The Old Surrey, Burstow and West Kent Hunt is an English foxhound pack, [1] with hunting country covering around 42 miles east to west and 30 miles north to south, within the counties of Surrey, Sussex and Kent. [1] [2] [3]
The Old Surrey, Burstow and West Kent Hunt is an English foxhound pack, [1] with hunting country covering around 42 miles east to west and 30 miles north to south, within the counties of Surrey, Sussex and Kent. [1] [2] [3]
The hunt was formed by the merger of three separate foxhound packs: the Old Surrey, the Burstow and the West Kent. [1]
The first recorded pack on the Surrey country was in 1735 at Lovells Grove, Croydon, where the Earl of Onslow lived, and by 1800 a merchant pack[ clarification needed ] was hunting the country. In 1808 is found the first evidence of the Old Surrey pack, based in Godstone, and retaining the merchant membership. [4]
The Burstow pack dates from around 1866, having previously been a harrier pack. Having been originally based at Poundhill, the pack moved to Felbridge in 1909. [4]
In 1915, the Old Surrey and Burstow hunts amalgamated, and took the Felbridge base of the Burstow as their home. [4]
The West Kent hunt dates back to 1776, and did not join with the Old Surrey and Burstow until 1999. [4]
The hunt covers three territories, as a result of the merger of the three former hunts, which gives the hunt a large country, although a large portion is not huntable due to urbanisation, roads and railway lines. [2] The country runs from the M23 motorway in the west to Hadlow in the East, and from the Isle of Grain in the North to Fletching in the south.
The hunt's best[ clarification needed ] centres are Edenbridge, Horsted Keynes, Penshurst and Mereworth. [5]
The hunt is linked to branches of The Pony Club including an Old Surrey and Burstow Branch.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Burstow is a village and civil parish in the Tandridge district of Surrey, England. Its largest settlement is Smallfield. Smallfield is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) ENE of Gatwick Airport and the M23 motorway, 7.5 miles (12.1 km) southwest of Oxted and 1.8 miles (2.9 km) east of Horley. Crawley is a nearby large commercial town, 3.7 miles (6.0 km) southwest of Burstow and 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest of Smallfield. Towards the outside of the London commuter belt, some residents commute to the capital by road or rail from here as London is 24.5 miles (39.4 km) to the north or Horley railway station is accessible.
Horne is a rural village and civil parish in the District of Tandridge in Surrey, England. The parish includes the hamlet of Newchapel, where the British Wildlife Centre is situated. Eastern fields forming a narrow part of the parish are split by the A22 road, a main road to East Grinstead.
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.
The Albrighton Hunt is a United Kingdom foxhound pack, with hunting country of around 30-35 miles by 20 miles (32 km) within Shropshire and Staffordshire.
The Albrighton Woodland Hunt is a United Kingdom foxhound pack, with hunting country of around 15 miles by 14 miles within Shropshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands.
The Ashford Valley Hunt is a United Kingdom foxhound pack, with hunting country in Kent, England.
The Atherstone Hunt was a United Kingdom foxhound pack, with a hunting area of around 400 square miles (1,000 km2) within Warwickshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire.
The Crawley and Horsham Hunt is a United Kingdom foxhound pack, with hunting country of around 23 miles by 20 miles within the ceremonial county of Sussex.
The Southdown and Eridge Hunt is a United Kingdom foxhound pack, with hunting country within the counties of Sussex and Kent.
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 Blankney Hunt is an English foxhound pack, based in the village of Blankney, Lincolnshire, with hunting country of around 20 miles (32 km) by 11 miles (18 km) within Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.
The South Wold Hunt is a registered foxhound pack based in the village of Belchford, Lincolnshire, England. Its hunt country centres on the Lincolnshire Wolds, and adjoins that of the Blankney, Brocklesby and Burton Hunts.
The Essex and Suffolk Hunt is an English fox hunting pack founded in 1791.
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.
The West Country Harrier, sometimes called Somerset Harrier, is a breed of scent hound from the south west of England that is used to hunt hare in packs. The West Country Harrier is often considered to be a variety of the more common Harrier breed, which is sometimes referred to as the Studbook Harrier.