The Ullswater Foxhounds 1863-1913 The First 50 Years

By Ron Black

This is the first of two books and 'The Ullswater Foxhounds 1913-1963 The Next 50 Years' will be published soon.
Ron Black is a native Lakelander with roots going back to 1700, the 4th generation to follow hounds, with ancestors who stood on the cold tops at dawn, moved the heavy Lakeland stone to free trapped terriers and also ‘carried the horn’ on occasions.
Recently he was told that 95% of Lakeland was unexplored in an archaeological sense. With the abolition of fox hunting in the UK in 2005 there was a slight chance that places and structures associated with fox hunting would in the fullness of time join them, lost in time and memory.
It was with this in mind that Ron began to compile material for his website, Lakeland Hunting Memories, and Facebook page. It is NOT intended for it to glorify or be used as propaganda for or against hunting, but simply to record associations with a ‘sport’ traditional to Lakeland for over 300 years.
Hunting will not come back in the foreseeable future, perhaps not at all, but for three hundred years hunting and the church were the central thread to many communities. This and his other books, along with the website, are a part of the story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gone2Ground Books
• Release date: Oct 18, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301379750

Ron Black

Gone2Ground Books was created by Ron Black and Wendy Fraser in 2011 after they had successfully published a few books based on Ron's personal experiences as a boy brought up in Ambleside, in the Lakeland District of Cumbria (UK). Ron's books describing the social life and history of the region were produced from the pages of his popular website, Lakeland Hunting Memories, created by Wendy in 2008. Ron writes: "Recently I was told that 95% of Lakeland was unexplored in an archaeological sense. With the abolition of Fox Hunting in 2005 there was a slight chance that places and structures associated with fox hunting would in the fullness of time join them, lost in time and memory. "It was with this in mind that I began to compile material for my website. It is not my intention for it to glorify or be used as propaganda for or against hunting, but simply to record associations with a 'sport' traditional to Lakeland for over 300 years. "I am a native Lakelander with roots going back to 1700, the 4th generation to follow hounds, with ancestors who stood on the cold tops at dawn, moved the heavy Lakeland stone to free trapped terriers and also 'carried the horn' on occasions. I hope this site is of interest to you. Hunting will not come back in the foreseeable future, perhaps not at all, but for three hundred years hunting and the church were the central thread to many communities. This is a part of the story."

Book preview

The Ullswater Foxhounds

1863 - 1913

The First 50 Years

All the village was roused by the sound of Bowman’s horn.

By Ron Black

Editor Wendy Fraser

Copyright 2013 Ron Black, all rights reserved.

Smashwords Edition

License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author and editor.

Other publications by this author:

Bobby Troughton and the Kendal Otterhounds

The Lunesdale and Oxenholme Staghounds

The Mardale Hunt

Hunting Songs Volume One: The Six Fell Packs

Published by Gone to Ground Books

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Postscript

Songs

Endnotes

About the Author

* * *

ACKNOWLEGEMENTS

The following book has been written with the help of several people. Jean Gidman and Anne Thomson who both read it and corrected my most obvious errors in punctuation and spelling! Jean Walton and George Stewart for their work in Kendal Library; Wendy Fraser for her computer magic and final proof read; and thanks to Ann Tyson, the Ullswater follower, for the cover photograph.

Many of the following hunt reports are taken from the newspapers of the time, the spellings and grammar used have not been altered and you are reading the same report as the farmer who, seeing the hunt disappearing ower t’ tops, would say, Have t’ wait til Fri for t’ newspaper to see what happened.

In the 1950s a small boy sat on the floor listening to a story. Beside him, there were two men in the room and the elder knew the man who was the subject of that story, Brait Wilson. He had been lowered over a crag in a snowstorm to rescue two hounds, which he had succeeded in doing, nearly dying of exposure in the process. He became one of my heroes that night and remains so today. Many men have gone over the crag to rescue, or not in some cases, trapped hounds or terriers and all are to be applauded, but Brait struck a chord. This book is for him.

BRAITHWAITE (BRAIT) WILSON

ULLSWATER HUNTSMAN 1924 - 1933

DISCLAIMER

The newspaper reports in this book are copied from microfiche material of original sources. Whilst care has been taken to preserve the original spelling, etc., on occasion, due to poor quality source material, there may be slight errors.

