 Berkeley Hunt in 1988 | |
| Hunt type | Fox hunting |
|---|---|
| Country |  England |
| History | |
| Founded | 12th century (foxes from 18th century) |
| Founded by | Berkeley family |
| Historical quarry | Stag and buck |
| Hunt information | |
| Hound breed | Foxhound |
| Hunt country | Gloucestershire & South Gloucestershire |
| Master(s) | Henry Berkeley |
| Quarry | Fox |
| Website | www.berkeleyhunt.co.uk |
The Berkeley Hunt is a foxhound pack in the west of England. Its country lies in the southern part of Gloucestershire, between Gloucester and Bristol.
The Berkeley Hunt's establishment is said to have been, in its (18th century) day, one of the largest and most important the world has ever known. [3] Hounds have been kept at Berkeley Castle since the 12th century, at first to hunt the stag and the buck, and since the 18th century, to hunt the fox. The Berkeley family of Berkeley Castle (which lost its titles of Baron Berkeley and Earl of Berkeley in 1882 and 1942 respectively) still owns the Berkeley hounds and the kennels.
The "hill country" above Dursley and Wotton-under-Edge is hunted mainly in March and early April, and adjoins the Duke of Beaufort's estate. The "vale country" comprises the Vale of Berkeley, largely dairy and stock farms with much permanent pasture, although the use of this land for growing crops is increasing.
At one time the Berkeley Hunt's hounds were kennelled at Berkeley and at Cheltenham, Nettlebed, Gerrards Cross and Cranford, Middlesex. It should have been possible to hunt from Berkeley Castle to Wormwood Scrubs, 100 miles as the crow flies, although not on a regular basis without disturbing other hunts. This wide range of activity may have begun by the Berkeleys taking their hounds to London each year. [3] In the late 18th century, the fifth Earl of Berkeley lost most of his land in and around Middlesex.
The country around Cheltenham and Broadway became Cotswold, North Cotswold and Cotswold Vale Farmer's Hunt. Gerrards Cross and Cranford retained the old livery and became known as the Old Berkeley Hunt. They were later divided into East and West. [3] [4]
Although "hunting wild mammals with a dog" was made unlawful in England and Wales by the Hunting Act 2004, which came into effect in 2005, [5] a number of exemptions stated in Schedule 1 of the 2004 Act permit some previously unusual forms of hunting wild mammals with dogs to continue, such as "hunting... for the purpose of enabling a bird of prey to hunt the wild mammal". [6] The Berkeley stresses that its present-day hunting is within the exemptions permitted by law[ citation needed ] and the death of any fox is absolutely accidental and coincidental to its legal activities and definitely not the purpose of said activities.
However, the hunt has been witnessed to trespass on farmland which they are aware they are not permitted to be on. This shows that the hounds are not following a pre-laid trail and foxes are being deliberately hunted and killed. [ citation needed ]
Rhyming slang is a form of slang word construction in the English language. It is especially prevalent among Cockneys in England, and was first used in the early 19th century in the East End of London; hence its alternative name, Cockney rhyming slang. In the US, especially the criminal underworld of the West Coast between 1880 and 1920, rhyming slang has sometimes been known as Australian slang.
Gloucestershire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire to the east, Wiltshire to the south, Bristol and Somerset to the south-west, and the Welsh county of Monmouthshire to the west. The city of Gloucester is the largest settlement and the county town.
Fox hunting is a traditional activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, normally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds", follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.
Beagling is the hunting mainly of hares and also rabbits, by beagles by scent. A beagle pack is usually followed on foot, but in a few cases mounted. Beagling is often enjoyed by 'retired' fox hunters who have either sustained too many injuries or lost the agility to ride horseback, or who enjoy the outdoors and the camaraderie of the hunt. It is also traditionally a way for young men and women to learn how to handle hounds on a smaller scale before they go on to hunt with foxhounds.
Coursing by humans is the pursuit of game or other animals by dogs—chiefly greyhounds and other sighthounds—catching their prey by speed, running by sight, but not by scent. Coursing was a common hunting technique, practised by the nobility, the landed and wealthy, as well as by commoners with sighthounds and lurchers. In its oldest recorded form in the Western world, as described by Arrian – it was a sport practised by all levels of society and it remained the case until Carolingian period forest law appropriated hunting grounds, or commons, for the king, the nobility, and other land owners. It then became a formalised competition, specifically on hare in Britain, practised under rules, the Laws of the Leash.
The Hunting Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which bans the hunting of most wild mammals with dogs in England and Wales, subject to some strictly limited exemptions; the Act does not cover the use of dogs in the process of flushing out an unidentified wild mammal, nor does it affect drag hunting, where hounds are trained to follow an artificial scent.
The Duke of Beaufort's Hunt, also called the Beaufort and Beaufort Hunt, is one of the oldest and largest of the fox hunting packs in England.
The English Foxhound is one of the four foxhound breeds of dog. It is a cousin of the American Foxhound. They are scent hounds, bred to hunt foxes by scent.
Legislation on hunting with dogs is in place in many countries around the world. Legislation may regulate, or in some cases prohibit the use of dogs to hunt or flush wild animal species.
In the United Kingdom, the term hunting with no qualification generally refers to hunting with hounds, e.g. normally fox hunting, stag (deer) hunting, beagling, or minkhunting, whereas shooting is the shooting of game birds. What is called deer hunting elsewhere is deer stalking. According to the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) over a million people a year participate in shooting, including stalking, shooting, hunting, clay shooting and target shooting. Firearm ownership is regulated in the UK by licensing. Provisions exist for those without a Firearm or Shotgun certificate to shoot under the supervision of a certificate holder.
The Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act was an Act of the Scottish Parliament passed in February 2002, making Scotland the first part of the United Kingdom to ban traditional fox hunting and hare coursing. It was repealed in 2023.
The Quorn Hunt, usually called the Quorn, established in 1696, is one of the world's oldest fox hunting packs and claims to be the United Kingdom's most famous hunt. Its country is mostly in Leicestershire, together with some smaller areas of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.
The Cottesmore Hunt, which hunts mostly in Rutland, is one of the oldest foxhound packs in Britain. Its name comes from the village of Cottesmore where the hounds were kennelled.
The Pytchley with Woodland Hunt is an organisation formerly based near the Northamptonshire village of Pytchley, but since 1966 has had kennels close to Brixworth. The Pytchley country used to include areas of the Rockingham Forest but was split to form the Woodland Pytchley Hunt. Today, it covers an area of western and central Northamptonshire characterised by rolling hills, hedgerows and small areas of woodland.
The Woodland Pytchley Hunt is a foxhound pack based in Northamptonshire. The Pytchley Hunt country used to include areas of the Rockingham Forest but was split to form the Woodland Pytchley Hunt.
The Kimblewick Hunt was formed in 2002 as the result of an amalgamation of the Vale of Aylesbury with the Garth and South Berks hunts. The hounds are kenneled at Kimblewick, Buckinghamshire; hunt country covers parts of Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire. Hunt servants wear yellow livery. Male masters wear traditional hunting scarlet with a yellow collar.
Trail hunting is a legal, although controversial, alternative to hunting animals with hounds in Great Britain. A trail of animal urine is laid in advance of the 'hunt', and then tracked by the hound pack and a group of followers; on foot, horseback, or both.
The Vale of the White Horse Hunt is a fox hunting pack that was formed in 1832. It takes its name from the neighbouring Vale of White Horse district, which includes a Bronze Age horse hill carving at Uffington.
The Warwickshire Hunt is an English fox hunting pack founded in 1791.