The old silver tray was headed for melt-down, as are most engraved and unknown relics of lives long past and out of memory. Fortunately, however, it was recognized and rescued. For that, foxhunters with a respect for history have foxhunting historian Peter Devers, Millbrook ex-Master John Ike, and Live Oak Masters Marty and Daphne Wood to thank.
On a January evening in 1931, A. Henry Higginson—Master, huntsman, author, and contender in the Great English-American Hound Match of 1905—tendered his resignation as president of the Masters of Foxhounds Association. At dinner that night, members presented him with a tea service and engraved silver tray as a token of their regard and appreciation for his many years of service to the sport. In the last chapter of Higginson’s book, Try Back, published the following year, he wrote:
“At the meeting that evening, I handed in my resignation as President of the Masters of Foxhounds Association of America, an office I had held for seventeen years, and vacated the chair in favor of my old friend Henry Vaughan, who had served the Association as Secretary ever since its foundation in 1907. No man ever worked harder for the furtherance of the Association than Vaughan, and no one so richly deserved the honor which the Association paid him that night in electing him to the Presidency, which I hope and trust he will keep for many years to come. It was a wrench to me to give up the office which I held so long, but recognising as I did that my duties as Master of the Cattistock would entail my being in England for many months of the year, I felt it was only right that I should do so. The Association paid me the great honor of electing me Honorary Vice-President for life, and in addition they presented me at the dinner that night with a most exquisite tea service and a silver tray on which was engraved the seal of the M.F.H. Association and the following inscription:
‘TO A. HENRY HIGGINSON, M.F.H., FROM HIS FELLOW MEMBERS OF THE MASTERS OF FOXHOUNDS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA.
A TOKEN OF THEIR GRATITUDE AND APPRECIATION OF HIS SEVENTEEN YEARS OF ABLE AND AND SUCCESSFUL LEADERSHIP AS THEIR PRESIDENT IN FURTHERING THE WORK AND PRESTIGE OF THE ASSOCIATION.’
“I was quite overcome by this token of friendship …and it took me a few minutes before I could get my breath and try to thank them properly for a gift that I will always rank among my dearest possessions.”
Until very recently, the tray of which Higginson wrote had been an important missing artifact from his extraordinary life—a life so very prominent in the early history of organized, mounted foxhunting in North America. Then, two years ago, foxhunting historian Peter Devers at the Millbrook Hunt (NY) discovered through eBay that the tray had surfaced and was for sale. Devers writes:
“ln April 2017 I was made aware of a sterling silver presentation tray gifted to Alexander Henry Higginson by the Masters of Foxhounds Association of America. An NYC silver dealer named Andrew Callahan, who by strange coincidence has a country house in Verbank, near Millbrook, was offering it for sale for $2,900.
“As you are aware, Higginson spent many years at Thorndale, the estate of Oakleigh Thorne, MFH, hunting his own pack (the Middlesex) and later Mr. Thorne’s Millbrook pack.”
Callahan told Devers that he had paid more than he really wanted to for it, but just could not let it go to another dealer. The melt down value of the silver is about $1,400, but the artistry of the tray and its historic import obviously made it worth more if he could connect it with the right buyer.
Devers contacted Millbrook ex-Masters Oakleigh Thorne, John Ike, Farnham Collins, and Nancy Stahl. John Ike called Daphne Wood, and Daphne negotiated its purchase. The Woods had it restored and framed, and donated it to the MFHA Foundation. The Higginson tray now resides in the new MFHA office building next to Higginson’s portrait.
Daphne writes, “We gave it to the new MFHA headquarters in honor of Dennis Foster who was hired by Marty when he was president of the MFHA and who served the Association so well as executive director for twenty-four years, 1993–2016.
“If you have not seen your magnificent new headquarters, it’s well worth a visit!” Daphne concludes.
“This tray is a significant historical piece, worthy of being in a museum,” Peter Devers writes. “To my mind, this piece ranks second only to the missing Great American Foxhound Match trophy as a piece of historic hunting memorabilia.”
Posted July 5, 2019