Picture by kind permission of Cotswold Photography.

THE BERKELEY HUNT

The Berkeley Foxhounds are the oldest pack of foxhounds in the country and can be traced back to the 12^th century when they were used to hunt both the stag and the fox until the late 18^th century onwards when they hunted the fox alone. The 5^th Earl of Berkeley could hunt his hounds from Berkeley Castle to Charing Cross in London. He had kennels at Berkeley, Broadway, Nettlebed, Gerrards Cross and Cranfield. The season would start at Berkeley and progress to each of his kennels to London and then in stages back to Gloucestershire. When the 5^th Earl died in 1810 some of that land hunted by the Berkeley was split up and other packs formed. That land hunted over in Berkshire became the Old Berkeley pack which today is the Vale of Aylesbury Hunt and they still wear the Berkeley Yellow coats but without the green collars. In 1857 the Cheltenham area was given to the Cotswold hunt and the Broadway country was given to the North Cotswold and the Berkeley were left with what they hunt today.

Today the Berkeley country covers 350sq miles of Gloucestershire; from Gloucester to Bristol and from the Severn to Kingscote. Hounds hunt 2 days a week starting in late August and finishing at the end of March. The hounds used to hunt 4 days a week but this was curtailed in the 1950’s when the M5, M4 and main rail roots were built. The present kennels date back to the early 18^th century and are home to 66 entered hounds and 11 young hounds. The hunt country is mainly old pasture criss-crossed by blackthorn hedges and deep Rhynes filled with water and so a bold horse is needed to cross the country safely. In spring there is a hill country which provides a different test completely to hound, horse and rider. Here scenting conditions are harder and so hounds need to be able to draw well in order to find a Scent.

The Berkeley Hounds are one of very few in the country that are still family owned and today the property of Mr John Berkeley. They are bred exclusively for hunting and you will never see these hounds in any hound shows. The breeding has been and always will be the sole domain of the Berkeley family, which has provided continuity in breeding patterns and produced one of the most level packs of hounds in the country. There are only 2 female lines within the kennels and little in the way of experimentation is conducted. The hounds are predominantly modern English foxhounds with Sire line tap roots back to Meynall Stormer 1791 and Tiverton Actor ‘22, as well as some Welsh blood via the influential sire, Cotswold Grappler ‘85, who goes back to Brecon Paragon ‘23 and some lines with links to Old English blood via Limerick Seaman ‘76.

The Yellow coats with green collars that you see today are worn by the Masters and Hunt Staff and are unique in hunting circles, representing both the indoor and outdoor liveries of the Berkeley family.

The Joint Masters are Mr Bob Blake, Mr Rollo Clifford, Mrs Peter Hillard and Mr Henry Berkeley. The Huntsman is Gary Joynes who joined us on May 1^st this year and who replaces Chris Maiden who retired after hunting hounds for 25 seasons. The Hunt has been very lucky in having some of the top Huntsmen of their time hunting these hounds. Prior to Chris Maiden the legendry Tim Langley held the horn and other notable Huntsmen were Brian Bell, Harry Scott, Will Rawle and the great Thomes Oldacre who was Huntsman to the 5^th Earl of Berkeley The Whipper-in is Michael Little who is also in his first season and who replaces Tom Hopson. The hunt also employs 3 other full time and 2 part time employees not to mention doing business with over 30 firms.

There are 8000 supporters of the hunt and we usually get 80 - 100 mounted followers on a Saturday and 40-50 mounted on a Wednesday. Typically the hunt will organise over 20 events a year including holding its own point to point. The kennels take 4-8 school visits throughout the summer from inner city schools and America. Hounds will also visit an average of 5 shows in the summer months as well as provide help to its 2 branches of the pony club

Picture by kind permission of Cotswold Photography.

