ravisher
Old Harpy.
Meteor
Minister
t Traitor
Mermaid.
Pillager
Pilgrim
Prudence
S- Ravisher
Handsome.
Painful
'
King wood
Royster
Bashful
lioxer
- From Major Loftus.
\
Farmer
From Mr. Ponsonby.
Bonny Lass
From Duke of Rutland.
NOTE. — In 1804 Mr. Power seemed to have used Ravisher as a sire
eleven times, and numerous litters by him were put out to walk. Of
these, Mr. Richard Langrishe (father of Sir James Langrishe) got
6 couple; Mr. Cooke of Kiltinan, 2j couple; 3 couple went to Mr.
Jacobs of Mobarnane, in Tipperary ; and others to farmers in the
county. Ravisher was used ten times in 1806, and Mr. Langrishe
received 5J couple of his progeny; Mr. Cooke of Limerick, 2^ couple;
whilst 10 couple were put out with others. He was used for some
years. In the year 1806 Mr. Power put out to walk 36 couple of
puppies, and it is curious to note the names of farmers who walked
APPENDIX I.
101
puppies, and whose descendants are still in the same farms, such as
Aylward of Knockmoylan, Cassin of Ballygerdra, Nicholas Hayden
of Dungarvan, Ryan of Kilbline, Forrestal of Listerlin, Sprulian
of Mong, Murphy of Closcreg, Murphy of Gowran, Walshe of
Bawnskeha, Keeffe of Columbkill, &c. Amongst members of the
Hunt who walked puppies were Mr. Mathews of Bonnetstown, Mr.
Langrishe, Mr. Bayly of Norelands, Mr. Croker, Mr. II. A. Bushe
(living at Ballyduff), and others. In the same year — 1806 — Mr.
Power used four sire hounds from Mr. Eyre's pack in Galway, viz.,
Freeman, Royster, Thunder, and Granby, and of these he used the
first-named pretty often in two ensuing years. Possibly he retained
these hounds in his kennel. In 1 808 he used Lord Lismore's Charon,
a good deal ; in 1809, Lord Craven's Hamlet ; and in 1810, Sir Fenton
Aylmer's Trojan ; the favourite sire from his own kennel in the latter
year being Blazer. In 1814 he used Lord Fitzwilliam's Plaintiff, Lord
Lismore's Pagan, his Render, and his Admiral. In 1815, Lord
Lismore's Admiral, his Manager, and his Coroner, Mr. Barton's (The
Grove Hounds) Tarewood, and Lord Fitzwilliam's Plaintiff again, in
addition to selected sires from his own benches. In addition to those
gentlemen already mentioned who walked puppies, \ve find the names
of Sir Wheeler Cuffe, Mr. Gough, Mr. Cosby, Mr. Poe (Harley Park),
Mr. Waring (Pottlerath), Mr. Davis (Summerhill), &c.
In April, 1816, Mr. Power drafted nine couple of hounds, and kept
thirty-seven couple, as under —
HITCHES.
Dauntless
Trifle
Frenzy
Windsor
Handsome
I )esperate
Daphne
Handmaid
Harpy
Bloody
Wuebell
I larmony
Dingy
Tipsy
Tempest
Honesty
Charmer
Miller
DOGS.
BITCHES.
DOGS.
Dash wood
Careless
Ranter
Turpin
Alfred
Valiant
Hercules
Chaser
Dainty
Gaudy
Melody
Hasty
Tantrum
Reveller
Bellman
Mungo
Brasher
Fleecer
Crasher
Hit well
Trimmer
Tarewood
Commodore
Conqueror
Cannibal
Vulcan
Terrible
Restless
Ccelia
Darling
Venom
Doxy
Caustic
Bragger
Damper
Tarquin
Major
Coiner
Ravisher
Barber
Blucher
Comedy
Frisky
Viceroy
Platoff
Vaunter
Priestess
Gainer
Danger
Fowler
Dash a way
Verlin
Pagan
Rattler
Diligent
102 APPENDIX III.
APPENDIX II.
1805.
( i ) Receipt for the Cure of a Mad Dog.
Take the leaves of Rue, picked from the stalks and
pounded, six ounces Venice treacle, and the ....
of .... of each four ounces. Boil all these over a
slow fire in two quarts of old ale till one pint be consumed,
then put it in a bottle, close corked, and give of it nine
spoonfuls to a man or woman, warm, seven mornings fast-
ing, and six to a dog. This the author believes will not (by
God's blessing) fail if it be given nine days after the bite of
the dog. Apply some of the ingredients to the part bitten.
(2) Receipt for preventing Madness in Dogs.
Two Drachms of Turlet's Mineral.
Two Drachms of Musk.
Two Drachms of Amber.
To be given every second night till each dog has had
three doses.
APPENDIX III.
CORRESPONDENCE RELATING TO DURROW COVERTS,
NOVEMBER, 1839.
To the Committee of the Kilkenny Club.
GENTLEMEN,
Agreeable to your wishes, I waited on Mr. Drought, the
Master of the Ossory Foxhounds, and I am delighted to
inform you of the result of my visit.
