The music of the pack is it’s

 

 

CRY!

 

 

Spring 2001

 

 

“Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.

For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;

The flowers appear on the earth, the time of the

Singing of the birds is come, and the voice of the turtle

Is heard in our land”

 

The Song of Solomon

 

 

Whatever the fears and worries that seem to surround all of us in these troubled times the sheer glory of this time of year provides some compensation and a timely reminder that nature is benevolent as well as malevolent. As any country person knows, in the long run the bad years and good years balance each other out but, particularly from a farming point of view, the last four years have tipped the scales heavily to ‘Bad.’

 

There have certainly been some extraordinary sights over the last few weeks; last years crop of potatoes being lifted on one side of a field and this years being planted on the other. Never one to miss an opportunity, a certain well known contractor has been seen baling straw which has been lying in the swath since last September.

 

A bright spot in the seemingly endless battle to save our sport was the resounding defeat of the hunting bill in the House of Lords. At long last reasoned debate and common sense seemed to have prevailed over the prejudice and spite that have been such a feature of the antis campaign to take away our liberty and, in many cases, livelihoods. A report on this features further on in Cry but it must now be appropriate to thank so many hunt supporters for the extraordinary amount of time, effort and money that you have donated to the cause of hunting. At this moment it is quite impossible to forecast the future but, since the Lords debate, it is comforting to know that our arguments are coming across so strongly.

 

Further encouragement is provided by the former Chief Officer of the League Against Cruel Sports, Graham Sirl, who, after twenty two years with the organisation – and nine as Head of West Country Operations, has accepted that hunting with hounds plays an integral part in the management system of deer on Exmoor and the Quantocks and wrote to newspapers in the West Country to say so. “A ban on hunting will not save one animal’s life……The Hunting Bill will do little for animal welfare….I have come to the conclusion that in the event of a total hunt ban the deer population will be decimated.

 

It is difficult to think of anyone who comes out of the disaster that is foot and mouth with any credit and this is neither the time nor place to voice an opinion. However hunting and the rural community are inextricably linked and the Hunt Chairman has written to all Wire Area Managers to stress the importance of maintaining contact with farmers and, indeed, everyone in the rural community at this bleak time. Please would every member of WHSC do the same and if any of you have any ideas or suggestions as to how we as a Hunt can help then please contact the Masters.

 

Perhaps psychologically one of the worst aspects of the necessary restrictions is the loss of communication or, to put it another way, the ability to have a good gossip. With few or no Markets, Hunt functions, Pony Club events, Horse Trials etc it is easy to get out of touch. Uncertainty is another problem, particularly with the recent resurgence of cases. Whether or not the donation rides will be able to take place and when hunting will resume are questions that cannot yet be answered. We can only go on the advice of the authorities but the protection of our farmers and the eradication of this awful disease are the two paramount concerns for the present. Let us all pray for a speedy conclusion.

 

 

FROM OUR CHAIRMAN

 

The telephone rang a few days before Easter – the machine switched on and the voice of the Editor chuckled and wished for a maiden contribution from the new chairman of the Wynnstay Hunt Supporters Club – no more than 1,000 words he said hastily; so here goes.

 

I must begin by thanking  Jeannie Chantler for the years of hard work that she has put in as Chairman of WHSC. Not only has she ‘handed over’ a thriving and active concern – so important in the current political climate – but also under her chairmanship WHSC has provided us all with a wide variety activities which have been both fun and lucrative for the Club and the Hunt alike. Thank you, Jeannie.

 

I could not have conceivably wished for a more difficult time to make my opening remarks in such an auspicious magazine as ‘Cry.’ Suffice it to say I spent Easter weekend surrounded by children hunting eggs not foxes – a pastime still permitted without the necessity of a license or the wearing of a white plastic coat!

 

The year for the Club began well with all the high hopes of being in a position of contributing to the costs of sending many keen hunt supporters to London – at least 1,200 had registered their intention of ‘being there.’ All is now history but I hope that we will be in a position to help again when it is right to do so.

