George Holland was an enthusiastic fox-hunter, and frequently changed his abode for the better enjoyment of his favourite sport.  In 1847 he was living at a place called Underdown, near Ledbury; and there, on the 27th of January in that year, his eldest son was born.

The first Lord Gifford (1779-1826), who was successively Lord Chief Justice and Master of the Rolls, had owed much in early life to the goodwill of Lord Eldon, and, in honour of his patron, he named one of his sons’ Scott.  This Scott Gifford was Mrs. George Holland’s brother, and his name was bestowed on her eldest son, who was christened “Henry Scott,” but has always been known by his second name.  This link with George III.’s Tory Chancellor is pleasingly appropriate.

Let it be remarked in passing that the hyphen so often introduced into the name is solely a creation of the newspapers, which, always rejoicing in double-barrelled surnames, gratify a natural impulse by writing about “Canon Scott-Holland.”

I regret that the most exhaustive research has failed to discover any recorded traits of “Scotty” Holland in the nursery, but his career in the schoolroom is less obscure.  His governess was a Swiss lady, who pronounced her young pupil “the most delightful of boys; not clever or studious, but full of fun and charm.”  This governess must have been a remarkable woman, for she is, I believe, the only human being who ever pronounced Scott Holland “not clever.”  It is something to be the sole upholder of an opinion, even a wrong one, against a unanimous world.  By this time George Holland had established himself at Wellesbourne Hall, near Warwick, and there his son Scott was brought up in the usual habits of a country home where hunting and shooting are predominant interests.  From the Swiss lady’s control he passed to a private school at Allesley, near Coventry, and in January, 1860, he went to Eton.  There he boarded at the house of Mrs. Gulliver,[*] and was a pupil of William Johnson (afterwards Cory), a brilliant and eccentric scholar, whose power of eliciting and stimulating a boy’s intellect has never been surpassed.

[Footnote *:  Of Mrs. Gulliver and her sister, H. S. H. writes:  “They allowed football in top passage twice a week, which still seems to be the zenith of all joy.”]

From this point onwards, Scott Holland’s history—­the formation of his character, the development of his intellect, the place which he attained in the regard of his friends—­can be easily and exactly traced; for the impression which he made upon his contemporaries has not been effaced, or even dimmed, by the lapse of seven-and-forty years.

“My recollection of him at Eton,” writes one of his friends, “is that of a boy most popular and high-spirited, strong, and full of life; but not eminent at games.”  Another writes:  “He was very popular with a certain set, but not exactly eminent.”  He was not a member of “Pop,” the famous Debating Society of Eton, but his genius found its outlet in other spheres.  “He once astonished us all by an excellent performance in some private theatricals in his house.”  For the rest, he rowed, steered the Victory twice, played cricket for his House, and fives and football, and was a first-rate swimmer.