APPENDIX III. IC3
I presented your resolutions to Mr. Drought, which he
read. He expressed the strongest feeling of regret to find
that any doubt existed as to the line of conduct he had
intended to adopt respecting the coverts and earths at
Durrow woods. He assured me that his sole ambition
was and is to promote good sport, and exert himself with
the adjoining masters of foxhounds to effect it. He begged
I might communicate these his sentiments to the Com-
mittee of the Kilkenny Club, adding how much he was
mortified to hear that the members of that Club, of which
he was a component part, could imagine that he ever
contemplated turning to his own advantage a favour con-
ferred on him at the time Sir John Power transferred to
him the coverts in question. I requested Mr. Drought
might write a few lines on the subject, expressing his
sentiments. He immediately went to his study, and in a
few minutes returned and handed me a letter, of which the
following is a copy : —
"May 6th, 1839.
" MY DEAR SIR WHEELER,
" I am very sorry to find there should be any misunder-
standing between the Committee of the Kilkenny Hunt
and myself respecting the coverts, or rather the earths, in
Durrow woods, and by their resolutions I find they have
deputed you to confer with me on the subject. I shall
most willingly submit to any decision you may come to,
which I am sure will be consistent with our mutual good
sport. I have had no other object. Assuring you there is
no person to whom I would so cheerfully submit a proposi-
tion of the kind, or, indeed, any other,
" Believe me, my dear Sir Wheeler,
" Very truly and sincerely yours,
" M. H. DROUGHT.
104 APPENDIX III.
" I enclose Sir John Power's letter, written to me when
I first commenced hunting the country."
(This letter not given.)
On my return home I waited on Mr. Power, the Master
of the Kilkenny Foxhounds ; informed him of the result
of my visit and my views on the point in question, which
fully met his approbation. I then paid Sir John Power a
visit, quite certain that his advice and assistance must be
of the greatest consequence, also feeling how much the
members of the Club and the inhabitants of the County
Kilkenny are indebted to him for the happy days enjoyed
since he came into the country, from his unrivalled
hospitality, and his unremitting exertions to establish fox-
hunting. I was very much gratified by Mr. Bayly's visit,
and the gracious and flattering manner he conveyed to me
the full approbation of those of the Committee who were
made acquainted with my visit to Mr. Drought, and my
proposed arrangements.
I cannot conclude without expressing my feeling to Mr.
Drought for the manner he received, as well as the flatter-
ing authority with which he armed me to settle the task
committed to my care.
I have the honour to be, gentlemen,
Your obedient servant,
J. WHEELER CUFFE.
Sir \\~heclcr Cuffe's Views respecting the Earths at Durroii.'
Woods and Coverts.
The earths of Durrow woods and coverts to be stopped
at the beginning of October, and that the masters of both
establishments use their best efforts to effect the object.
The earths to be opened in the end of March, in order to
protect the vixens and cubs brought to them from any
adjoining earths or coverts.
APPENDIX IV. IO5
APPENDIX IV.
LIST OF HOUNDS FOR 1839.
Huntsman .... Robert Gaunt.
First Whip .... Mick Butler.
Second Whip . . . Tim D\vyer.
Head Earth- Stopper . . Matt Wall.
STUD HOUNDS.
JUSTICE. — By the Duke of Rutland's Pilot, out of Mr.
Musters' Judy — Pilot by the Duke of Rutland's Castor, out
of his Primrose — Castor by Lord Yarborough's Marplot,
out of the Duke's Charming, by his Woodman, by Lord
Monson's Careu- — Judy by the Duke of Beaufort's Justice,
out of Mr. Musters' Famous.
GRAPPLER. — By Lord Yarborough's Grappler, out of
Mr. Osbaldeston's Jewel — Jewel by Mr. Osbaldeston's
Walter, out of his Gay Lass — Gay Lass by the Duke of
Rutland's Monster, out of Mr. Osbaldeston's Gadfly — Lord
Yarborough's Grappler by his Reveller, out of Lord Hare-
wood's Graceful — Graceful by Lord Fitzwilliam's Darter,
out of Lord Harewood's Gay Lass.
STATESMAN. — By Sir Tatton Sykes' Splendor, out of Mr.
Hill's Crafty — Splendor by Mr. Hill's Alfred, out of
Lord Middleton's Darling — Crafty by Mr. Osbaldeston's
Chorister, out of Darling — Darling out of Lord Kintore's
Victor, <8:c.
MARINER. — By Mr. Savill's Rattler, <S:c.
LEXICON. — By Mr. Lambton's Leveller, out of his Sally,
&c.
II
IO6 APPENDIX IV.
TRAJAN. — By Lord Yarborough's Lazarus, out of his
Trifle.
TOMBOY. — By Justice, out of Mr. Power's Timely —
Timely by Sir E. Button's Alfred, out of Mr. Power's
Tempest — Tempest by Mr. Barton's Telegraph — Telegraph
by Colonel Thornton's Manager — Manager own brother to
his famous bitch Merkin.*
FREEMAN. — By Osbaldeston's Furrier, out of his Rosy.
BACHELOR. — By Osbaldeston's Chorister, out of Blemish
from the Warwickshire kennel. (By Sir Wheeler Cuffe)
Mr. Meynell's BENEDICT — by his Nelson, out of his
Bravery — Nelson by Bertram, out of Nelly, &c.
