The Dukeries and Fox Hunting.

 

Above: Charles William Sydney Pierrepont, 4th Earl Manvers (1854 – 1926) was Master of the Rufford Hounds. Pictured here with his huntsman outside Thoresby Hall as everyone indulges in an excessive pre- hunt breakfast.

Fox hunting, as one thinks of it today, really began in the 18th century. Previous to that, deer had been the hunter’s choice of animal, but this changed after the Enclosure Acts in 1750 which resulted in open lands being sectioned into farmable fields, and the deer population going into decline as a result. At that point foxes and hare became the target.

Fox hunting was never truly about the cull. As any gamekeeper will tell you a fox is a creature of habits, taking the same routes every night at the same times. So, if you have a fox problem, it would be very easy to locate and shoot. Fox hunting was really all about pomp and circumstance, an excuse for the Dukes and Lords to don their bright red finery, mount their thoroughbred horses, and follow their equally well bred packs of hounds across their vast estates, exhibiting as they did so just how wealthy and powerful they were. In the evening there would be an equally lavish ball, a banquet with tables well stocked with game from the Duke’s estate.

Above: It is for this reason, wanting to impress and display one’s wealth and social position, that the hunt became a favoured subject when commissioning artworks. Such paintings would have pride of place within the great halls, and on occasion hung in notable London galleries. To reach an even wider audience, engravings would be made from the original artwork and mass produced for circulation. One such example is the above print from Tilleman’s painting of 1725, depicting the 2nd Duke of Kingston, with the original Thoresby Hall and his impressive estate in the background.

Above: Another fine painting which was shown in the Academy of 1789, is F. Wheatley’s 1788 “Portrait of a Nobleman returning from Shooting". It depicts Henry Pelham Clinton, 2nd Duke of Newcastle, and his shooting party, with the Clumber Spaniels and, beyond the bridge, Clumber House in the background. 

Above: The ducal seat of Clumber became well known for the breeding of hunting dogs such as the Clumber Spaniel and the Greyhound. The Greyhound was originally bred as a hunting dog for the rich and privileged. Anyone from the “lower classes” owning such a dog would be prosecuted by law, perhaps because it was taken as evidence of an intention to poach game on the King’s land. In the 15th century a White Greyhound was seen as a symbol of status, and there are records of such dogs being gifted to Knights in appreciation of services rendered. It became associated in particular with the Tudors, and appears on the Henry 7th coat of arms.

From John Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, to 8th Duke of Newcastle under Lyme, Clumber House was a ducal seat. Hence the greyhounds on the Drayton Gates opposite Clumber Park Hotel, are referred to as Newcastle Greyhounds, carved in the 18th century. There are similar examples throughout Clumber Park.

Above: The Kennels, Thoresby Estate. The original building would be much older than the current Thoresby Hall, and was directly linked to the first Hall via “a long straight canal”. (H. Repton). The Kennels were built c.1738, the name of the building being self explanatory, as the site where the Duke's hunting dogs were kept. Just how much of the building standing there today is part of the original would be hard to assess. We do know that architect John Carr renovated The Kennels in 1790, c.20 years after the second Thoresby Hall was completed.

Above: The Guy Marson painting of a 1959 hunt gathering outside Thoresby Hall, also received the mass-production treatment as many residents on the estate were expected to buy a copy. I well remember a colour print of this hanging in our family home when I lived there. The original hangs today (2017) in Perlethorpe Social Club.

In November 2004 a free vote in the UK’s House of Commons made "hunting wild mammals with a dog" unlawful in England and Wales. Since The Hunting Act was passed several previous hunt organizations have gone on to perform displays of jumping and cross country riding with hounds within the Dukeries area. It remains a controversial subject.