The Eton College hunt : $b A short history of beagling at EtonCrossley, Anthony Crommelin
History
The Eton College hunt : $b A short history of beagling at Eton
Crossley, Anthony Crommelin
Beagling; Eton College Hunt -- History
The sequel to this incident is not so amusing. The fox was so perished
by his adventure in the pond that he died the same night in spite of
attempts to revive him with brandy before the kitchen fire of a farmhouse.
“_Wednesday, 16th March._ Met at Cuckoo Weir. Had a capital run with the
big fox to Slough, where he ran to ground on the railway line about ¼
mile from the station. We could not get him out of the pipe he had run
up, and two bull terriers and several navvies were at work more than four
hours digging him out. We found a leveret and ran and killed it there.
The hounds did not get home till 6 o’clock.”
[Illustration: EDWARD CHARRINGTON.
(_Founder of the Oppidan Beagles._)]
But the run of the season comes as late as Thursday, 28th of March. The
entry is as follows:
“Half holiday. Met at Sanatorium. Had a brace of bagged hares. The first
did not give us much of a run, but the second gave us a clipper; the run
of the season in fact. Ran a ring to Chalvey, to the Sanatorium, away to
Slough and Upton Park, where we killed. Vide _Bell’s Life_ for Sat. 26th.”
In this run they joined forces with the College pack for the first time.
Two more days they repeated the experiment, and then not again until the
amalgamation in 1866. After such an extraordinary run it is surprising
that the arrangement was not made permanent, but the fact remains that
the packs continued separate for another six years.
Charrington’s last run with the Beagles was the climax of his Eton
career. Here is the entry in his diary. It will describe better than any
words of mine what must have been his feeling of satisfaction at having
accomplished a work that was destined to prosper long after he himself
had died.
“_Monday, April 11th._ The last day of the season. Met at Philippi. Had a
capital run for the wind up and killed our hare in the Field all amongst
the fellows playing at cricket.”
I wish I knew something about Johnstone, but no information whatever
has come into my hands concerning him, except that he was Charrington’s
principal coadjutor.
In 1860 R. E. Moore was Master, and of him I know very little indeed,
except what Col. R. F. Meysey-Thompson says in a letter.
“In 1860 R. E. Moore in Sixth Form was Master, and the pack began to be
looked upon as a recognised institution, though it was not until the next
year 1861 that a regular subscription was made when J. G. Chambers was
Master (afterwards so well known as a ’Varsity oar and champion walker
and for many years the umpire at the ’Varsity Boat Race).”
Moore actually secured the Head Master’s leave to keep Beagles, and
henceforward it became an official sport at Eton. Moore had for his only
whip Baker _mi._, who performed the (?) unparalleled feat of winning the
School Steeplechase while still in jackets.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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