Tradition reigns supreme
With the pack’s Oxonian roots steeped in history, the Christ Church and Farley Hill followers provide an intellectual and interesting day out
SOME years ago in the West Country, a huntsman arrived to hunt hounds the morning after a hunt ball still wearing black tie. Fortuitously, his uniform was in the master’s car, and the huntsman will remain nameless, but the Christ Church and Farley Hill Beagles (CCFHB) avoid such sartorial problems by holding their hunt ball after hunting, and as a consequence, a large field attended Frank Henderson’s meet.
Frank is one of the best sorts of sporting farmers and entertains both the beagles and the foxhounds on a regular basis. He farms in that relatively unsuburbanised and quiet corner of Oxfordshire that is the Heythrop Monday country, although only just over the hill was the hipster behemoth Soho Farmhouse.
While the majority of the field were preparing for the forthcoming evening’s entertainment, a contingent of hardier souls had attended the Caledonian Society reeling ball the night before. To their
chagrin, a keen wind and intermittent driving rain put paid to any chance of quiet hedgerow slumber.
UNIVERSITY ROOTS
CURRENT masters Charles Gillow and Francesca “Frankie” Griffin share the horn generally, hunting hounds for consecutive days before handing over. As Frankie had hunted hounds on Boxing Day, Charles was hunting hounds today.
The Christ Church and Farley Hill continue in the traditional format of school and university packs in having a master and huntsman for the season, occasionally two, and enjoy close links with both the university and more recently Oxford Brookes. The latter has, in recent years, produced a number of helpful supporters, including Angus Beddall, the current highly efficient secretary, as well as a good contingent for the hunt ball, which was well oversubscribed.
This traditional format is complemented by a second
hierarchy of trustees and committee members, who ensure a helpful continuity to the organisation as well as overseeing the hound breeding programme. There were a good number of former masters out taking a keen interest in proceedings and it was clear that loyalty to the CCFHB runs deep. Sadly, two particularly loyal and benevolent supporters in David Peake and Dr Mark Whittow have passed away in recent years.
While competition between school and university packs, often hunted consecutively by those more interested in venery than lesser, academic subjects or sports, has always remained keen, it is to the Christ Church that other contenders have to doff their hats. Students of beagle packs’ history will be relatively familiar with the seemingly impossible number of packs that used to hunt the country. The Oxonians of old took this to another level, with the Christ Church comprising an amalgamation of no less than six of the college packs, the final amalgamation occurring in 1950 between the New College and the Christ Church, although a certain Ronnie Wallace hunted the
New College country during his mastership of the Christ Church at the outset of World War II. The final amalgamation with the Farley Hill beagles took place in 1971 and the pack has existed in its current form ever since.
GOOD WORK DESPITE POOR SCENT
BEAGLERS are, perhaps, the greater eccentrics of the hunting world and it was a delight to see outrageous tweed suits, complete with Holmesian deerstalker and pipe, hand bags and even national dress in the form of a Chitrali cap from Pakistan and a splendid Loden cape from Germany on display among the highly educated field.
Presiding over the entire business was the serene presence of David Brown, the kennel-huntsman. Having spent 14 years in the role and a lifetime in hunt service, he is a steady hand and his quiet words of wisdom are listened to with attention by the young masters. Credit was also given to David’s wife Andrea for her support and, in particular, her dedication to the whelps.
Charles was ably assisted by local farmer’s son Michael Honour, who religiously whips-in when time, rather than studies, allows and was near to hand to help with hounds for much of the day. Hounds were handled quietly throughout the day and they drew tightly with admirable attention given the weather, hunting with vigour when trails were afoot but, as is so often the case on bigger days, scent was lacking, making a frustrating day for Charles. Fortunately, much of the action took place either side of a valley and therefore the field were rewarded with a near-constant view with the benefit of little exertion.
It was good to hear from David that he put much faith in the hunting qualities of these hounds, and even better when he singled out Peterborough championship winner Valour 14 as a worthy contributor as well as his daughter Vision, who won the unentered class there last year. The Christ Church have historically enjoyed good success on the flags, winning their first Peterborough
championship in 1892. The current pack continue in this vein, in particular at Harrogate last year where they had great success, including the all-important bitch and progeny class. They breed for a type and achieve their aim largely with their own breeding, occasionally going out but particularly to the Ampleforth, with whom David feels they nick especially well.
INTERNATIONAL FIELD DEDICATED TO SPORT
THE longer draws allowed a charming level of conversation with the field, many of whom were studying degrees beyond your correspondent’s pronunciation or comprehension, and many of the postgraduates seemed to be close to running the world, either financially or politically. One of these was Faiysal AliKhan — an internationalist on a grand scale but also a dedicated man to sport who harbours the noble ambition of re-establishing the Peshawar Vale hunt, sadly defunct but so evocatively depicted by Snaffles in several of his paintings.
It was my admiration of Faiysal’s markhor cap badge which led us into conversation. The markhor is a particularly splendid type of curly-horned goat native to Pakistan, and Faiysal’s family have been at the forefront of markhor conservation and re-introduction. The markhor at one stage nearly reached single numbers, and it has been documented elsewhere that much of the finance for this initiative has been raised through the substantial trophy fees charged for the privilege of stalking cull animals, which in turn has led to a hugely successful conservation story.
This struck a chord in the most unlikely parallel in that, for the greater part of the last century, beaglers were nearly the sole preservers and re-introducers of our beloved brown hare. There are a number of locations, especially in the West Country, whose populations of brown hare are solely thanks to the conservation efforts of the enlightened hunting fraternity, yet one doubts there would be either gratitude or awards from the likes of Messrs Oddie and Packham.
Home was blown with light to spare but with plenty of time for titivation of dresses and stiff collars, and the stroll back to the meet allowed reflection on what had been an engaging day. Perhaps the key themes to have arisen had been the impressive levels of both organisation and enthusiasm. Sometimes these are conflicting bedfellows, but when they lie well, as with the Christ Church and Farley Hill, the effect is positively infectious.