Articles

Written by Finder and taken from our Baily’s of 1894 this article gives some insight into the conversation in kennels when all is quiet at night after a hunting day. We, the dog pack, were laying on our benches after a hard day’s work. We had been fed and were licking each other’s heads, finding...

In this article, Ed Swales turns a magnifying glass on the Machiavellian antics of those in Scotland who are ideologically opposed to hunting with hounds in Scotland. The Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act was passed in 2002 and whilst the title of this legislation sounds admirable enough, in fact its real aim was to…

Ed Swales looks at NI at the plans to reintroduce a failed bill to the NI Assembly once again. John Blair MLA, South Antrim’s Alliance Party candidate, is at it again in the run-up to the election at Stormont on May 5th. He has unveiled plans to re-introduce his ill-judged and prejudiced Bill to ban…

An article on hounds scenting ability As Mr. Jorrocks said in Handley Cross. Jorrocks ended this pronouncement by adding,” ‘cept a woman.” But I think I’d end it differently: “There’s nowt so queer as scent, ‘cept what we’ll do to try to understand it.” More of that in a moment. “Oh, that weary scent!” exclaimed...

John Thornton, known to everyone as Nat, spent over 35 years working at Stowe together with his wife Ann, who worked in the Medical centre caring for sick Stoics. They arrived in 1973 and initially, Nat looked after the Beagles and also tended the Headmaster’s garden. They lived in the West Boycott Pavilion. At that...

From Richard Parnall’s History of the Golden Valley Hunt we found this intriguing tale concerning   Golden Valley Lightning and Golden Valley Lively: During the summer of 1946 a young Naval Officer, whose parents were friends of Mrs. Riddell, who lived at The Moor, Nr. Hay-on-Wye, called on her for advice. He owned a couple...

Exactly when the Belvoir Hounds were first established is not known. It is, however, probable that the occupants for the time being of the famous castle included a pack of hounds among their possessions almost from time immemorial. At any rate, we know that there were hounds at Belvoir in the reign of James 1st,...

The process behind creating a unique hand-made garment can be something of a mystery. This article looks at craftsmen and women who create another essential part of our hunting life: the clothing we wear.

Many readers will know that the Great Hound Match of 1905 was a face-off between A. Henry Higginson’s Middlesex Hunt with its English Foxhounds and Harry Worcester Smith of the Grafton Hunt and his American Foxhounds.  The Match was held in the Piedmont Hunt’s then country with each pack alternating days hunting in the country. ...

Better known as ‘Goodall’s Practice’ These notes which were first published by Baily’s are Lord Henry Bentinck’s Remarks on the Late William Goodairs Method with the Belvoir Hounds. William Goodall was Huntsman to the Duke of Rutland for 17 years until his death on 1st May 1859 William Goodall’s Method with Hounds. In handling his...