FOREMAN. — By Lord Yarborough's Freeman, out of the
Duke of Beaufort's Dalliance — Lord Harewood's DRIVER
— by Warlike, out of Damsel — Warlike by the Duke of
Rutland's Woodman, out of Bonny Lass — Bonny Lass by
Benedict, out of Needful — Benedict by Sir Bellingham
Graham's Charon, out of Blithesome — Damsel by Driver,
out of Diligent — Driver by Lord Middleton's Denmark,
out of Lord Lonsdale's Tidings — Diligent by Lord Fitz-
william's Darter, out of Daphne.
ANALYSIS OF WORKING PACK, 1839.
Six Years. — 5^ couple, by sires from Mr. Foljambe, Mr.
Osbaldeston's Freeman, Mr. Ashton Smith, and by
Grappler.
* Merkin, a beautiful black and white hound, of which the Compiler
has a print, was celebrated for her extraordinary pace and stoutness.
Colonel Thornton offered to match her against any hound of her year
to run five miles over Newmarket Heath (giving 220 yards) for 10,000
guineas. In a trial she had run four miles in seven minutes and half a
second ! She was sold in 1795 f°r f°ur hogsheads of claret, the seller
to have two of her puppies.
APPENDIX IV. 107
Five Years. — 4 couple, by sires from Lord Yarborough,
Sir G. Sitwell, the Warwickshire, Mr. Hill, and by
Grappler.
Four Years. — Si couple, by sires from Mr. A. Smith,
Mr. Lambton, Lord Yarborough's Trajan, by Grappler,
Tomboy, and Justice.
Three Years. — 13^ couple — sires Grappler,Tomboy, Pillager,
Justice, Mr. Osbaldeston's Racer, &c.
Two Years. — 4^ couple, by Duke of Beaufort's Foreman,
Justice, Mr. Horlock's Pontiff, Wildboy, and Tomboy.
One Year. — n^ couple, by Mr. Meynell's Benedict, the
Badsworth Lancer, Duke of Beaufort's Conquest, his
Regent, his Dashaway, Lord Yarborough's Watch-
man, by Regent, Wildboy, and Woodman.
Total working hounds, 47^ couple.
NOTE. — Of the above, Grappler was sire of six and
a-half couple, and Graceful (his sister) dam of seven and
a-half couple. Gracious, imported by Gaunt with Grappler
and Graceful, does not appear in this list, and may not
have bred in Mr. Power's kennel. In the Hound List for
1843, Graceful is credited with four and a-half couple of
descendants ; while Galloper, her son, is used as one of the
Stud Hounds for the year, and Woodman, by Grappler, is
also used, the blood being thus continued.
IOS APPENDIX V.
APPENDIX V.
CORRESPONDENCE RELATING TO MR. BRISCOE'S HUNT.
(i) Letter from the Hon, John Ponsonby, afterwards Lord
Bessborough, to Mr, John Power, blaster, Kilkenny
Foxhounds.
BESSBOROUGH, October Q///, 1842.
MY DEAR POWER,
I am told your return to the Kilkenny Races is doubtful,
so I write instead of taking the chance of seeing you there.
I wanted to see you to talk to you about the hunting. We
are going to make different arrangements about our little
pack, and are anxious that Mr. Briscoe's followers be able
to have some more fox-hunting than they have. The foxes
in the coverts on our estate are very abundant, and I should
imagine that it would do them no harm to be scouted
about ; and as you are not often in this country, I am going
to propose to you to give Mr. Briscoe one draw a week
from these coverts, excepting, of course, when you are
down, when you know me well enough to be one who
would do nothing to injure your sport. If this is not ask-
ing too much, we shall all here feel very much obliged to
you. An early answer will oblige me, as our stay here is
rather limited. When you come to hunt this country,
which I think you do early in the season, I hope you send
us word and come and stay here.
Yours truly,
JOHX PONSONHY.
APPENDIX V. 1O9
(2) Reply to the foregoing Letter.
SION, KILKENNV, October, 1842
MY DEAR BRISCOE,
I now write you the opinions and wishes of some of my
hunting men and my own relative to your hunting some of
the coverts belonging to the old-established Club and to
the County Kilkenny Foxhounds ; and hope that the
arrangement will meet the approbation of Mr. Ponsonby
and the other members of the Bessborough family, as also
yourself and other friends in your neighbourhood, and I
am happy to find that the kind support which my father
and I have invariably received has so increased the stock
of foxes all over the Kilkenny country as to enable us to
contribute to your sport without injuring our own. We
agree to your hunting and stopping the country containing
the following coverts, viz. : — Glenbower, Grove of Bess-
borough, Holden's Hill, Gortrush (?) woods, once a week
until the first day of March, when this arrangement is to
cease after this hunting season, and a new one be entered
into the following year and agreed to as circumstances
admit. In order to allow the Kilkenny Foxhounds a fair
chance of finding in spring, we require from the first of
February, should your hounds, in hunting any part of the
country, run through and disturb on other days any of the
coverts before mentioned, that you are to consider having
done so as one of your weekly draws ; also that no fox is
to be dug out from any place. You may observe that we
have reserved Carricktriss covert exclusively for ourselves,
to endeavour to secure a certain find for our men who may
come a long distance from the Kilkenny side.