 

We had an extremely good time at the Whitchurch Civic Centre at the beginning of February. Mr & Mrs Brian Probin arranged their 11^th Farmers Hunt Ball which was thoroughly enjoyed by all those fortunate enough to get a ticket. Brian and Mary have very kindly agreed to organise their 12^th Dance on 8^th February 2002 at the Whitchurch Civic Centre.

 

Simon Hart of the Countryside Alliance has happily agreed to speak at our Annual Dinner on 17^th November 2001 which will again be held at Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse. I hope that this will be as great a success as last year and that we will be in much happier times.

 

Elizabeth Hanmer

 

 

HUNT ENTERTAINMENT AND CHRISTMAS AUCTION

 

Daresbury’s Darlings gave another entertaining show under the direction of John Harvey, their gallant producer. A lot of work and preparation went into it beforehand.

 

Many thanks to all who gave so generously a big variety of items for the Auction and congratulations to John Brerton for his auctioneering and extraction of so  much cash from the audience. We were able to give £6,000 to the Hunt funds.

 

Lastly, but not least, a big thank you to all the very efficient waitresses who worked hard and helped to make the evenings so successful and to Jane Jennings, Treasurer and Box Office Manager.

 

Next production 2002!

 

N.M.S.

 

Editors Note: in her typically modest manner Nancie fails to mention the one person who alone is virtually responsible for raising the magnificent sum of £6,000 – herself.

 

PLUS CA CHANGE………

 

“Then there began an altogether different phase of hunting conversation. As long as the ladies were there it  was all very well to talk of hunting as an amusement. Good sport, a thirty minutes or so, the delight of having a friend in a ditch or the glory of a stiff built rail were fitting subjects to lighten the hour. But now the business of the night was to begin. The difficulties, the enmities, the precautions, the resolutions, the resources of the Brake Hunt were to be discussed. And from thence the conversation of these devotees trayed away to the perils at large to which hunting in these modern days is subjected – not the perils of broken necks and crushed ribs, which can be reduced to an average and so an end made of such small matters; but the perils from outsiders, the perils from new fangled prejudices, the perils from extended population, the perils from increasing railroads the perils from literary ignorances, the perils from intruding cads, the perils from indifferent magnates – the Duke of Omnium for instance – and that peril of perils, the peril of decrease of funds and increase of expenditure.”

 

From: The Duke’s Children by Anthony Trollope (written in 1880)

 

HUNTING REPORT

 

The atrocious wet weather of last autumn was an additional burden to our already hard pressed farmers. Cattle had to come in early and maize snatched off fields on the few occasions when the ground dried out enough to carry a tractor and trailer. In some parts of the country both maize and potatoes remained unharvested throughout the season.

 

From the hunting point of view this was a mixed blessing; the wet conditions and absence of cattle provided good scenting conditions but great care had to be taken to limit damage when crossing the waterlogged country. Indeed it was only thanks to the extreme generosity of our farmers that the Opening Meet – preceded as it was with unprecedented rain and flooding – could take place at all but an enjoyable, if muddy, day resulted. A busy day round Chorlton was enjoyed on the following Saturday, resulting in a great many empty saddles, but the following Tuesday at Tushingham had to be cancelled owing to further flash flooding.

 

The Sutton Green meet is always a widely anticipated occasion but with Bangor Racecourse under water there was understandably only limited country to hunt. Conditions improved slightly and on November 16^th we had a good hunt from Gredington, finding straight away in the Big Wood, crossing through Hampton Wood to Mill Wood and then back to Gredington once more. The following Saturday saw us being welcomed by Frank Lloyd at his new house Brynhova and a very busy day resulted, although conditions favoured the hounds rather than the horses with extremely difficult going for the Field.

