Crawley and Horsham Hunt

Last updated

The Crawley and Horsham Hunt is a United Kingdom foxhound pack, [1] with hunting country of around 23 miles by 20 miles within the ceremonial county of Sussex. [1] [2]

Contents

History

The precise date of establishment of hunting in Sussex is uncertain, [1] but in the 17th century the Duke of Richmond formed the Old Chariton Hunt covering a huge territory later to be divided between the Goodwood Hunt and Colonel Wyndham's. The Merstham Hunt used to periodically hunt the area until these hounds were given up in 1835, whereupon the local Henry Steere turned his harriers into foxhounds, hunting the forest country north of Horsham until around 1842, when the hounds were sold to Charles Bethune and extended the hunting country out to Findon and Dial Post. [3]

In 1851 the hounds moved to Warninglid and this pack continued until 1967 when the hounds were sold. A new hunt was then formed, with kennels at Staplefield and large improvements were seen in the hunt. The Findon country was made permanent and additional country was donated by Lord Leconfield. In November 1877 the hounds were moved to new purpose built kennels at West Grinstead, where they remain to this day. [3]

In 2021 the Hunt Kennels at West Grinstead closed after 144 years due to loss of hunt country and financial pressures. Half the hounds were distributed to other hunts, and the rest relocated to the South Down and Eridge hunt's kennels at Ringmer, East Sussex, where the Crawley and Horsham Hunt will continue as a one day hunting a week pack. [4]

Pony Club

The hunt has an active section of The Pony Club, founded in 1932 and now with over 170 members. [5]

In October 2007 a 69-year-old Crawley and Horsham hunt supporter, John Hawkins was convicted at Brighton Crown Court of causing grievous bodily harm to anti-hunt protester, Lynn Phillips, by striking her with his stick and fracturing her arm. [6] In 2008, the Crawley and Horsham hunt launched a legal action in the High Court for trespass, nuisance, and harassment against Simon and Jane Wild of West Sussex Wildlife Protection and West Sussex Badger Protection Group. [7] The hunt used Timothy Lawson-Cruttenden, [8] an expert in the use of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 in such cases. This was viewed as a test case and received support from the Countryside Alliance, the Master of Foxhounds Association and 80 landowners and if successful was planned to lead to a request for an injunction against everyone associated with these groups from interfering with the hunt. [9] The defendants claimed to have evidence of illegal hunting taking place and were asking the court to accept this as a defence to the Harassment Act action. The original judge, Justice Cranston stepped down in July 2008 due to earlier comments made in support of the ban made while an MP. [10] During the second trial it was reported that the judge dismissed nuisance and trespass, because they had "fundamental defects", leaving only harassment. [11] It was also reported that the protesters, using an undercover infiltrator, had been able to get hold of conclusive evidence that the claimants were engaged in illegal fox hunting. [12] The principle plaintiff, Simon Greenwood, was filmed using his hounds to chase a fox to ground and then call in terrier-men to dig it out and throw it to the hounds The plaintiffs dropped the case in July 2009, and agreed to pay costs estimated at over £120,000. [11] [13]

In February 2011 the Police used pepper spray during violent clashes between 25 hunt saboteurs and members of the hunt, [14] and then in September Andrew Leaver received a 12 months conditional discharge after being convicted of the use of "threatening words or behaviour to cause harassment or distress" to monitors of the hunt. He pleaded guilty after watching a video of him threatening protesters and attempting to punch through the side passenger window of one of their vehicles. [15]

In May 2012 professional huntsman, Andrew Phillis, joint master, Neill Millard and the hunt secretary, Rachel Holdsworth were convicted on a total of five charges of illegally hunting. Millard and Holdsworth were fined £1000 each and both ordered to pay £2500 costs. Phillis was later sentenced to a £500 fine and £2500 costs. [16] The prosecutions had been brought under the Hunting Act 2004. [17]

In September 2013, professional huntsman, Nicholas Bycroft pleaded guilty to an offence under Section 1 of the Hunting Act. He admitted illegally hunting a fox during a meet at Angmering Park, near Arundel, West Sussex on 19 February 2013. He was given a 12-month conditional discharge, £150 costs and £15 victim surcharge. [18]

In January 2014 a prosecution was dismissed against hunt terrier-man Daniel Howick and gamekeeper, Jonathan Light under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992. On the first day of trial the judge said the men could not have a fair trial because of delays in the prosecution case by police. The incident had occurred on 15 January 2013 at Balcombe during a meet of the Crawley and Horsham Hunt when it was alleged a terrier was entered into a badger sett after hounds had run a fox to ground.

On 10 October 2017, Hunt Master Kim Richardson was found guilty of a public order offence at Horsham magistrates for threatening a hunt saboteur in February 2017 during a hunt meet on the Wiston estate. He was fined £2500 with £650 prosecution costs and £130 victim surcharge. [19]

In February 2019 a Hunt Monitor was cleared of stalking and harassment charges against Crawley and Horsham Hunt employees. [20]

In March 2021, Professional huntsman William Bishop was cleared of illegal fox hunting at Worthing Magistrates Court. [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harrier (dog)</span> A medium-sized hound bred for hunting hares by trailing them

The Harrier is a medium-sized dog breed of the hound class, used for hunting hares by trailing them. It resembles an English Foxhound but is slightly smaller, though not as small as a Beagle. The breed has been used since the mid 13th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox hunting</span> Traditional equestrian hunting activity

Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, traditionally 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foxhound</span> Type of hunting dog breed

A foxhound is a type of large hunting hound bred for strong hunting instincts, a keen sense of smell, and their bark, energy, drive, and speed. In fox hunting, the foxhound's namesake, packs of foxhounds track quarry, followed—usually on horseback—by the hunters, sometimes for several miles at a stretch; moreover, foxhounds also sometimes guard sheep and houses.