Yours, &:c.,
JOHN POWER.
IIO APPENDIX V.
I trust this arrangement will be considered fair and
liberal, and may I beg you will write to me an answer to-
this letter agreeing to our proposals, as it will be necessary
to have both letters inserted in the Club Book ?
(3) Acknowledgment from Mr. Ponsonby.
BESSBOROUGH, October 24, 1842.
MY DEAR POWER,
I gave Briscoe your letter, and he will write an answer
as you wish. In the meantime let me thank you very
much for the kind manner in which you have met my
wishes, and I must also beg to say to the members of your
Committee how much I and all the gentlemen of this
country feel the very liberal spirit which they have shown
in the permission which they have given, and which is all
that can be desired. We shall be ready for you at Glen-
bower on Wednesday, and very happy to see you after-
wards ; and my father begs me to say how happy he will be
to see Mrs. Power if it should suit her to accompany you.
There are three or four foxes in the Park here, and \ve shall
be very glad to have them hunted either day.
Yours truly,
JOHN PONSONBY.
(4) Acknowledgment from Mr. Briscoe.
TINVANE HOUSE, 27/// September, 1843.
MY DEAR POWER,
I feel, together with the gentlemen who hunt with me,
extremely obliged for your very great accommodation to us
in allowing my hounds to draw your coverts. I shall
strictly adhere to your letter of last October, and hope that,
APPENDIX VI. Ill
when we shall have the pleasure of seeing you in this part
of the country, you will find plenty of game. I assure you
that all the people round here are doubly anxious to pre-
serve the game for you. Carricktriss is all right now, and
six foxes in it.
Yours, &c.,
HENRY W. BRISCOE.
APPENDIX VI.
1843.
At a meeting of the gentlemen of the Kilkenny and
Ossory Hunts (held on the 131)1 December, 1843), the
following arrangements were come to, and agreed upon by
the parties present : —
The bounds of the hunting countries being perfectly
understood, that no new coverts, earths, or sewers be made
in the neutral part without the consent of both Hunts; that
the earths at Ballyouskill be done away with ; that the
Ossory Hounds draw the coverts four times, from the first
of November each year until the tenth of February ; and
that the Kilkenny Hounds draw it four times the rest of the
season ; and that the earth at Pheroda be stopped at six
o'clock each morning. When the Ossory Hounds hunt
Lowhill, that Lowhill be stopped and the sewers about in
the same manner for the Kilkenny Hounds in the morning
of their hunting Pheroda or Ballyouskill ; that the earth
at Ballyconra, and also those of Tinnaslatty, be stopped at
six o'clock in the morning for the Ossory Hounds when
they draw Durrow woods, the same being done at Durrow
112 APPENDIX VII.
and at Knock .... for the Kilkenny Hounds when they
draw the Rock and Beech Hill country ; and that but one
earth be kept open during the hunting season at Burrow
and the wood in the immediate neighbourhood. Each
Hunt to pay the earth-stopper five shillings at the coverts
named should the fox not get to ground, and nothing if
he does ; also ten shillings for a fine in Ballyouskill.
APPENDIX VII.
CORRESPONDENCE RELATING TO HENRY LORD WATERFORD'S
HOUNDS.
(i) Letter from Mr. John Power, Master of Kilkenny
Hounds.
December 2gth, 1843.
DEAR LORD WATER FORD,
The Committee of the Kilkenny Club, in conjunction
with myself, have much pleasure in having it in their power
to assist in promoting your Lordship's sport, and can give
a certain number of draws in the coverts and country
hunted by and belonging to the Kilkenny Foxhounds. It
has been agreed that you can hunt Tory Hill once before
the ist November, twice from the 2oth November to
Christmas, thrice from the ist February to the end of that
month, making in all five draws in each year. Your Lord-
ship can also have three draws in the Clonassy woods and
Mr. Green's plantations, Coolnahaw and Brownstown, on
any of the days that Tory Hill is hunted that may suit
your convenience. The times are specified to avoid your
APPENDIX VII. 113
Lordship's and the Kilkenny Hounds meeting at the same
period in the same country. All the earths, &c., to be
stopped, as also Knockbrack in the morning ; and should
your hounds run their fox into Knockbrack, they can, of
course, continue to hunt him. This arrangement to cease
at any time the Committee of the Kilkenny Club may deem
it necessary.
Yours, &c. ,
JOHN POWER.
(2) Reply from Lord Watcrford.
CURRAGHMORE, January $rd, 1844.
MY DEAR POWER,
I am much obliged to you and the Committee of the
Kilkenny Club for giving me the draws mentioned in your
letter of the 291)1 December. I wish you would let me
know the Christian name and residence of Mr. Pope, to
whom I am to write about Tory Hill and Clonassy. I am
much obliged to you for the trouble you have taken in
sending the names of the covert-keepers, &c. I drew Tory
Hill last Friday, so of course have no business there until
February. On Friday, whilst eating a fox at Tory, half the
pack got away with another, which they ran through
Clonassy to ground near Knockbrack. After my half had
devoured at Tory, I set off in search of the rest, and fell in
with Briscoe's hounds, which I mistook for mine. They
had a run from Ballinaboola, and were in great glee. We
drew out the hounds, and Reynard escaped.
