The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1865-05-02 00:00:00

THE BLICKHOOR VALE HUNT.

On Tuesday, April 25th, a meeting of the members
and friends of the Blackman. Vale Runt was held at the
Townhall, sherborne. Amongst those present were Cl.
D. W. Digby, Esq., the Hon. W. H. B. Portman, M.P.,
Sir Richard C. Glyn, Captain R. C. Glyn, R. W. Baker,
Esq., the Hon. M. Peer, Cl. Bullock, Req., Marwood
Yeatman, Esq., Neville Grenville, Esq., Rev. 8. Dendy,
L. St. Lo, Esq., H. B. Ring, Eaq , Major Fits-Gerald,
Hon. and Rev. W. Portnian, T. Rogers, Esq., Cornish
Henley, Esq., (3. Troyte-Bullock, Esq., John Bailward,
EN, Rey. J. T. Hinds, Thos. Mounter, Esq., W. Wood,
Esq., O. Kelly, Esq., E. Bentball, Req., CoL Beaumont,
Rev. T. Fox, Capt. Singer, Rev. Mr. Selwyn, Nat.
Surteem, Esq., Grant Dalton, Esq., Rev. R. Digby, J.
Cl. Bergman, Esq., T. Ffooks, E. Turner, F. Stokes, E.
Woolmington, 'W. Crocker, Danford, Seeley, E.
Spites, T. P. Fitzgerald, Rendell, &c., &c.
Ants well known, Mr. Digby met his friends on this
occasion, at the close of his eight or nine years' master-
ship of the hunt, to announce formally his retirement
from the same, to introduce his successor, Sir Richard
Glynn, to them, and to hand over to him a country
well kept and efficiently hunted, a noble pack of hounds,
and some considerable aasistance in the shape of kennels,
&a In the comparatively short space during which the
B.V.H. have been under Mr. Digby, the large fields
that have met him in Somersetehire and Dorsetshire,
have not been put to an expenie of one shilling, not
even in the shape of capping—a tax which reaches to a
pretty round sum at the end of a season. It is
estimated by some that in the last seven years from
£25,000 to £3),000 have been spent on the B.V.H.
Mr. Digby thanked the masters of coverts, the occu-
piers of land, the tenant farmers., and all who had
supported him during his mastership of the hunt, and
asked them to show the same favours and render the
same support to Sir Richard Glyn.
Mr. MARWOOD YEATIIAN proposed that the meeting
should express their gratification at having the oppor-
tunity on that occasion of meeting Mr. Digby, and of
expressing to him those sentimenta of warm, of deep,
and of grateful feeling which were so justly due to him
for the liberal, the kind, and the generous manner in
which he had hunted the Bleckmoor Vale Fox Hounds
(cheers.) In doing so he exhibited the feelings which in
all the various and varied details of life were the pro-
minent characteristics of his nature (cheese.) He had
next to propose that the meeting should express their
satisfaction at the fact that Sir Richard Glyn had
become the future master, and he felt assured that they
would join with him when he farther expressed a hope
that when at a future period of far distant years, he
(Sir R. Glyn) also should feel himself called upon to
resign the prominent and the proud position of a master
of foxhounds, he should have earned for himself the
expression of warm and grateful satisfaction of his sup-
porters, and that like Mr. Digby he would retire with
the knowledge and the sense that in every respect, as a
sportsman and a gentleman, he had done his duty.
(Loud applause).
Mr. NwviLLit GRENVILLE, seconded the motion,
which was carried amidst loud applause.
Mr. DIGEIy said, lie could not sufficiently express his
feelings upon that occasion. Their approbation was
gratifying to him, and it would ever be remembered by
him, and induce him in every way to further the
prosperity of the B.V.F.H. (Cheers).
Sir R. GLYN, who was received with warm applause,
said the thanks which he wished to give Mr. Digby he
would not express in words, but he hoped that in the
future he (Sir R. Glyn) should show by his care of the
country that his kindness had not been thrown away,
and that the sport of the country, concerning which he
was so very anxious, had not been neglected in any way.
He (Sir It. Glyn) had a most fair start, and he felt that
with their assistance, it would be his own fault if he
did not still carry on the sport of the country. At the
same time he knew a master of hounds had many
difficulties to encounter. He hoped they all would
remember that, and do what they could to assist him.
(Cheers.) He trusted he should have the support of
every land-owner, and farmer, and keeper in the
country. He did not .possees himself • single acre in '
the B. V., and naturally it could only be by their kind-
ness that he could draw the coverts. He hoped that he
had that leave and their support; that they would pre-
serve the foxes as they had preserved them for Mr. '
Digby—that they would not think too much of every
chopped hare or scared pheasant (laughter)—lthat the !
farmers would not mind a broken-down fence or
trampled wheat—that farmers' wives would not mind
losing a fowl or two—that the keepers would excuse a '
few head of game—that they would all remember how
hard it was to please every one. He trusted, however,
that he ehould please them, and that the hunt would
Ail! flourish under the new master, as it had done 1
under the former one. (Cheers.)
Mr. DIGBY said he thought they might say that the
meeting was concluded satisfactorily in every point of
view, and he trusted that they would have no reason to
doubt that such would be the ccse hereafter. He was
very much obliged to them for their attendance, and he
retired most happy and satisfied with the meeting. The
honourable gentleman then retired.
Letters of apology for absence having been read from
Sir W. C. Medlyoott, Bart., Lord Cork, and Sir H.
Hoare, Mr. Portman, M.P., was called to the chair,
when it was resolved to present a testimonial in the
shape of a picture to Mr. Digby, and a committee wore
appointed for carrying out the same. The thanks of
the meeting were also given to Mr. Dendy for the
valuable assistance he had rendered to the sport and
good feeling of the hunt, and it was resolved to present
a piece of plate to him as a testimoniaL
Subscriptions to the amount of over £125 for the
painting, and rather over one-third for the plate were
put down in the room. The subscription is limited to
five guineas.