The greats of the beagling world

Frank Houghton Brown investigates the famous names of beagling

- Frank Houghton Brown

A SPORT known for its venery but without the glamour of foxhunting, beagling has been enjoyed by many dedicated followers over the years. Some giants of the hunting world started their career with beagles. Stalwart kennel-huntsmen have perhaps contributed as much as any to the sport by acting as teachers to their young protégés.

Matthew Higgs, chairman of the Association of Masters of Harriers and Beagles (AMHB) and master and huntsman of the Trinity Foot and South Herts beagles, describes another category by saying, “Many beaglers have been hugely influential with their own pack on a local level and have been satisfied with just enjoying their hunting.”

Rowland Hunt was master of the Eton College Beagles in 1876 and proved to be a brilliant huntsman and organiser – “the most successful huntsman the ECH had ever possessed” according to the history of the pack. He moved the hounds to the back of some Turkish baths in town and employed William Lock, who kept the baths, to act as his kennel-huntsman.

This proved to be a masterstroke and his reforms allowed him to catch a record tally on both his first and second season in charge. He repeated the success as master of the Trinity Foot Beagles when he went up to Cambridge and afterwards became a successful master of his home pack, the Wheatland foxhounds, and a Member of Parliament.