CHAPTER II.THE FIRST PACKS OF THE KILDARE COUNTRY

I AM CONFIRMED IN MY opinion that organized fox-hunting in Ireland, as in England, was first made possible only by the maintenance by individual gentlemen of private hunting establishments, by evidence, scanty in all cases, but still conclusive, of the existence of three such establishments all close to each other in the district hunted by the Kildare hounds to-day. It is quite beyond doubt that well back in the eighteenth century packs of foxhounds were kept at Castletown by the Conollys, at Bishopscourt by the Ponsonbys, and at Johnstown by the Kennedys.

Tradition has long assigned the origin of the present Kildare pack to the first mentioned of these families, then represented by Mr Thomas Conolly of Castletown, the famous Squire Conolly whose memory is still alive in Kildare as the type and pattern of the Irish gentleman and sportsman. Sport generally in Kildare and fox-hunting in particular undoubtedly owe much to that gentleman. But after an inquiry as full and exhaustive as I could make it in existing circumstances, I am unable, for reasons which will appear, to support tradition to the extent of accepting the Castletown pack of those early days as the fount and origin of the present Kildare Hunt. But it is certain that indirectly at least, the success which fox-hunting has enjoyed in the Kildare district for more than a century owes much to Squire Conolly, and any inquiry into the origin of the sport in Kildare must take full account of any evidence which exists of the establishment which he maintained on a large scale at Castletown during the last quarter of the eighteenth century.

By the kindness of Captain E. M. Conolly, the present owner of Castletown, descendant of Squire Conolly, who has placed many interesting private papers at my disposal, I think I shall be able to give some important particulars of the development of hounds and hunting in Kildare, and a glance at least at one of the most notable of the private hunting establishments which in Ireland as elsewhere made the modern sport, as we know it, possible.

Squire Conolly married Lady Louisa Lennox, daughter of the second Duke of Richmond in 1758, and at the date of the first letter bearing on the subject of our inquiry had succeeded to his paternal estates at Castletown, and was living there the life of the typical sporting Irish gentleman of those days. He obviously had a pack of foxhounds in 1764, for on October 17 of that year a Mr E. Calcraft wrote to him from Ancaster on the subject of sport, and as the letter contains an interesting allusion to the Duke of Rutland’s hounds, the forerunners of the famous Belvoir pack, with which Mr Conolly’s own pack, I think, was at that time closely allied, I set it out at length.

Ancaster,

17th Octr. 1764.

My dear Conolly,

I have the pleasure to tell you we are at last got a little settled in our habitation at Ancaster, and fox-hunting begins on Saturday next. The Duke of Rutland was afraid we should kill too many foxes if we started sooner. The hounds have been to be blooded in Nottinghamshire at Lord George Sutton’s. I have contented myself with humble hare-hunting to get my horses in condition for the fox dogs.

I flattered myself with the hopes of hearing from you after the Curragh, and to have received a good account of the performances of Apollo, but as I have heard nothing, I shall not ask questions, lest I should receive mortifying answers; therefore shall turn to my old friend Mr Soarby and your hounds. I hope they have had plenty of game, and you good sport. . . .

I have news to send you from this retired place. Lord Granby has come to-night to Willsford, and has desired me to meet him with Mr Pennant’s harehounds on our heath. We go with the fox dogs to Ropsy Rise on Saturday, so I am impatient from it.

Believe me, your affectionate and sincere friend,

E. Calcraft.

It will be noted that this letter establishes the fact that Mr Conolly had a well-established pack of foxhounds in Kildare as early as 1764. It is interesting to note, too, the famous soldier the Marquess of Granby, whose features still survive on many old inn signs in English villages, at his diversion with the harriers at Ancaster in the same year; and the mention of harriers and of “fox dogs” by Mr Calcraft seems to confirm the theory of the gradual evolution of fox-hunting from the chase of the hare of which I have written in the previous chapter.

A letter of Mr Wm Sherlock, written from Sherlockstown on March 20, 1777, and mainly concerned with a projected meeting of the Jockey Club, “occationed by Several Rules of the Jockey Club having been broke through,” contains a concluding paragraph relating to hunting in Kildare which I may quote.

