Westminster Bridge, by Canaletto 1747 larger version

The Grafton Hunt has an historic background; it takes its name from the Dukes of Grafton, who for many successive generations hunted the country with their own hounds.

It was the 2nd Duke of Grafton who was responsible for the erection of Westminster Bridge over the River Thames. Tired of endless inconvenience, delays and inattentive ferrymen when transporting hounds back and forth across the river, the first Duke introduced a bill into Parliament for the erection of the bridge, which was finally completed in 1748, sadly after his death.

An early reference to Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton owning hounds is in a letter dated 14 August 1722. Richard Orlebar of Hinwick, Bedfordshire kept a pack of foxhounds. In 1722, owing to ill health, he decided to give up keeping foxhounds. He mentioned the fact to a neighbour, Mr Boteler, who in turn forwarded the information to a Mr A. Charlton, who appears to be the Duke's secretary or steward.

Mr. Charleton accordingly, on the 14 August 1722, wrote the following letter to Mr. Orlebar.

Dear Sir

It being about the time Mr Rooper & I us'd to make you a visit, I thought you would not think me impertinent if I troubled you with a line to aquaint you that the old gentleman has not made any Northern progress this summer & thinks now in a fortnight to open the Campaign with his hounds in the New Forest.

Mr. Boetler (Boteler) mentioned a thing to me about my thoughts whether if you should part with y^e hounds they should be acceptable to the Duke, I can assure you they have such a reputation & very justly that I am confident that if the Duke had the best pack in England he wou'd think the addition of your hounds to it as the greatest favour in the world.

Reply sent to Richard Orlebar Esq^r at Hinwicke near Wellingburrough.

Dear S^r

I had the favour of y^rs The D. of Grafton is prodigiously pleas'd with yo^r noble present & designs to write to you himselfe when he wou'd be glad [of] yo^r hounds going to Euston he hope you will be so good as to let y^or Serv^t stay with them a weeke & I believe if you have ever a useful horse that would serve his Huntsman he would willingly bye him.

According to a writer in the Sporting Magazine for February 1793, the Duke's hounds were hunting in Surrey, having kennels at Lovell's Grove, Croydon, the seat of the Duke's friend, the Earl of Onslow. The hounds were probably taken there for the season from either Euston Hall, the Duke's seat in Suffolk, or Wakefield Lodge. Foxes were frequently transported in hampers from the densely populated forest at Whittlebury to Croydon and Euston Hall and earmarked ones were noted for their ability to return season after season to the forest. One particular fox was sent on this journey no less than three times.

An early document entitled 'An Exact Account of the Fox Chase on the 2nd day of December, 1745, by His Grace the Duke of Grafton's Hounds, by John Goodrick' The writer describes how the hounds 'chased a fox from Euston Park through twenty-eight parishes, and killed him the other side of Stowmarket'. The whole chase was probably sixty miles.

Whittlebury Forest subsequently became the ancestral hunting ground of the FitzRoys, of which the Dukes of Grafton are the titular heads; and in the middle of the eighteenth century, when hounds, from hunting hare, fox or deer indiscriminately, whichever first came to hand, began to be entered to fox only. Charles, Second Duke of Grafton, established a pack of fox-hounds which were known by his name.

The Grafton was celebrated for its large tracts of woodland, primarily Whittlebury Forest, Salcey Forest, Wakefield Woods, Yardley Chase, Crownlands and Bucknell. Although these large woodlands are now either diminished in size or several unsuitable to hunt due to the proximity to main roads, smaller coverts such as Weedon Bushes, Plumpton, Ascote Thorns and Whistley Wood have produced many a fine run and are still successfully drawn.

Up until the Fourth Duke of Grafton's tenure the hounds were moved between the two family seats of Euston and Wakefield during the season. The general pattern of the season followed thus: cubhunting which started late July, was carried out from Wakefield in the Grafton country. In November the hounds went to Euston Hall and hunted there until the end of February, when they returned to Wakefield to finish the season in April. The Fourth Duke, had strictly orthodox ideas on the way his hounds should be handled in the field, and particularly on the conduct of his whippers-in. His precepts, or "Rules," drawn up in great detail, are to be found in Vyner's Notitia Venatica.

Known as the Duke of Grafton's hounds, the mastership passed down through the ducal FitzRoy family until 1882, with the exception of several seasons when the second Lord Southampton, nephew to the Third Duke, held the mastership and from 1842 to 1861 when the third Lord Southampton hunted the country. During this latter period the hounds were known as the Lord Southampton's rather than as the Duke's. In 1882 the Sixth Duke of Grafton, who himself had instigated the now well-established custom of prize-giving for puppy walkers, retired from the mastership. It was then that the mastership of these hounds passed from the ducal family to Mr. George Shalto Douglas-Pennant, second Lord Penrhyn, whose father was brother-in-law to the Duke. It was upon his appointment as Master that the hounds first became known as simply the Grafton hounds. New kennels were built at Wakefield Lodge and the hunt stables were located at Towcester, some four miles away.