 

Tuesday 21^st November from Rose Farm Coddington resulted in an interesting hound hunt into the Cheshire country to Saighton Gorse and the month ended with an enjoyable and active day in pouring rain from Broad Oak where hounds hardly stopped hunting all day. Hunting from Broomy Bank on 2^nd December resulted with our meeting up with the Cheshire hounds in Cholmondeley Mosses; at one stage the Cheshire huntsman was blowing his horn at one end of the Mosses, the Wynnstay huntsman blowing his at the other end and a nameless ex-huntsman of the Cheshire blowing his in the middle.

 

The weather became more settled during the first week of December and a good day was had from Heath Farm, Cuddington when the field enjoyed three large circuits of the superb country surrounding Chorlton. Frost intervened the following week but a busy day was had from the Carden Arms on 16^th December where full advantage was taken of the access to the golf course resulting from the senior joint-master’s appointment to the Board of Carden Park. The afternoon produced a worthwhile hunt from Tom Irons, across to Mrs Leche’s then quickly to Rowley Hill, crossing the Farndon road and marking to ground in Mr Crump’s pit hole.

 

A good afternoon hunt into a wild and wiry bit of the North Shropshire country resulted from the Shade Oak meet on 21^st December, allowing Bert and Annabel Turner to be alone with hounds for an hour whilst the huntsman had to resort to a car. Boxing Day saw a huge crowd gathered in Malpas with an early sharp hunt followed by the renewal of what was once a Boxing day tradition - a run to Cholmondeley Mosses. This time the aforementioned ex-huntsman emerged from his cottage vociferously suggesting we went elsewhere, only to be silenced by Second Whip Rod who – unaware who he was talking to – suggested that he should go inside, put his slippers on and put his feet up by the fire as it would be much more peaceful in front of the telly….

 

The Adrefelyn meet on the 28^th provided a very busy day with a good hunt in the evening over interesting country to Lightwood Green. This saw young Oliver Greenall faced with the choice of having to follow the hunt staff over a very stiff set of rails or make an ignominious retreat through someone’s garden; suffice to say he chose the former.

 

A very sharp frost on New Year’s Eve forced hunting to be transferred to Fenns Moss but by all accounts did not prevent the Tomlinson family from dispensing their traditional New Year’s Day hospitality. Despite the frost – which certainly improved the going on the boggier bits of the Moss – there was a good scent in the morning although this faded as the day progressed.

 

 The grounds of Erddig do not possess much fox-holding cover but we found plenty of foxes there at our meet on 9^th January – unfortunately we also found a lot of new earths but a nice hunt followed in the afternoon round the back of Mr Robert Hughes’. The next day saw the first visit of the Wynnstay to the Eglington country in Ayrshire, meeting at Kirkmichael. Two nice hunts amidst wonderful scenery followed and we were extremely well entertained by our hosts.

 

Frost almost intervened again on the 16^th January resulting in the meet at Bryn-y-Pys being put back for an hour. The decision to hunt was vindicated by a good circular hunt followed by a sharp run in the afternoon from Black Wood to the Caedrinions and on to Carol Wood before returning to the Caedrinions. Here hounds were stopped in the dark owing to lack of horsepower and a mutiny from the only two remaining members of the field. The weather then hardened and snow resulted in the loss of two days before hunting resumed on the 23^rd January at Tushingham.

 

The rearranged meet at Lower Farm Isycoed on January 27^th produced the best hound hunt of the season. Hounds screamed away from Park Farm to cross the river near Caldecott, on to Grafton, skirting to the north of Tilston and crossing the Tilston Stretton road by the bridge. They ran on to the Aisle and towards Hook’s Rough before skirting the golf course and into the old Bodfari Creamery. Hounds were delayed here by a sheet metal gate but the lead hounds squeezed through and ran out for the Nursery before being stopped. An example of how well they can hunt when not distracted by horses, cars or motor (quad) bikes! On returning to Isycoed a busy afternoon followed with another fox swimming the river below Sutton Green.

 

February continued to produce good sport with particularly good days from the Hunt Ball meet at Castletown on the 3^rd and from Colemere on the 15^th. Here hounds found in Smithymoor, ran right handed to Yarnest, crossed the main road and on to the landfill site, back through the meet to Smithymoor again before being stopped at Shade Oak whilst heading for Stanwardine.