Top

INTRODUCTION

A low cloud base hung over the top of the crag, masking it from view. From this cloud a gentle light rain fell, insidiously, the type you don’t notice as it seeps through your clothing until you are soaked to the skin. The overhang of the crag under which I sat went some way to give a degree of protection from the rain but it was not total and my clothing was gradually losing the battle to keep me dry. A few feet below and to my right the sound of metal on rock denoted another boulder would soon be joining several more which had already been rolled down the steep boulder field below the borran.

It had been all so different last week. I’d left home just after lunch and walked up the Scandal valley up onto Little Hart Crag, from there I’d contoured in until I arrived above the series of borrans which lie in the boulder field under Dove Crag. I’d got myself comfortable in among the rocks, taken out the binoculars and settled down to wait. The afternoon wore on and the sun began to lower in the cloudless blue sky, shadows began to lengthen and the temperature began to fall. I was all for giving up and starting the long walk home, when a movement in the rocks some distance below caught my attention. The fox stood up and lazily stretched, after a shake and a good look around, it descended the boulder field and crossing the dilapidated wall at its base in a leap and disappeared into the bracken beds beside the stream flowing down towards the valley some thousand feet below.

That bugger was up to no good, said my father over a rather late dinner that evening. Did you look around the borran?

I took a mouthful of tea, and swallowed, No, kept away, I said. Fox dropped in-bank towards Deepdale Hall, I heard they have been losing lambs.

And this was how I came to renew my family’s acquaintance with the Ullswater Foxhounds that morning. We go back over a hundred years, starting with Great Uncle Braithwaite Brait Black who hunted and drank with Bowman from around 1906; moving on to the 1950s George Geordie was whipper-in to the great Joe Wear for some 15 or more seasons; and then my father and I.

The story of the Ullswater Foxhounds’ formation and early years was covered by Skelton in his ‘Reminiscences of Joe Bowman’ written in 1921. Whilst this book does not seek to compete with probably the greatest factual book ever written on foxhunting in the English Lake District, it perhaps, with the usage of newspaper and other reports written at the time, adds to the story.

Ron Black, March 2013

www.lakelandhuntingmemories.co.uk

* * *

Top

CHAPTER ONE

HUNTING PRE-1863

The fox has always caused hardship to Lakeland farmers; a visit to either the poultry pen or lambing field could cause financial difficulty to a farmer operating at a subsistence level, which in those days many did. The introduction of wire netting in the mid 1800s helped the farmer to a point but did not stop predations of poultry; as can be seen, a fox could be put up at any time.

The following is the story of a dog in the year 1779:

A farmer of the Duke of Norfolk's in Patterdale went out one Saturday afternoon a-shepherding. His dog followed him, and unkennelled a fox. This was about 2 p.m., and the farmer being busy did not join in the sport. The dog did not return home that evening, nor was he heard of until next day when, as the people were coming out of Patterdale Church, the dog was just passing it with the fox about forty yards in front of him. The fox got half a mile further when he ran into a garden, and laid him-self down under a gooseberry tree. The dog was so fatigued that he lay down beside him without venturing to snatch him, but the owner of the garden with a pitchfork killed poor reynard. The farmer afterwards heard that the dog and the fox had been at Rydal, on the Saturday evening at Wythburn, and Legberthwaite on the Sunday morning. The run must have lasted twenty hours, which, at ten miles an hour, would be two hundred miles. But they must have covered many more miles, for when seen at different places the dog was never far behind. When they passed St. Patrick's Church it is said that the whole congregation - the parson, men, women, and children - joined in the sport.

When the dog grew old he never ran with the other hounds after a fox was unkennelled, but took a road of his own, was generally in at the death, and had often killed the fox before the other dogs came up. The owner of the dog was one Anthony Thompson.