Yours truly,
WATER FORD.
114 APPENDIX VIII.
APPENDIX VIII.
RESOLUTIONS RELATING TO THE CURRAGHMORE COUNTRY.
CLUB-HOUSE, KILKENNY,
June is//;, 1859.
At a meeting of the Committee of the Kilkenny Hunt
Club, the following resolution was unanimously agreed
to :—
It is the unanimous opinion of the Committee appointed to report
on the question of giving up that portion of the Kilkenny country
hunted by the late Lord Waterford, that that part of this county
known as Briscoe's country, along with the coverts of Tory Hill,
Knock brack, and Carricktriss, should be given up to Lord Bessborough
on his guaranteeing the Kilkenny Hunt ^"50 per annum, provided he
so long continues chairman of the Committee of the Curraghmore
Hunt. The Committee have come to this conclusion both from a
desire to further the wishes of the members of the Curraghmore Hunt
and from having ascertained that the Kilkenny Hunt would be
financially in a better position, and that the general sport would be
increased by the arrangement.
W. Fl.oon, Chairman.
JOHN WALSH.
JOHN POWER.
E. WARKKX.
/ agree with /he above resolution,
with the exception that the sum
guaranteed should be ^75 instead of
£s°-
E. WARREN.
APPENDIX IX. 115
At a meeting of subscribers to the Kilkenny Hunt, held
at the Club-house on June 27th, 1859, Sir John Power in
the chair, it was resolved —
That the coverts of Tory Hill, Carricklriss, and Knockbrack,
together with the portion of the country called Briscoe's country, shall
be given up to Lord Bessborough for the Curraghmore Hunt* for one
year from the 151)1 May last, and for the year following, unless a notice
be given in writing, on or before the I5th November, to Lord
Eessborough that Kilkenny will resume the country at the expiration of
the year 1860, and the same arrangement to continue for a year with
regard to a notice to November, such notice to be given by a Com-
mittee of the Kilkenny Hunt for the time being, Lord Bessborough
guaranteeing a sum of ,£50 per annum. The boundary marked by a
red line on ordnance map in the possession of Sir John Power, &c.
APPENDIX IX.
(i) The Kilkenny Hunt fifty years ago (abonf 1820), written
about 1870.
What a meet ! I remember one glorious spring morn —
Our hearts beat with joy at the sound of the horn !
The breakfast at Rice's1 was sumptuous, but short,
For all were most eager to join in the sport.
Harry Lorrequer's hero" we think of witli pride,
And his sister, a Willett, they rode side by side,
* Henry Lord Waterford, having been killed while hunting in the
spring of 1859, was succeeded by his brother, who, being a clergyman,
handed over the pack to a Committee, and the Hunt was then first
called the Curraghmore Hunt, Mr. Briscoe becoming Master.
1 Now the Club House Hotel. Rice first had the Wheatsheaf, in
Walkin Street, Kilkenny, and afterwards took the present Club
1 louse.
- Major O'Flaherty.
Il6 APPENDIX IX.
Disdaining restriction3 and feminine fear,
She so loved the hunting and always was near.
Next Massy from Glenville — how noble his mien —
He enjoyed a good fortune, was mate for a queen ;
And Fosbery4— " Red George" — with brogue as rich quite,
Keen folk, these were welcomed with cheers of delight.
Then Magennis rode hard when the work it got warm,
Though, like young Ambrose Power, lie was minus an arm ;
The young Guv'nor^ rode Watty; Sir Wheeler — staunch
rock —
Rode a tight horse, a son of the famed Hollyhock.
Big Bayly, on Giant, made two giants there,
Yet his eyes and his head they were felt everywhere ;
Young Cooke,(: on his grey, from Kiltinan, did well ;
These, with Fowler7 and Watson, s all met at Dunbell.
Time was up, " into covert," and clear through they go ;
*' Not at home," said Sir John ; 'twas thought it was so.
We were leaving in groups, but blind Nixon said " No !"
Blind men's poems and travels we cannot deny,
But a blind forward horseman was rare to the eye.
" There's a hound still in covert,'' said Nixon ; " lie's
here !"
What the blind want in sight they make up in the ear.
Old Byrne put them in. " Hark to Warwick !" he cried,
For Warwick, old hound, was his boast and his pride.
3 Ladies did not hunt at this time, and this seems to have been the
first to appear in the field.
4 At one time Master of the Limerick Hounds, and a great ally of
Sir John Power, first baronet.
5 Mr. John Power (afterwards second baronet).
* Mr. Cooke of Kiltinan, father of the present Mr. Cooke.
7 Probably Mr. Luke Fowler, afterwards Rector of Freshford.
* Mr. John Watson of Ballydarton.
APPENDIX IX. I 17
Next moment " away," Warwick still at his brush,
For 'twas Warwick was heard as the hound in the bush.
