SPORT killed as many as sixty-five brace of hares in the season. From time to time some of the best of the old southern hound blood has been brought into the kennel, notably from the Penistone, the Hokombe, the Stannington, and the Bexhill packs. The kennels are at Boxhurst Farm, Sandhurst, and the pack, consisting of fifteen couples of southern harriers, 23 inches in height, meets twice a week. The country hunted lies in the Weald of Kent, and consists of pasture, plough and woodland in about equal proportions. There is very little wire. A large tract of country is hunted by the Ashford Valley Harriers whose territory extends for some twenty miles from east to west, by about twelve miles from north to south. This area consists for the most part of grass, with a small proportion of woodland and plough. It is a fair scenting country and has some good hunting fences, but wire, unfortunately, has greatly increased of recent years, and most of it remains up throughout the hunting season. The master, Mr. John C. Buckland, of Goldwell, Great Chart, Ashford, hunts the pack, which is his own property, at his personal expense, and carries the horn. The pack is old established and was hunted from about i860 to 1878 by Mr. Alfred Swaffer, who was succeeded in the latter year by the present master. The kennels are at Goldwell, about three miles from Ashford. Mr. Buckland's pack consists of twenty couples of 20-inch hounds, a cross between southern harriers and dwarf fox- hounds. The West Kent Harriers are a subscription pack with kennels at Lamorbey Park, Sidcup, where the master, Mr. Lewis P. Kekewich, who has held office since 1905, resides. Former masters of the West Kent have been Mr. Henry Lubbock, Mr. William May, Mr. Richard Foster, jun., and Mr. Cecil Berens. The country lies partly in Kent and partly in Surrey, and about one-half of it consists of pasture. There are some good fences with plenty of galloping. The pack consists of fifteen couples of 20-inch dwarf foxhounds, and meets twice a week. Mr. Mercer's Harriers were established in 1903, when they succeeded a pack of beagles hunted by the same master during the three previous seasons. The country- extends from Faversham on the east to Rainham on the west, and from the Swale on the north to a point about seven miles to the southward. The Boxley Harriers, otherwise known as Mr. Brassey's, formerly hunted part of this district with some of the surrounding country. About one-half of Mr Mercer's territory is plough, and the remainder consists partly of woodland, and partly of marsh intercepted by large dykes. The latter is very good scenting country and affords the best sport. Except in the marshland, where there is not much fencing, wire is somewhat plentiful. Twenty couples of 20-inch harriers constitute the pack, whose kennels are at Rodmersham near Sitting- bourne, where the master resides. Mr. J. Strouts acts as huntsman. The Romney Marsh Harriers are among the old established packs of the county and began their career about the year 1858. The pack is at present managed by a committee, with Major H. Finn (Elm Grove, Lydd, Kent) as honorary secretary. Former masters have been :— Mr. Albert Cock, Appledore (from about 1858 to 1866), Mr. Alured Denne, Lydd (1866 to 1868), Mr. W. D. Walker, New Romney (1868 to 1892), Mr. P. G. Barthropp (1892 to 1893), Messrs. R. P. Burra and J. S. Vidler (1893 to 1894), Mr. R. P. Burra (1894 to 1895), Messrs. R. Kenward and J. F. Selmes (1895 to 1896), Colonel H. C. Wilson (1896 to 1899), Mr. Frank Green (1899 to 1901), Mr. T. Bayden (1901 to 1903), Colonel H. C. Wilson (1903 to 1904), Mr. J. F. Selmes (1904 to 1905), and Mr. Frank Green (1905 to 1906).! The pack consists of twenty couples of bitches, 20 to 21 inches, all foxhounds ; the kennels are at Brookland ; and meets are held twice a week. Most of the country hunted by the Romney Marsh Harriers lies in Kent, but their territory extends into Sussex. The country is chiefly pasture and there is very little wire. As early as 1760 Mr. Farrer of Cleve Court kept hounds in the Isle of Thanet. These were undoubtedly used for hare-hunting, though we find an account in the Kentish Gazette of 27 September 1769, of a hunt after a deer, which was a run with Farrer's hounds. In 1791 an advertisement appeared in the Kentish Gazette for a huntsman, but no record of the appointment is e.xtant. The Isle of Thanet Hunt as it now exists was established on 2 April 18 13, at a meeting held at the Mount Pleasant Inn near Minster, where Messrs. Ambrose CoUard, John Swinford and Henry Collard were appointed stewards, and Thomas Oakley Curling secretary. The hunt has been carried on in the Isle of Thanet continuously from that date. In 1849 Mr. John White took the country and built new kennels at Brooksend, moving the hounds thither from Hoo Corner, Monkton ; and Baily's Hunting Directory, 1906-7. 487