 

The marvellous country around Sutton Green provided some excellent sport from Pickhill Old Hall on the 17^th when hounds scarcely stopped hunting all day. This momentum was maintained on the 20^th from Whitegate Farm Coddington. After killing an extremely rotund fox by the dustbins of Pigeon House Farm following a short spin from the railway line over Randle Cook’s challenging hedges an excellent hunt developed from the Brickyards in Aldford.

 

Running quickly to the Fox Covert hounds crossed the road to Stannage, through Sowerbutts, Speed’s, Jones’ and the Prince of Wales’ coverts and back to the Brickyards via the middle of Aldford. A large field of unharvested potatoes brought hounds to a halt on the far side of the Brickyards but a timely view by the Beachin saw them once more travelling at pace to Edgerley, skirting Royalty, on to Mr Crump’s pit hole and then over the Farndon road near Churton and down to the river before being stopped one field short of Farndon. 

 

Little did we realise at the time that the first case of Foot and Mouth was being diagnosed that very day, the consequences of which remain with us. It is still too early to know when hunting will be resumed but in the meantime our thoughts are with all those who’s lives have been devastated by this terrible disease.

 

 

FARMING & WILDLIFE COMPETITIONS 2000 & 2001

 

Unfortunately as a result of the Foot & Mouth crisis both this year’s competition and the prize giving for last year’s, like so many other events, have not yet been able to take place. As a result both have been put on ‘hold’ for the present.

 

 

 

THE DONKEY

 

When fishes flew and forests walked

And figs grew upon thorn,

Some moment when the moon was blood

Then surely I was born.

 

With monstrous head and sickening cry

And ears like errant wings,

The devil’s walking parody

On all four-footed things.

 

The tattered outlaw of the earth,

Of ancient crooked will;

Starve, scourge, deride me: I am dumb,

I keep my secret still.

 

Fools! For I also had my hour;

One far fierce hour and sweet:

There was a shout about my ears,

And palms before my feet.

 

G.K. Chesterton

 

 

 

CAMPAIGN FOR HUNTING

 

 

Since the last edition of Cry the hunting debate has been a bit like a game of Snakes and Ladders. We slithered down a rather long snake when the Hunting Bill was debated in the House of Commons. For those watching it ‘Debate’ was hardly the appropriate word – an extremely robust and compelling defence was put up by our supporters – including our local MPs Owen Paterson and Stephen O’Brien – whilst a small handful of the opposition trotted out the same old interminable falsitudes to an almost empty House. All this changed, of course, when the time came to vote and in came a mass of MPs who had not bothered to listen to the debate but who were conscious that an election was in the offing.

 

The Bill was then sent to the House of Lords and many of you were good enough to write to a number of Peers. Here are some of their replies:-

 

From Lord Elton:

 

Dear Mr Loud; Thank you for your letter about the Hunting Bill. I well understand your anxiety. I am receiving an avalanche of mail about it from all over the country. The letters have come from people of every sort, living in both town and country, and have deployed an impressive range of arguments. All but one of them have been in favour of continuing to hunt the fox. They have been clearly expressed, persuasive, and based on personal experience; the writers, who have targeted many other Peers besides myself, deserve thanks and congratulations for a very effective write-in. If I had been in doubt as to how to vote on this Bill they would have persuaded me. But I am myself a lifelong supporter of fox hunting and I need no persuasion to vote for its continuance.

 

It is simply not practicable for me to reply to each letter individually. As a large number of them have come from Subscribers or Supporters of Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn’s I would be most grateful if you could use your Hunt News Letter to express to them my thanks, and those of other pro-hunting Peers whose secretarial resources are not up to writing to all of them personally. We will do our best!

 

P.S. Your daughter wrote a particularly good letter!