How soon we reached Clifden ! the railway alone
Would convince in these days that the thing e'er was done.
From Clifden to Bishopslough, thence to Kilfane,
But, well stopped out there, he next made for Grenane,
Though he neared Thomastown, he changed his old route,
Ran towards Coppenagh hills to baffle pursuit ;
But, pressed hard by the ever true pack, this good fox
Wheeled short round to Dangan and earthed 'neath the
rocks.
The field was select, but, with skill and with speed,
Sir John9 was the first with the hounds in their need.
The picture so gorgeous, from Dangan's full height,
Had wrapped me in wonder, amaze, and delight.
Then the gallant Sir John cried out, t:Yonder:s Brown's
barn ;"
And so finis I put at the end of my yarn.
(2) The Kilkenny Hunt in 1845, written by
R. Frankland, Es</.
Kilkenny ! Kilkenny's the land of the chase,
Where men, hounds, and horses all go the best pace ;
The season is o'er, but we must not forget
The good sport we have had, the good fellows we've met.
How oft have we stood by the wild bit of gorse,
Expectation alive in each man and each horse —
They've found, they're hard at him, he cannot delay !
Johnny1 doubles his horn, tJicv re titcav, they're awav ! !
'•' Mr. Power had not then been created a baronet, but the writer
had probably forgotten this fact when he wrote the lines.
1 Sir John Power, second baronet, the Master, hunted the hounds
himself.
IlS APPENDIX IX.
Then ride, brothers, ride, do the best that you can ;
To live with the pack, sir, you must be a man ;
For like lightning they come to their Master so dear,
Well known the glad notes of his soul-stirring cheer.
See Desart in front, for the fear of a purl
Or the pace of the hounds never stopped the good earl ;
He goes all at ease like a bird in its flight,
But you won't find it easy to keep him in sight.
There's Rochfort2 all eager to shine in the burst,
He won't be far off, if he is not the first ;
No matter what horse, he's well held and well crammed,
No refusing will do, " Give your lep and be d d."
Old Austin3 with them, too, you'll certainly find —
He's not behindhand, though his hand is behind ;
And Clayton4 and Stannard,5 who well knew the trick
Both to blaze through a burst and come up by a nick.
[But who's that bold horseman, so tall and so stout ?
He rides eighteen stone, but he can't be thrown out ;
Feather weights to the front rank relinquish your claims
Whene'er in the field you encounter Lord James."]
Here's St. George7 and Ponsonby,s both from the North,
And two better fellows there never came forth ;
The Uppervvood coverts oft gave us a run,
And Woodsgift ne'er failed us for foxes or fun.
• Mr. Horace Kochfort of Clogrenane, County Carlow.
3 Mr. Augustine or Austin Butler, from County Clare.
4 Mr. Clayton Savage of Norelands.
5 Mr. Robert Stannard, the last survivor of those mentioned in these
lines, died a few years since ; or perhaps his brother William.
6 Lord James Butler.
7 Sir Theophilus St. George of Woodsgift.
' Captain Thomas Ponsonby lived at Uppercourt at that time.
APPENDIX IX. 119
[Of all the hard riders that ever were seen,
I never met any like Johnny Gurteen ;'•'
Just look, and acknowledge 'tis hopeless to beat
So perfect a hand and so firm-set a seat.]
See Congreve10 and Briscoe" from Waterford side,
Both ardent for sport, and both good ones to ride ;
In each both the rider and sportsman are seen,
The steadiest in hunting, in racing most keen.
There's Shannon,1" on Irishman, and, never fear,
Wherever the hounds you'll discover the peer ;
I'd bet a large sum, be the run slow or fast,
He ne'er leaves the pack and's well up at the last.
[See another Corkadian13 close by his side,
On his striding bay Diamond so easily ride ;
And Kilkenny will e'er her best welcome afford
To so gallant a Squire and sporting a Lord.]
See the brave little Flood" streaming gallantly on,
And the Hindostan hero, the bold Captain John's;
And Mick,1" all alive his assistance to yield,
Mick so careful in kennel, so keen in the field.
9 Mr. John Power of Gurteen (father of the present Count de la
Poer). So called to distinguish him from his brother-in-law, Sir John
Power.
10 Either Mr. Congreve Fleming or Mr. John Congreve of Mount
Congreve.
1 Mr. Henry Briscoe of Tinvane, afterwards Master of the Curragh-
more and Kilkenny Hunts.
'* The Earl of Shannon.
13 Mr. R. Frankland of County Cork, the writer of these verses.
14 Mr. Hartford Flood of Family.
15 Captain John Hamilton, a visitor.
1(1 Mick Butler, Kennel Huntsman to Sir John Power.
I2O APPENDIX IX.
But they come to a check, and ne'er out of his place,
The Caffre17 pulls up, but there's gloom in his face ;
" Give them time, now," he cries, "and be steady, I pray ;
" Information, oh ! Johnny, so leads you astray."
They've hit him again, he goes right up the hill,
Now, now is the time to show judgment and skill ;
Each horse and each rider will shortly be known,
The bad will be stopped and the best will be blown.
Of the many bold horsemen that started, but few
Could live with the pack as they raced him in view ;
But who went the best and who stopped in distress,
I could tell if I chose, but I leave you to guess.