“Have you given up Fox-hunting for this season? Will you hunt this country; you know there are foxes, if you do not think it late? “In the same year I find letters from Mr Thomas Thoroton written from Belvoir Castle, which establishes, I think, a blood relationship between the Belvoir pack and Mr Conolly’s hounds in 1777. In a letter from Belvoir dated June 7, he urged Mr Conolly to send his huntsman over to bring back hounds from the Belvoir pack, it being already late in the year for some of them to travel. A fortnight later another letter, which I may set out at length, will show the generous infusion of English blood which reached the Castletown pack in that year.

Belvoir Castle,

June 22nd, 1777.

My dear Sir,

I have sent you eleven couple of hounds that I hope will please you. There is two dogs, the one a Grey and white dog called “Gayger” (Ganger) that is of our best sort and I most strongly recommend him as a stallion. The other dog called “Farewell” with a Red Head and a large Black spot on His Loins I equally recommend as a Stallion. He is of Mr Pelham’s sort.

As the Setting up of any pack depends upon Bitches in my opinion more than Stallions, I have sent you four Bitches from whom we have bred excellent hounds, and also six young Bitches that I dare say will breed you as good.

The white Bitch called “Mopsey” is own Sister and of the same Litter with Monarch, a Hound of the Highest Reputation in this part of the World and has been as a Stallion this year to Pelham, last year to Meynell. I would not have parted from “Mopsey” to anybody but you.

“Columbine,” “Banquet” and “Ransome” are all capital brood Bitches, and a large white Bitch with a Grizzle spot on her Loins I am sure from her breed will be a Capital Bitch. I will send their pedigree to you, but at present it would exceed the Limitts of this Letter.

I have taken the Liberty of sending a couple of small Bitches for Lady Louisa, and with my best Respects, I beg her acceptance of them. They are called “Isabell” and “Lady”; “Isabell” is entered and a very good one; “Lady” is only a whelp. Little as They are. They will run up with your Hounds and they will breed Large Hounds, being Dwarf Hounds of a Large sort.

The Duke of Rutland presents his best comps; permitt me to add the best Respects of

Dear Sir,

Your very faithfull and Obedient Servant.

Tho. Thoroton.

I find this Mr Thoroton was a person of some note in his day. He was a country gentleman with a small property at Screveton but was well known in political life as the agent of the 3rd and 4th Dukes of Rutland. He sat for some years for the Duke’s pocket boroughs of Boroughbridge and Newark; later for Bramber, as the nominee of the Marquess of Granby, who while Master of the Ordnance made Thoroton Secretary to the Board. He had a large share in the English affairs of the 4th Duke, whom he also assisted in Ireland during his term as Lord Lieutenant in 1784-7. Thoroton’s conduct during the Gordon Riots in 1780, when he was instrumental in saving many lives from the mob, attracted much favourable notice.

The Belvoir pack from which Mr Conolly’s hounds at Castletown were thus recruited was one of the most famous in England, and was perhaps already approaching its highest point of excellence. The Belvoir hounds were the result of crossing the old family buckhounds which had been maintained at Haddon and Belvoir by successive members of the Manners family for many generations, with other blood, and the typical Belvoir hound was probably already a fixed type. This hound, with a black saddle and tan patches upon the purest white ground, was eventually of so uniform a colouring, that at first the eye had a difficulty in distinguishing one hound from another. The third Duke of Rutland, who succeeded in 1721 and was still alive in 1777, was a great foxhunter. It was he who brought the pack from Haddon, and it was under his direction that hounds were bred for fox-hunting and that the Belvoir pack took to the fox. He died in 1779, and under the fourth duke the fortunes of the hunt somewhat declined. But during the minority of his successor the pack was managed by Sir Carnaby Haggerston and Lord George Cavendish. Later Mr Perceval, brother of the Prime Minister, was associated with the management, and in his hands the pack was brought to a perfection which it has since maintained.

Mr Conolly’s well-known patronage of the Turf is reflected in several letters of this period. It is evident that the Curragh was already a great racing centre in Ireland, and there are numerous allusions to trials and...