A game shooting log book of Sir John Loader Maffey, 1st Baro...

Hammer

£340

A game shooting log book of Sir John Loader Maffey, 1st Baron Rugby (1877-1969), with his ownership signature at front, 38 pages of manuscript game shooting entries covering the period August 1912 to November 1915, entries include dates, location of shoots, tallies of various game shot, number of guns, and manuscript remarks "August 12 1912; Benachie Moor (self + Capt Lancelot Gregson); Grouse 60; No. of Guns 2; Remarks - Staying at the place of Tillyfourie on the left bank of the Don, Aberdeenshire. Only other gun Capt. Lancelot Gregson (Gren. Gds.). It had been a good breeding season for grouse and the coveys were big & strong. Unfortunately the weather from 1st August on was wet & blustery so that the birds were very wild by the 12th. The 12th itself was not a bad day, but there was too much wind & cloud. The pointers were almost useless & we gave up using them after 1/2 an hour. But as there were plenty of birds there was no lack of good sporting shots & we were grateful to neighbours on Lickleyhead & Pitcaple moors for a good many driven birds. Spent all day on Benachie, a larch moor commanding a distant view of Aberdeen & the sea to the E[ast] & the valley of the Don to the West. "Oh gin I were where gadie rins at the back of Benachie!"", entries for other shoots at Hadlow Grange Sussex; Kintyre, Borgedal Moor on the Mull; Gartvaigh & Cattadale Moors; Cheviot & North Strone; Macharioch; Tickerage, Marquis of Abergavenny's ground; Shawford; Eisenhurst Park; Ards, County Donegal, Ireland; Fishing, River Wye, Herefordshire "R. Wye in good order but not enough breeze. On 19th March killed a 9 1/2lb fish in Buxton Orchard on a lemon grey fly & another 13 1/2 on a Dusty Miller. On 20th took a fish 20lb in "Shipley" on Dusty Miller & another (11 1/2lb) in Boat Pool. On 21st (a still sultry day) hooked a fine fish, said to be over 30lb, in Shipley on a black doctor, but the hook hold gave in 1 minute at the end..."; final 6 pages of manuscript entries, India, 1913, locations include Buner district and Swat district, Chamkani, Peshawar (all present day Pakistan) "7 partridge 1 sisei[?]. Shooting with Bill Bolton from his camp. Bill Bolton & self. A mixed bag of blacks & greys: morning only. Shooting with Col. Kennior (P.A. Malakand) & Mr Startley. Mostly greys, but I got a nice --- at d---- chikor. Sheba's first effort in India. Two or three good daysin at end of Jan at blacks & greys - two of them with Khaja Alhd Khan of Hamzakot. A 14 1/2lb mahseer at Pihar (Indus) first week of april. Deadbait. Genl. Young & self", plus a few other entries overleaf Delhi, Simla, Taradevi etc, final pencil note by Maffey "This book covers a very small area of my life with rod & gun!", contemporary half calf gilt album (26 x 21cm), all edges gilt, together with some associated ephemera, including small quantity snapshot photos in mountains of India/Pakistan; photograph of River Don/Benachie; two Bharatpur Shoot printed logs/lists Nov 20th 1916 & Jan 12th 1918, both including J.L. Maffey; shooting pass from HM the King Sandringham for Sir John Maffey, Anmer Hall, 1920's (date indistinct); various other printed shooting & fishing passes/cards with m/s entries; postcards Tillifoure, Don, etc. Sir John Maffey held various positions in the Indian Civil Service in North West Frontier Province from 1899-1924, later becoming Governor-General of Sudan and Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, and was a key figure in Anglo-Irish relations during the Second World War