For no jealousy here mars the joy of a run,
No jostling when going, no boasting when done ;
Good sportsmen they're all, whether cautious or bold,
And good-fellowship reigns with the young and the old.
NOTE. — The stanzas in brackets were written by another.
(3) Lines written by Major Whyte Melville on the death of
a favourite horse, " Siim," belonging to Mr. Edmond
Smithwick of Kilcrcene, and inscribed on one of the
horse's hoofs, which was mounted in silver and presented
to him by Mr. George Bryan and Major IVhyte
Melville in 1871.
In the corner of the stable there's a lone and empty stall,
There's a snaffle and a breastplate hanging idle on the wall;
There's a hoof on the chimney that was foremost in the van,
And ira/.ing on it — mute and sad — a sorrow-stricken man.
17 Mr. John Wade, brother-in-law of Sir John Power, had served
in South Africa with his regiment, the 72nd Highlanders, and had
thus acquired the cognomen of " the Caffre."
APPENDIX \. 121
His heart is aching with a void that never shall be filled,
For the fav'rite that he loved so well, the fav'rite he killed ;
Through the bounds of fair Kilkenny, though he search it
hill and plain,
Ned Smithwick cannot hope to find so good a horse again.
Bank, wall, or ditch, no matter which, he landed safe and
clear,
And "change" or "kick," would do the trick, and jump
it, never fear ;
The fence could not be strong enough, nor long enough the
day,
No hounds could run too smart a pace for "Sam," the
gallant grey.
To E. SMITHWICK,
" From Whyte Melville and George Bryan."
APPENDIX X.
LIST OF HOUNDS FOR 1850, 1860, 1872, 1892.
Kilkenny Foxhounds, 1850.
Master .... Mr. George Bryan.
Huntsman .... Denny Gallaghan.
First Whip . . . Frank Walker.
Second \Vhi(> . . . Richard Roach.
ANALYSIS.
Eight years, — \ couple. Sire. — Lord Lonsdale's Foreman.
Seven years. — 1£ couple. Sires. — Lord Yarborough's
Flasher, from Lord H. Bentinck.
Six years. — \ couple. Sire. — Duke of Rutland's Fencer.
I
122 APPENDIX X.
Five years. — \ couple. Sire. — Lord Yarborough's Wel-
lington.
Four years. — 5 couple. Sires. — Duke of Rutland's Comus,
Lord Fitzwilliam's Shiner, Kilkenny Vanguard, Lord
Shannon's Marplot.
Three years. — 7 couple. Kilkenny Blazer, Mr. Foljambe's
Blazer, Duke of Rutland's Comus, Lord Fitzwilliam's
Finder, Sir John Cope's Pagan, Kilkenny Vaulter.
Two years. — 5 couple. Sires. — Duke of Beaufort's Free-
man, Harlequin, Lord Fitzwilliam's Finder, Kilkenny
Reveller, Duke of Beaufort's Foiler.
One year. — u couple. Sires. — York Wilder, Sir R. Sut-
ton's Freeman, Mr. Foljambe's Render, Splendor.
Total hounds, 3 r couple.
Kilkenny Foxhounds, 1860.
Master .... Lord St. Lawrence.
Huntsman .... George Jones.
Whippcr .... James Monaghan.
ANALYSIS.
Seven years. — i couple. Sires. — 'Lord Yarborough's Rally-
wood, Mr. Foljambe's Forester.
Six years. — 4 couple. Sires. — Kilkenny dasher, Mr.
Baker's Comus, Mr. Foljambe's Manager, Pytchley
Flasher.
Five years. — 2 couple. Sires. — Clasher, Belvoir Guider,
Kilkenny Foreman, Kilkenny Fleecer.
Four years. — 6 couple. Sires. — Mr. Foljambe's Sorcerer,
Mr. Drake's Conqueror, Lucifer, Kildare Ranter, Lord
H. Bentinck's Contest.
Three years. — -4 couple. Sires. — Duke of Beaufort's
Baronet, Lord Yarborough's Pleader, Duke of Rut-
land's Blucher.
APPENDIX X. 123
Two years. — 5 couple. Belvoir Grappler, Belvoir Ferry-
man, Lord H. Bentinck's Lucifer, Mr. Foljambe's
Reginald, Sorcerer.
One year. — n£ couple. Sires. — Lord H. Bentinck's
Lucifer, Belvoir Lucifer, Belvoir Ferryman, Belvoir
Grappler, Lord Yarborough's Gainer, Baronet, Nettler,
Mr. Drake's Despot, Tipperary Hero, Mr. Foljambe's
Reginald, Sportsman.
Total hounds, 33^ couple.
Kilkenny Foxhounds, 1872.
Master .... Henry W. Briscoe.
Huntsman .... John Tidd.
First \Vhip .... John Heffernan.
ANALYSIS.
Eight years. — i couple. Sires. — Mr. Foljambe's Primrose,
Ruler.
Seven years. — 2 couple. Sires. — Lord Yarborough's Charon,
Lord Doneraile's Factor, Kilkenny Valiant, Lord
Leconfield's Dexter.