In the main, although not always, the foxes concerned were the now extinct breed known as ‘greyhound’. Bigger than the fox of today, they had a good knowledge of the terrain for miles around. ‘Fusedale’ writing of them in 1910, comments:

Foxes then were more of the greyhound type, and as a rule real flyers; no one knew to twenty or thirty miles where the chase would finish. I well remember Tom Parker un-kennelling a fox at Swarthfell, which took right away over High Street, down Kentmere, and was run into on the open at Staveley, near Kendal. Joe Dawson once roused one at Yew Crag, on Gowbarrow Fell, which went through by Sparket, Newton Moss, Maiden Hill and was killed at Memmerby. That was when the famous hound Champion was at his best. He was black with a short tail, he returned home the following day, bringing a note tied around his neck telling of the result of the chase. These are only two out of many stories of long runs I could mention.

In 1870 the ‘greyhound’ fox was described thus:

Fierce as a tiger, and long as a hay-band, and with an amiable cast of features very like the Chancellor of the Exchequer, is very bad to kill ‘top o' t' ground’, and still worse when he gets into a burn (borran).

Jackson Gillbanks 1870

The ‘greyhound’ had a ferocity, unmatched by the foxes hunted pre-ban (2005). One ‘greyhound’ in Kentmere was reputed to have turned and fought with the lead hounds on occasion. (Skelton 1921)

Most farms kept a couple of hounds to attempt to deliver retribution to these marauding foxes, although there appear to have been organised packs also.

Thirteen foxes have been killed, since the 23rd of April last, by the Long Sleddal hounds, and eight others, since the first of April, by Mr Mounsey’s hounds of Patterdale Hall.

Lancaster Gazette 1st August 1812

This county has been more infested with foxes lately, than ever was known by the oldest inhabitants. Within the last three months 8 have been killed by a pack belonging to a gentleman in Patterdale, and 13 by the Long Sleddle hounds. The farmers complain heavily against the shameful practice of bringing those noxious animals into the county and turning them loose, to the great injury of their livestock, particularly of lambs, the destruction of which at the beginning of the season is very great.

WA & KC 1st August 1812

Later on came The Patterdale Hounds.

The Patterdale Hounds were most of the time kennelled at Grassthwaite Howe, the present kennels, and had different masters. John Gelderd was one of the first, and the dogs were at that time known as the Gelderd hounds, John Grisdale, John Walton, and the late William Marshall all having their terms. They also had several huntsmen, there being Daniel Pattinson (better known as Dan Patty), W. Rewcastle, who hunted them for something like two years; John Pearson and Birkett Dixon also hunted them for a little time.

The hounds appear to have hunted both fox and hare as the following accounts show.

ANNUAL HUNT AT WINSTER -The annual hunt came off at Mr. Wood’s, the Bay Horse, here on the 4th instant. Mr. Geldert of Patterdale’s hounds were procured for the occasion. The weather was anything but favourable, being had frost, which gave the hare ample means of escape by foiling her pursuers. The gathering of the hunters was numerous, which was also favourable to poor puss, as their notion of hunting oft baffle the skill of the huntsman, who got so much excited at an old cobbler, that to horsewhip him for his interference was thought necessary, but being too fleet for the huntsman he escaped the stroke of his whip. However the hunt still continued through the day, til nightfall, without being able to kill, but the hunters were satisfied with a many strong contests in their field sports, and adjourned to partake of Mr. Wood’s best cheer - ample justice being done to roast beef and plum pudding. Old hunting tales were listened to with admiration, and hunting songs were numerous at this merry making. Mr. L. Denny, the Mayor, having discharged his duties faithfully, was highly complimented for his past year’s service, he having kept the highways clear of stray cattle and pigs (by deputy) but not without recourse to the use of the pinfold. There were three candidates for the civic chair. A poll took place, when the honour fell upon Benson Taylor, cordwainer who was duly elected as mayor of Winster for the ensuing year.

Lancaster Gazette 13th December 1851

A FOX ON ULLSWATER LAKE - A few days ago the famous pack of foxhounds belonging to Mr. Gelderd of Patterdale, raised a fox on the fells near Ullswater, but did not kill. However the chang of the hounds aroused another fox, which made off in a contrary direction to the sound, to the lake near Hallisteads, into which it plunged and swam across to near Howtown Bay, the width of the lake at that place being fully a mile. - Carlisle Patriot.

The Morning Post 9th March 1853

The Patterdale hounds seem to have been held in high esteem.