After they have been weaned Foxhound puppies spend their formative months with hunt supporters known as puppy walkers. The job of the puppy walker is to take 1 or 2 pups, feed them, exercise them, and teach them some basic discipline. This saves the huntsman a job when they get back to kennels. List of puppy walkers and dogs 1885

Up until practically the twentieth century, packs of hounds tended to change in a country as frequently as masterships with most packs being the property of the Master and therefore either sold or taken elsewhere as masterships changed. To a large degree this was not the case with the ducal Grafton pack, but when the third Lord Southampton took the mastership in 1842 he purchased the Marquis of Tavistock's and Squire Osbaldeston's Pytchley hounds to add to the pack. Subsequently in 1862, when he relinquished the mastership to the Sixth Duke of Grafton, he sold his hounds to Mr. Selby Lowndes. Consequently, when the mastership reverted to the Duke, the majority of a new pack had to be found. The Duke's brother-in-law (later the first Lord Penrhyn) purchased Sir John Hill's hounds, which had heretofore been hunting in Scarborough, and presented them to the Duke for his use. It was the Seventh, non-hunting Duke of Grafton who kindly gave the hounds to the country when his father retired from the mastership and they still remain the property of the country.

Find out more about the Dukes of Grafton Hunt dog entries into puppy competitions held at Wakefield Lawn, Stony Stratford 1884 1887 1888 1891 Fifty Years’ Foxhunting WITH THE GRAFTON AND OTHER PACKS OF HOUNDS by J.M.K. Elloitt, published 1900. Extracts

In 1892 the hounds and horses of the hunt were centralised at the village of Paulerspury, local to Wakefield and midway between Wakefield and Towcester, where they still remain, albeit moved from the original imposing stone buildings. It was only twenty years after the Dukes of Grafton had given up the hounds, in 1903, that the Grafton Hunt first became a subscription pack during Douglas-Pennant's tenure. Pictures Lord Hesketh's hunting party at Easton Neston during H.R.H. The Prince of Wales visit, October 19th 1887.

1911 - 1912 Season Hunting Rules Records exist from 1911-12 and it is interesting to compare these with information from a more recent season 2002/3. It seems little has changed. In 1911 a subscription for the season, for a Gentleman, for 2 days hunting per week was £35.00 whereas today it is £2,600. However, it is interesting to note that, in 1920, a cottage was sold in Grafton Regis for £50.00. Hunt General Account Historically, The Hunt evolved from the Duke's personal pack of hounds. Once the Grafton became a 'subsription pack' and the Dukes no longer financed it, the Master of the Hunt had to pay for what the subscriptions did not cover. In 1911 out of total outgoings of £4308.10.4, £3000 came out of the Master's a/c. Nowadays, it costs approximately £65,000 for a Hunt to survive. Hunt Point to Point Account Hunting has a particular importance in the area of racing. National Hunt racing has been steeped in hunting for well over a century, as indeed its name implies and Point to pointing, inextricably linked with hunting, is the way that horses qualify for National Hunt. Likewise, horses must qualify to run in point to points by going out with the local hunt and the events themselves are organised by members of the hunt. List of Subscribers to: The Farmer's Luncheon Funds, (Point to Point), The Hedge-Cutting, The General & Covert Fund Everything has to be paid for including hedge-cutting (creating, maintaining and repairing safe jumps for the point to point course) and of course every worker needs to eat. Hunts take on the responsibility of maintaining 'coverts' (small thickets to provide cover for animals) to ensure a ready supply to hunt and shoot. 1924 - 5 Season Hunt Days	'An Incident with the Grafton' click here for larger picture and story
	A Fox To Be Proud Of - Poem by Mill House Fox
	Women in the Hunting Field - article by Kate Musgrave from the Grafton Gazette 2003
	Maps The area of the Grafton Hunt 1960 2001 Chases (1960) : Brayfield Farthingstone Lillingstone Lovell Potcote Stuchbury
2002 - 2003 Season Subscriptions	Hunting Picture Gallery

From 1891 to the present day the changes in mastership have naturally been frequent. Lord Penrhyn retired from the mastership in 1891 and then for the first time in its history the Grafton experienced a joint mastership between Mr. A.J. Robarts of Tile House and the Hon. E.S. Douglas-Pennant MP, Lord Penrhyn's son. The latter continued as master upon Mr. Robarts' retirement after three seasons until 1905. To Major Hawkins of Everdon Hall, father of Captain Hawkins who himself was master from 1961 to 1984, fell the unenviable task of steering the hunt through the First World War with a reduced pack, hunting only two days a week. During the Second World War Lord Hillingdon and latterly (1938-1940) a Committee took charge, again undertaking to hunting the country two- three days a week with a reduced pack. Both post-war masterships were held by Lord Hillingdon. Other memorable masterships include that of Lt. Col. Neil Foster of Whittlebury from 1950 to 1977, with various joint masters.