Six years. — 3^ couple. Sires. — Lord Poltimore's Armiger,
Kilkenny Valiant, Duke of Beaufort's Sulphur, Duke
of Rutland's Stormer, Warwickshire Bluecap, Lord
Yarborough's Painter.
Five years. — 4 couple. Sires. — Heythrop Fugleman, Kil-
kenny Ganymede, Mr. Watson's Pirate, Heythrop
Anchorite, Lord H. Bentinck's Regulus.
Four years. — 4 couple. Sires. — The Grove Comus, Hey-
throp Tyrant, The Grove Layman, Lord Portsmouth's
Marquis, The Galway Splendour, Mr. Lane Fox's
Rutland, Cotswold Gallant.
124 APPENDIX X.
Three years. — 12 couple. Sires. — Lord Yarborough's Noble,
Lord Poltimore's Pilgrim, Curraghrnore Mountebank?
Grove Nimrod, Belvoir Stranger, Burton Lexicon,
Burton Vanguard, Burton Burton, Lord Yarborough's
Dragon, Lord Yarborough's Valiant, Carlow Pirate,
&c.
Two years. — 9^ couple. Sires. — Belvoir Rubicon, Polti-
raore Sailor, Grafton Senator, Grafton Sycophant,
Lane Fox's Rutland, Curraghmore Tarquin, Curragh-
more Justice, Duke of Beaufort's Caliban, Lord
Yarborough's Royal, Heythrop Pleader, Kilkenny
Finder. &c.
One year. — 1 1 couple. Sires. — Curraghmore Bondsman,
Curraghmore Starlight, Curraghmore Nettler, Carlow
Tomboy, Grove Basilisk, Lane Fox's Rutland, Polti-
more Lifter, Poltimore Voyager, Lord Yarborough's
Noble, York and Ainsty Archer.
Total hounds, 47 couple.
Kilkenny Foxhounds ^ 1892.
Master .... Capt. Langrishe.
Huntsman .... The Master.
First \Vhip . . .P. F. Dalton (K.H.).
Second Whip . . . Wm. Stacey.
ANALYSIS.
Seven years. — i hound. Sire. — Carlow Roman.
Six years. — z\ couple. Sires. — Lord Willoughby de
Broke's Pleader, Bramham Moor Grappler, Oakley
Rhymer, Lord Leconfield's Dorimont.
Five years. — 5^ couple. Sires. — Belvoir Gambler, Blank-
ney Chaser, Oakley Foreman, Rufford Galliard, Duke
of Beaufort's Commodore, Cheshire Statesman, Du-
hallow Darter, Kilkenny Nestor.
AI'1'ENDIX X. 125
Four years. — 5^ couple. Sires. — Brocklesby Sapient, Car-
low Marmaduke, Carlow Blazer.
Three years. — 8 couple. Sires. — Belvoir Playmate, Belvoir
Treasurer, Dtihallow Chaser, Fitzwilliam Remus, Bur-
ton Rally wood, Carlow Bouncer, Carlow Wellington,
Kilkenny Selim, Kilkenny Liberal, Kilkenny Nimrod,
&c.
Two years. — n couple. Sires. — Belvoir Gambler, Belvoir
Dryden, Belvoir Shamrock, Belvoir Graphic, Belvoir
Pirate, Belvoir Nominal, Burton Rallywood, Worcester
Tapster, Lord W. de Broke's Harper, Mr. M'Kenzie's
Roman, Kilkenny Manager, Kilkenny Blondin.
One year. — 15^ couple. Sires. — Belvoir Duplicate, Bel-
voir Discount, Belvoir Gambler, Brocklesby Baffler,
Brocklesby Norman, Worcester Albion, Worcester
Newsman, Worcester Trader, Worcester Watchman,
Burton Rallywood, Mr. M'Kenzie's Wildair, &c.
Total hounds, 49 couple.
The foregoing lists of the Kilkenny pack have been
given in an abbreviated form in order to show that, espe-
cially in the twenty years succeeding Sir John Power's
mastership, the breeding of the Kilkenny hounds was kept
up by fresh blood from the best English kennels. In recent
years, as will be seen by the concluding list, much good
has been done in the way of improvement, and in the
last ten years the pack has gradually been built up again.
126 APPENDIX XI.
APPENDIX XI.
Copy of an Agreement between the Committee of the Kilkenny
Hunt Club and Thomas Mathews, Huntsman, 1853.
To supply the following articles at the following prices : —
A feeder, for ... ... ... ..v-£iS 5 o
Candles for stable and kennel ... ... 540
Soup for kennel ... ... ... 200
Medicine and dressing for hounds ... ... TO o o
Mops, chamois, buckets, and forks ... ... 410 o
Currycombs, chamois, buckets, &c., for stable 410 o
Whipcord, whips, breeches, boots, spurs, caps,
coats, and waistcoats ... ... ... 1715 o
£62 4 o
Wages for huntsman and whips ... ... 120 o o
Fuel of kennel and stable ... ... 35 o o
Three tons of coal to be allowed Mathews for
his own use 212 6
Total, ^,219 1 6 6
C. W. Gmns £ SON, Printers, 18 Wicklow Direct. Dublin/
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