THE BERKELEY HOUNDS

The Berkeley hounds have been kept at Berkeley since the middle ages, originally to hunt the stag and buck, but from the mid 18^th century to hunt the fox exclusively, and been bred by the Berkeley family ever since. They are modern, pure bred English Foxhounds, bred exclusively to hunt the fox, although due to Government legislation this role has changed since 2004. They are scent hounds which means they use their unique sense of smell to seek out and hunt their quarry. They are also a pack animal, which means they live and hunt as a pack which combined with their acute sense of smell, conformation and instinct makes them so good at their job.

To ensure that these qualities are transferred from generation to generation we need certain conditions. We only breed from the very best, in their work and we ensure that bloodlines do not become too thin, we breed for the type of country that the hounds will hunt over and we keep continuity in the breeding patterns. It is a job that requires patience and much dedication. Just ask any breeder of dogs. One point to bear in mind is that hounds are bred, first and foremost, for their working qualities. Looks come second. Football coaches may not want to breed a team of David Beckams but they would certainly want a team of David Beckham’s left foot!

Every Hunt has a different breeding policy. Much will depend on historical aspects, i.e. what has been done in the past as well as with the type of country that the hounds will have to hunt over. It is pointless breeding big hounds if they are going to be expected to get through brambles, hedges and trappy country. Some countries like smaller hounds such as the Limerick. It is a matter of taste. But at Berkeley we try and breed a level pack. By this they should all be of a certain size and shape or as Peter Beckford once said “of a family”. It would be a problem to have some large, some small and some medium sized hounds as they would not be able to hunt properly as a pack with some out in front and some struggling along behind. You would not get far if your basketball team was made up half of giants and half of midgets!

The Berkeley have a certain breeding policy, using breeding lines that go back generations. Ideally, if these lines have been successful then they would be the best ones to continue with. Very rarely will hound breeding make a significant change in direction. The old motto, “ if it aint broke, then don’t fix it” does apply in this case. However that is not to say that a certain amount of experimentation is not a good thing. Indeed breeders are continually looking to strengthen certain qualities within their hounds and they for the pure Old English blood, some to the American strain and others to the Welsh hound or fell packs in order to gain extra drive or an improvement in voice. At Berkeley the aim is to breed a pack of modern English hounds, which in turn had an infusion of Welsh blood in the late 19^th century. This requires plenty of research. There has also been much controversy over in-breeding and line breeding. In-breeding means that you are breeding from parents that are too closely related, in the first two generations. It is frowned upon in most circles as it is the surest way of bringing genetic problems into the hounds. However it can be very advantageous in some cases, if you are desperate to carry on the of blood of an ancestor that has proved to be highly successful, for example. Line breeding means you breed back to ancestors that appear twice or more in the pedigree, from the fourth generation back. This is good in that it ensures strengthening of good qualities within the kennel.

The Berkeley is a mixed pack (both dog hounds and bitches) although some Hunts prefer to keep a pack of one particular sex as with the North Cotswold who only keep bitches. This is down to individual preference. Both sexes have their unique qualities. Dog hounds are much lower scenting and a steadying influence in difficult scenting conditions whilst the bitches are faster and more flighty. Some Hunts who have a mixed pack will hunt one day a week with a bitch pack and other days with a mixed one.

When breeding we always start with the bitch, and use the one with the best working qualities; good voice, nose, a sound constitution and good temperament, not shy or aggressive. Looks, as said earlier, come second to performance for a good looking hound is nothing if it cannot hunt. Once the bitches are chosen the pedigrees need to be examined thoroughly to choose the best dog hound to use to get the progeny we wish. If we are unable to use one of our own dog hounds, due to over use of a particular line, then, on good authority, we use dog hounds from other kennels which will allow us to breed to our particular pattern as well as to bring in some new blood, thus giving us greater scope for the future.

