Background

Hunting is the quintessential sport on the Mendip; a decorated glass bowl from the late Roman villa at Winthill near Banwell, depicts a roman mounted on a pony, hunting a hare into a net with a couple of hounds. Also documented was King Edmund’s adventure in 941, when a hunted stag and hounds went over a cliff at Cheddar in thick fog. This was repeated in 1985 when part of the pack of the Mendip Harriers went over the cliff.

The hunting of foxes and hares as we knew it up until the Hunting Act 2004, originated with the private packs of the eighteen-century squires. Started as a private pack hunting fox and hare, the Mendip Country was hunted by the Tudway Quilter family around the middle of the 18th century, from 1760 to 1859. Their packs were at first harriers, but after 1837 foxhounds; kennelled at The Cedars in Wells. The main tradition of hunting was maintained by the Wells Subscription Harriers from 1860 to 1920; hunted by Colonel H A Luttrell from 1860-65 and H W Selby Lowndes between 1895 and 1897.

This pack, hunting foxes and hares was kennelled at various places, but finally at Coxley. Perhaps the most famous local master was Louis Beauchamp (1902 – 1913) of the now demolished, Norton Hall; who would host breakfasts of up to 200 people before the opening meet.

In 1914 the Tiarks brothers got together a pack of foxhounds despite considerable opposition and founded the Mendip Hunt, only to be stopped by the Great War. In 1920 the Wells Harriers and the Stanton Drew Harriers, who were founded in 1855 amalgamated under Capt E H Rouse-Boughton and started hunting again with foxhounds kennels at Ston Easton; the harriers being retained to hunt hare on certain days.

The most famous of all the Mendip Masters, C Hilton Green became Master in 1921, and a year later they once more became the Mendip Foxhounds and the kennels moved to Priddy. The kennels were owned by Sir Reginald Hobhouse, whose daughter Audrey Firbank was Secretary until her death in 2004. H A Tiarks returned as master between 1924-28, with Will Morris as huntsman.

A succession of Masterships followed: J Pickersgill, 1928-29. Capt G Hodgkinson and Capt D M Wills, 1929-32. Capt & Mrs Parks, 1932-34. Capt R Corbett and Major S C Houston, 1934-37. P Long, 1937-40.

The word “Farmers” re-appeared at the beginning of the Second World War when, interestingly, Hermann Tiarks took up the horn again in 1940. He hunted hounds for three months until the Mendip Farmers’ Hunt Committee was formed under Mr W H Middle.

Mendip: A New Study (1976), described the country as 70 percent pasture, though arable has increased since the war, and field of kale are now the most likely covers to harbour a fox. In some areas walls and hedges are being demolished to make larger fields, and quarrying has eaten voraciously into woodland areas towards the east end of the hill, but the railways have disappeared, there are comparatively few major roads, and it is still wonderfully unspoiled sporting country that provides many splendid runs and extends even the strongest horse”.

The kennels remain in Priddy today, although in a different location. The Mendip Farmers Hound continue to this day to cover the same country, albeit hunting a trail as per the Hunting Act 2004.