 

From Lord Thomas of Gresford:

 

Thank you very much for your letter, which I have considered most carefully. I have received a number of letters in particular from members of the Wynnstay Hunt on this topic and I am glad for all the helpful comments which they contain. I have recollections of the Hunt back to my childhood, when I frequently spent St David’s Day a spectator of the meet at the Barracks in Wrexham. I have not hunted myself, since the only time I have ridden a horse was at the invitation of Squire Yorke at the end of one such day at Erddig – a somewhat dubious distinctions, as I now realise. My own sporting endeavours have included a lifetime’s active participation in rugby football at Wrexham, as a player, coach and referee, competitive vets rowing at Chester, and for the last twenty five years, fishing in both the Scottish and Welsh Dees. It should not be thought therefore, that I have no appreciation of sport in its widest sense, and of field sports in particular.

 

However, after long and careful consideration of all the issues, I have come to the conclusion that as with almost every other sport, a national regulatory body would be of benefit to fox-hunting. I appreciate that every capable Master of Hounds exerts control and discipline over his members but the advantage of a controlling body is that it would set up acceptable codes of conduct nationwide. I further believe that it would be a focus for any complaints which might be made by members of the public. I think that much of the heat of the debate is engendered by individuals who feel that their concerns over animal welfare, damage by trespass and public safety are not listened to.

 

I believe that such a move would take hunting out of the political arena for some time to come and would preserve the jobs and the way of life which will disappear if hunting is banned altogether. I shall therefore be supporting Option 2 when the current Bill passes through this House.

 

From Lord Rees-Mogg:

 

Thank you very much for your letter. I am opposed to an outright ban on hunting with hounds but have an open mind on the issue of public regulation versus self-regulation. The advantage of public regulation is that it might settle the political issue for the next Parliament, and avoid the threat of an outright ban. Otherwise self-regulation would in my view be preferable. I shall listen to the debate and vote on the strength of the arguments. It is helpful of you to write from your own experience.

 

From Lord Garel-Jones:

 

Thank you very much for writing to me about the Government’s proposals for hunting.

 

I think I should confess to you that I have never shot, hunted or knowingly killed an animal. Nevertheless, I have been tempted to break the habit of a lifetime and shoot a few of the so-called animal welfare activists.

 

I have refrained from doing that but I will certainly vote against this measure when it comes to us.

 

* * *

 

There was an extremely spirited debate in the House of Lords and the Bill was resoundedly defeated. It is important to remember that this was the ‘New Labour’ House of Lords, not one packed with hereditary backwoods Peers. The Bill was then discussed in committee in the House of Lords and received a severe grilling before the dissolution of Parliament as a result of the General Election.

 

At the same time the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Development Committee decided it could not support Lord Watson’s controversial Bill in its current form. The Bill will almost certainly now have to be withdrawn and re-drafted or rejected out right when the decision is made by the full Parliament later this year.

 

And so we come to the General Election. The Labour manifesto is extremely woolly on the subject.

 

“The House of Commons elected in 1997 made clear its wish to ban fox-hunting. The House of Lords took a different view (and reform has been blocked.) Such issues are rightly a matter for a free vote and we will give the new House of Commons an early opportunity to express its view. We will then enable Parliament to reach a conclusion on this issue. If the issue continues to be blocked we will look at how the disagreement can be resolved.”

 

Some of the finest legal brains have been poring over this gobbledegook for the last two weeks and so far have been unable to come up with a translation, other than it would appear to be a hostile statement. Interesting, too, that the words ‘hunting with dogs’ have been reduced to ‘fox-hunting.’

 

The response by WHSC to the Liberty and Livelhood March was magnificent – over 1,200 people had registered their intention of going before the cancellation. Everything has been put on hold for the present, pending the outcome of the election and subsequent declarations of intent but the blueprint is still there.

 

 

 

 

“The first pursuit that a young man just out of boyhood should take up is hunting and

afterwards he should go on to the other branches of education, providing he has the means”

 

                                                                                                Xenophon

 

(The above probably explains why most of us have no money and precious little education)

 

THE HUNT OF THE CENTURY

 

Well, what was the hunt of the 20^th Century with Sir Watkin Williams Wynn’s hounds?  Since the personal enjoyment of the ride will vary enormously there will be many contenders – almost everyone will have a “best hunt ever” and each will have a different day in mind.