Most packs have three or four female lines in their kennels. This means that all the hounds in the kennel go back generations to three or four particular bitches. The female line provides the basis for our breeding pattern. Here at Berkeley we have 2 female lines. It is not wrong to have more or fewer, but it means that we have to be more careful in choosing suitable partners so as to get the best qualities without bringing in any undesirable defects.

Although hounds have been kept at Berkeley since the middle ages, scant regard was paid to pedigrees until the late 18^th century. It is from then that pedigrees can be traced. The type of country the Berkeley hunt over is different to many hunts. We are a vale country, with small fields, plenty of ditches (mostly filled with water) livestock  and a warm but wet climate. All coverts are small and dense and there are large, thick, blackthorn hedges bordering a majority of the fields. This means you do not want anything of excessive size as it will have problems keeping up with its quarry but because the land lends itself to good scenting conditions you want a hound of good size to keep on terms with its quarry.

Because we only have 2 female lines our lines (family tree or twig in this case) are closer than most and as a result we have a good level pack as all pedigrees have many ancestors in common (fourth generation onwards). Sadly it is the bitches (Matriarchs) that are the un sung heroes of the kennel. Some breeders are only interested in the Stallion hounds which are deemed to be “fashionable” around the country. We know the type of hound that we require and we tend to use our own stallion hounds although we use outside blood if there is good case for so doing. This is not wrong and indeed ensures we keep a certain type of hound and maintain a level pack.

There are 6 main male lines in existence, 4 of which can be found in the Berkeley kennel. The 6 main roots are Mr Meynall’s Stormer 1791, The Earl of Yarborough’s Bumper 1743, Lord Darlington’s Benedict 1812, Glog Nimrod 1904, The Earl of Scarborough’s Saladin 1830 and Geilligaer Topper 1916. In the Foxhound world most will have heard of the celebrated Tiverton Actor 1922. He is a descendant of The Earl of Yarborough’s Bumper 1743 whose line is the oldest in the Foxhound Kennel studbook. Berkeley is full of Actor blood going back through Duke of Beaufort Ardent 1930. This line is a great example of how careful line breeding can produce superlative progeny with plenty of drive and longevity.

Our stallion hounds today are from both the Actor and Stormer lines. Most recently Heythrop Sandford ‘97 and Busby ‘96 have “nicked” very well and recent visits to Beaufort Palmer and Bailey will hopefully prove very fruitful. We tend not to use our stallion hounds until they are at least three years old. This means that any bad trait, lying dormant, will have come into the open. Holster ‘98 was an exception to the rule. He showed great potential and came from Tiverton Actor via Beaufort Fencer ‘32. This offshoot of the Actor line was fading and when we lost Holster’s father, Godfrey ‘95 we decided to use Holster before his three year probation was up. Holster became slightly too thick in the shoulder and this has sadly passed down to his progeny. However they do have his wonderful working ability

Breeders are very proud of their hounds and none more so than Mr Berkeley who has bred the Berkeley hounds since 1969. If asked for a favourite he will answer that they are all his favourites and that he would like to think he has never bred a bad hound. His hounds have been used by many kennels with one of the great modern day authorities on breeding, Captain Ronnie Wallace, being a huge fan of the Berkeley hounds. Some of the more influential stallion hounds have been Rallywood ‘56, Tottenham ‘67, David ‘81, Freshman ‘84, Denmark ’95 and Manager ‘00. Of those in the kennel today Monarch ‘03, Delegate ‘03 and Marksman ‘04 show a lot of potential for the future.

People often overlook the hounds, who are loved by many who follow hunting. They have huge empathy with people and a gentleness that attracts them to children, as anyone who watches the hound parades at the Berkeley Show or Frampton Fair will agree. The reality is often far removed from the myth and it is always with huge satisfaction that we marvel at people who are amazed at how placid and caring these hounds are. Thanks to public misconception put about by the media and our enemies people believe them to be wilful, often vicious troublemakers….wilful they can be, but never vicious. They are a family and deserve to be held in extremely high regard wherever they go.