Waterloo sunset

Sometime during the first century AD, continental brown hares were introduced to Britain as being stronger and more suitable for coursing than the indigenous mountain hare. Every wealthy Roman Briton, particularly landowners with their extensive estates, aspired to owning several leashes of vertagri — greyhounds — and coursing had developed into social occasions, with owners travelling considerable distances to match their dogs against those of others. When a hare was sighted and given a decent head start, the vertagri were unleashed simultaneously and the one closest to the hare before it escaped was judged the winner.

Such was the popularity of match coursing that, early in the second century, the Roman historian Arrian recorded the rules: “Whoever courses with greyhounds should neither slip them near the hare, nor more than a brace at a time… The true sportsman does not take out his