 

But I suggest the best HOUND hunt of the century was on Tuesday, 15^th February 1955 from a meet at Gredington.  Hounds had been unable to hunt on the Monday due to snow and in my mother’s words they “stole this day on Tuesday”. On the following Thursday they hunted from Aldford but after the Snipe Bog was drawn blank they had to stop because of falling snow and it was balling so badly it was unsafe.  They then didn’t hunt on horses again until Monday, 7^th March. My mother’s personal hunting diary reports the day as follows:

 

Quite a lot of snow, but Bob (Matson, still sole master then) thought we could have a quiet day in the Dukes Woods but fate thought otherwise.  Finding at once in Gredington hounds took their fox as for Penley, but turned at Clumbers Bank and ran back through Gredington and Bettisfield where he turned left over the road past Moss Fields to Llyn Bedydd.  Here hounds were at fault and quite a lot of time was lost, ‘till Wilkin took hounds over the lane where they picked up the line again and swinging right ran on over the Whitchurch – Ellesmere road, to Fenns Bank. Here we were badly held up with wire and lost touch with them and could hear nothing of them in the wilderness of bog, peat and woods at Fenns Bank.  They had either gone left to Iscoyd, or straight on over the railway.  Bob went left down the railway on his horse while Wilkin tried right on his feet and I went back towards Iscoyd.  (Trains ran regularly but infrequently on this single track in those days but the train drivers would stop if they saw hounds or horses).  The snow was much thicker here and it was easy to see they (had) crossed the railway.  Bob, Wilkin (huntsman), Jo (Salmon, amateur whip), Philip (Warburton-Lee), Michael and Edward (Fitzhugh, brothers) got over the railway by riding up it and out onto the platform at Fenns Bank station and got news of hounds on at Whixall.  I, alas, never saw them again. 

From Whixall they ran past Coton Hall almost to Prees station but did not cross the line but turned right running over Edstaton, nearly to Wem station.  Here they crossed the railway by the outskirts of the town, also the River Roden and the Wem – Shrewsbury road by Palms Hill, leaving Preston Springs and the North Shropshire kennels on their left.  Running on nearly to Clive Church they swung left handed along the side of Grinsall Hill to the back of Preston Brockhurst, to ground in Blaze Bank. A man working in the field heard hounds coming and ran to the Badger setts, but a very tired fox crawled into a hole just below him with hounds only 100 yards behind. What a hound hunt.  3 hours 20 minutes.  11¼ mile point and about 23 as hounds ran.  They were only touched once at Llyn Bedydd, all on bar one – Sid (?) had it at Harmer Hill and took it as far as the North Shropshire kennels where he left it and rode on back to The Twemlows.  Philip dropped out at Wem, the other five finished the hunt.

 

At the time many of the “oldies” said it was the best hunt these hounds had had in living memory and I don’t believe there has been a hound hunt to beat it since.  It is therefore my “Hunt of the Century”.

 

Colonel Michael Fitzhugh, now 90 years of age, remembers the hunt well and in particular the old man telling them he had actually seen the fox go to ground on a hill near the North Shropshire kennels.  “The longest hunt, yes, but I can remember many better ones, including one in Simister’s day from The Wyches, passed Broughton to Burton’s Wood and we lost him at Gredington”.

 

Philip Warburton-Lee has less memories of the day but complains that such long hunts were no good for “big chaps like you and me who needed a different sort of horse”.  Well, yes I do understand!

 

Joe Salmon remembers the day well.  He was riding a horse of my father’s called “Kittiwake”.  Very marginal as to whether it was fit to hunt, they had delayed the meet until 12 o’clock.  It took a while to find a fox and Joe holloaed it away on the Penley side before returning to Gredington.

