Origin of the grey menace

When were grey squirrels first introduced to Britain and who was responsible for this drastic error?

The first recorded introduction of this North American mammal was in 1876 when a Mr

T. V. Brocklehurst released a pair of grey squirrels, imported from the US, at Henbury Park, near Macclesfield, Cheshire.

This was followed by around 20 recorded releases, countrywide, including 100 grey squirrels released by an American at Kingston Hill, Surrey, and Richmond Park.

In addition, up until 1929, grey squirrels were released at several other locations in small numbers. It was not until 1938 that it was declared illegal to import these animals or keep them in captivity.

However, these may not have been the first introductions to this country because the sighting of a grey squirrel was recorded at Llantysilio Hall, Denbighshire, in October 1828. Grey squirrels were also seen prior to

1830 in three locations in Montgomeryshire. Nothing is known about the origins

of these animals. TJ There has been a lot of discussion online recently about shot sizes for game shooting, with some favouring smaller shot and others preferring larger shot. I would appreciate your thoughts before I buy.

Too small a shot size and the shot will become ineffective at 35 to 40 yards; too large a shot size and the pattern will have too many gaps in it at the same distance. I use No.6 shot on almost everything and change to No.5s — and go up a couple of grams in weight to maintain the pattern — for January pheasants. No.7 shot is a bit too small, and

No.4s are overkill.

I hesitate to recommend anything to you, because we have Guns shooting well with standard game guns and 28g No.6s who pull down higher birds than the boys with the longer barrels and heavier cartridges. Find something that suits your gun and gives you confidence and you won’t go too far wrong. LB