FOX HUNT - a few weeks ago a tame fox made its escape from confinement and located itself in the bosky glades of the neighbourhood of classic Elleray and Troutbeck, and nightly made foraging excursions to the poultry yards of the surrounding farms and homesteads.

The Ambleside Hounds were the first invited and after three chases gave up the task in despair. The Patterdale dogs next gave poor reynard a couple of runs, but without success. The Old Hutton pack then offered their services and were readily accepted, but after two days retired from the field fairly beaten. On all those occasions there were splendid runs and glorious bursts triumphant, but foxy none the worst. Some of the older folk of the district began to relate tales of charmed foxes in their young days, and hinted that a certain nameless gentleman had business on his hands.

Last week, Mr. Geldert, of Patterdale, sent his huntsmen and hounds with strict orders not to return until reynard was slain. And they threw off one fine morning in the picturesque vale of Troutbeck, where they soon unkennelled the old fellow, who after ten minutes chase, was run into near Troutbeck Bridge. He was a fine old fox and weighed 17lbs. A subscription was entered into in the district, and the hunters handsomely treated to our vaunted native fare. - Cor

Lancaster Gazette 8th December 1855

On 27th November 1858 Robert Dixon left his home at The Rookings Patterdale, which still stands today in the shadow of Place Fell, to follow the Patterdale Foxhounds.

A member of a Lakeland hunting family, his brother Edward Birkett Dixon, had been a past huntsman. During the course of the morning he fell to his death from Striding Edge on the Helvellyn range of mountains.

A memorial was erected in his memory which reads:

In memory of Robert Dixon of Rooking Patterdale who was killed on this spot on the 27th day of November 1858 following the Patterdale Foxhounds

He was buried in Patterdale Churchyard three days later.

However, Dixon is not as well remembered as Charles Gough who also fell from Striding Edge in 1805 after setting out from Ullswater to fish in Thirlmere by way of Helvellyn. His body was guarded by his dog for some months until found on the shores of Red Tarn by a farmer. Gough was immortalised by Sir Walter Scott (Helvellyn) and Coleridge, but best remembered by Wordsworth's poem Fidelity.

The Dixon Memorial, Striding Edge Helvellyn

Copyright Andrew Leaney

Sadly this was not the first accident to involve the Dixon family. Clarke's survey of 1789 recounts the following tale:

At one of these huntings (he was speaking of the Mardale Shepherds’ Meet) a man, now living in Kentmere whose name was Dixon, fell down the immense rock called Blea Water Crag. This precipice is commonly said to be 500 yards high (but I think 300 will be near the truth) and in many places overhangs the base. He had no bones broke, but was terribly bruised, and was almost completely scalped, so that now he has no hair upon his head, except a little above one of his ears. He struck his head several times against the rock in his fall, but says he was not sensible of it, and when he came to the bottom he instantly raised himself upon his knees, and in his own country dialect cried out, 'Lads, t, fox is gane out at t hee end, lif’ t dogs on and ill come syun’ (Lads the fox is going out the head end, put the hounds on and I'll come soon). It is 26 years since (viz 1761) this remarkable accident and the place has ever since borne the name of Dixons Three Jumps.

Despite looking for, and asking friends about, I have never been able to pin point the site on Blea Water Crag; the current Ullswater huntsman John Harrison has suggested the fall may actually have happened in Kentmere.

PATTERDALE

The Foxhounds - During the past season this far famed pack have succeeded in killing 33 head of the varmint consisting of 21 foxes and 11 martin.

Kendal Messenger 20th June 1863

But by 1866 they seem to have settled to fox.

THE PATTERDALE FOX HOUNDS

The winter campaign of hunting by this pack being about to commence, six of the dogs gathered up were on Saturday morning last cast off at Blind Cove, near St. Sunday Crag, where they found a good drag and went at a rattling pace over the top and through Deepdale Head, via Fairfield, Scruby Crag, and on to Hart Crag, near Dove Crag, where they found the vixen snugly ensconced in her lair. A determination to take the place by force had the desired effect of making her ladyship skedaddle and swept away lightly over the top, with the hounds in hot pursuit. Away she went through Rydal Head, by Stoney Cove, over Great