 

He remembers Wilkin’s instinct in Fenn’s Bank Moss that hounds had gone straight through which was most unusual.  It was the tracks in the snow on the far side which confirmed this.  Joe recalls Jim Dudleston in a car seeing hounds cross the Whitchurch to Wem road by the Bull and Dog and putting Wilkin right.  From here on they were able to keep hounds in sight. He remembers it as a great hound hunt but recalls many others as better hunts to ride including Beechin to Broughton in an hour and ten minutes; Penley Dingles to Borras; and Royalty to the Beechin and on to Edge.

 

 

Richard Matson

 

THE SEASON, 1883-4

 

A SATURDAY WITH SIR WATKIN W. WYNN’S HOUNDS

 

(AT WHITCHURCH STATION)

 

SOME GROUP TERMS

 

 

 

 

If we are unable to hunt, we can at least read about it, and no better place to start than Siegfried Sassoon’s “Memoirs of a Fox-hunting Man.” What is interesting is how little – rather than how much – the mechanics of hunting have really changed in the ninety or so years since it was written. And what a wonderfully appropriate name to dream up for the Hunt Secretary. Here the author is hacking back to the kennels after a day’s hunting with his friend and amateur huntsman Denis Milden.

 

“ But the day’s hunting is ended, and I must watch myself jogging back to the Kennels, soaked to the skin but quietly satisfied in my temporary embodiment with the Hunt establishment; beneath a clean-swept sky, too, for the rain clouds have gone on with the wind behind them. Soon we are passing the village green; a quarter of a mile from the Kennels, Denis Milden blows a long quavering blast to warn the kennel-man and the head-groom that we are almost home.

 

When we turn in at the gate under some trees there are men waiting with swinging stable-lanterns, which flicker on their red jerseys, outside the long range of portable loose-boxes which Denis has put up. He and his whips are quickly off their horses and into the kennel-yard among the jostling hounds. He has told me to find my way indoors and get my tea and a bath. Cockbird is led into a loose-box under the superior eye of Meeston, the head-groom, a gruff, uncommunicative man, in a long, dirty white kennel-coat.

 

Cockbird gives his head a shake, glad to be rid of his bridle. Then he lowers it, and I pull his ears for a while – an operation which most horses enjoy when they are tired. The place is pervaded by a smell of oatmeal and boiled horse-flesh, and the vociferations of the hounds accompany me as I tread stiffly through the darkness to a wicket-gate, and so to the front door of the old wood-built huntsman’s house…………

 

………..I was downstairs again and had finished my  tea before Denis came in from the kennels. However late and wet he returned, he always saw his hounds fed, and it was usually about an hour before he was inside the house. No professional huntsman ever worked harder than he did, and he invariably rode to the meet and home again with his hounds..

 

He threw off his wet hunting-coat and slipped into a ragged tweed jacket which the silent servant Henry held out for him. As soon as he had swallowed a cup of tea he lit his pipe and sat down at his writing-table to open a pile of letters. He handed me one, with a grimy envelope addressed to “Mr Milden, The Dog Kennels, Ringwell.” The writer complained that a fox had been the night before and killed three more of his pullets, and unless he could bring the dogs there soon there wouldn’t be one left and they’d really have to start shooting the foxes, and respectfully begging he was owed fifteen shillings by the Hunt for compensation. Many of Denis’ letters were complaints from poultry-keepers or from small farmers whose seeds or sown ground had been ridden over when the land was wet. I asked what he did with these, and he replied that he sent them on to old McCosh, the Hunt secretary. “But when they look like being troublesome I go over and talk to them myself…”

 

Watching him open these letters was an important step in my sporting education. Until then I had not begun to realize how much there was to be done apart from the actual chivying of the foxes. Thenceforward I became increasingly aware that a successful day’s hunting was the result of elaborate and tactful preparations, and I ceased to look upon an angry farmer with a pitchfork as something to be laughed at.

 

Siegfried Sassoon                            

From Memoirs of a Foxhunting Man