The League Against Cruel Sports, formerly known as the League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports, is a UK-based animal welfare charity which campaigns to stop blood sports such as fox hunting, hare and deer hunting; game bird shooting; and animal fighting. The charity helped bring about the Hunting Act 2004 and Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002, which banned hunting with hounds in England, Wales and Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beagling</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunting Act 2004</span> United Kingdom legislation

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.

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.

Hunt Terrier refers to types of terrier dogs that were attached to British "hunts", horse-oriented social clubs devoted to chasing the red fox on horseback, following packs of hounds. The hunt terrier was kept for a variety of reasons, such as rat control around stables and kennels, and to run with the hounds to flush the fox from small hiding places. It might also be expected to flush foxes from underground dens, or to act as a lurcher. They tended to be white in colour so as to be more easily seen by the hunter, but they could be any colour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otis Ferry</span> British model and fox hunting enthusiast

Charles Frederick Otis Ferry is a British model and prominent pro-fox hunting enthusiast. He has served as joint master of the South Shropshire hunt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welsh Hound</span> Dog breed

The Welsh Hound is a breed of hunting dog of the foxhound type, indigenous to Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Anglo-Français Blanc et Noir</span> Dog breed

The Grand Anglo-Français Blanc et Noir translated into English as the Great Anglo-French White and Black Hound, is a breed of dog used in hunting as a scenthound, usually in packs. It is one of the Anglo-French hound breeds which were created by crossing French scenthounds with English (Anglo) Foxhounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quorn Hunt</span> British fox hunting pack

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cottesmore Hunt</span> Foxhound pack in Cottesmore, Britain

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 Bluecap Memorial stands in the yard of the Cheshire Hunt Kennels in Kennel Lane, Sandiway, Cheshire, England. Bluecap was a Cheshire foxhound that was famous for winning a race against the hounds of Hugo Meynell of the Quorn Hunt in 1763. The memorial is in sandstone and consists of an obelisk standing on a plinth, with a brass plaque inscribed with a poem. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunt monitor</span>

In the United Kingdom, hunt monitors endeavour to observe behaviours of organized hunts and undertake information gathering activities, known as hunt monitoring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warwickshire Hunt</span>

The Warwickshire Hunt is an English fox hunting pack founded in 1791.

The Essex and Suffolk Hunt is an English fox hunting pack founded in 1791.

The Duke of Buccleuch's Hunt is a fox hunt which hunts in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staghound</span> Extinct breed of scent hound

The Staghound, sometimes referred to as the English Staghound, is an extinct breed of scent hound from England. A pack hound, the breed was used to hunt red deer and became extinct in the 19th century when the last pack was sold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Hound Sports Association</span> Governing body for hunting in Great Britain

The British Hound Sports Association (BHSA) is the governing body for many hound sports associations in Great Britain. However, it is not the governing body for either draghound packs or bloodhound packs who are governed by the Master of Draghound & Bloodhounds Association (MDBA). The BHSA is responsible for setting standards and rules to which members and registered hunts are supposed to adhere. A sister organisation, the Hound Sports Regulatory Authority (HSRA), is responsible for regulatory and disciplinary matters for members and member hunts, in accordance with rules set by the BHSA.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Crawley and Horsham". Master of Foxhounds Association. Archived from the original on 30 November 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
  2. ↑ "Hunting countries of UK and Ireland". BBC News. 16 September 1999.
  3. 1 2 "The Crawley and Horsham - A History". 1965.
  4. ↑ "A positive future for the Crawley and Horsham Hunt".
  5. ↑ "Crawley and Horsham Hunt Branch of the Pony Club". The Pony Club. Archived from the original on 15 January 2010.
  6. ↑ "Crawley and Horsham Hunt thug convicted". 11 October 2007.
  7. ↑ "Hunt's legal fight against saboteurs 'will be nasty'". 25 July 2008.
  8. ↑ The Daily Telegraph
  9. ↑ "Hunt's court action is adjourned". BBC News. 22 October 2008.
  10. ↑ Tibbetts, Graham (28 July 2008). "Fox-hunting High Court case halted by judge who supported ban as a Labour MP". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  11. 1 2 "Sussex hunt drops court case against activists".
  12. ↑ "Call off the hounds!". Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  13. ↑ White, Charlotte (25 July 2009). "Crawley & Horsham hunt drops fight against saboteurs". Horse and Hound. Archived from the original on 4 October 2012.
  14. ↑ "Pepper spray used by police during Sussex hunt protest clashes".
  15. ↑ "Crawley and Horsham Hunt supporter convicted".
  16. ↑ Bowcott, Owen (14 May 2012). "Hunt members found guilty of illegally pursuing fox with hounds". The Guardian. London.
  17. ↑ Bingham, John (24 August 2011). "Hunting ban put to test as four face court in landmark case". London: The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 24 August 2011.
  18. ↑ "Sussex man admits illegal fox hunting". The Argus.
  19. ↑ "Hunt master threatened to 'ram' bugle down throat of saboteur he thought had kidnapped his dog". The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on 1 June 2022.
  20. ↑ / https://www.thecanary.co/feature/2019/03/02/an-activist-whose-life-was-made-unbearable-by-a-tory-mp-linked-hunt-speaks-out-about-her-ordeal/
  21. ↑ "West Grinstead huntsman cleared of illegal fox hunting". BBC News. 10 March 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.