The historic Haydon

Steeped in tradition, the ‘happy ship’ of the Haydon has much to be proud of, not least its supporters, many of whom have followed the hunt since childhood

- TESSA WAUGH

SOME hunts chop and change their masters as frequently as the weather. Others attract people who commit to the long haul. The Haydon is one of those happy ships with a group of masters who are rooted to the area and, even more crucially, get on.

The current crew have notched up around 40 years between them, setting the tone for stability throughout the hunt.

Heather MacDonald is now in her 12th season as master and is also district commissioner of a well-subscribed branch of the Pony Club, the South Northumberland. She has hunted with the Haydon all her life, taking up her first post as supporters’ club secretary back in 1976.

William Nicholl, who joined Heather in the mastership in 2009, when Charlie ShirleyBeavan was master and huntsman, describes her as “our elder statesman”, adding, “There isn’t anyone Heather doesn’t know.”

William and his equally keen wife, Clara, and their two children Elsie and Sam are both very much part of the scene.

“Clara is a sensational cook,” says Heather. “Will and Clara host the puppy show lunch and Clara also cooks the lunches for the point-to-point.”

Support comes from a good spread of ages: “We saw lots of young people come in when Charlie was master,” says William, who was in his 30s when he joined the mastership, carrying on a family tradition: his father was master of the pack as was his grandfather, Col Nicholl, who hunted the hounds between 1959 and 1967.

Having hunted with the Haydon all his life, William recalls his childhood as a halcyon period in the hunt’s history with Donald Edgar — a farmer and from the edge of the country — as huntsman and his father, Charles, as field master.

William adds: “We tend to have amateurs here. It doesn’t work as well with professionals.”