THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE —  created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

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GEORGE CHAMPION the HUNTSMAN ( 1825 - 1903)

Copyright Valerie Martin 2008

George Champion was a personality from Findon's past .... a true Findonian and coming from an old well-known family — he was born in the village in 1825 and baptised here on Sunday, 10th December 1826.  

George entered the service of Squire William Westbrooke Richardson of Findon Place at the tender age of twelve and later became his second horseman c. 1848.   George married a girl named Sarah and moved to the Crawley and Horsham Hunt and whipped in to Jack Press under Mr. Stanford for two seasons.  

After that he became a famous huntsman of the Southdown Hunt from 1856 until 1882.    He then resigned after a total of 26 years in the job.   On leaving the Southdown Hunt, he was presented with an unusually handsome, but thoroughly well-deserved testimonial in the form of a gold watch, a silver tea-service and a cheque for the princely sum at that time of over £800.  

His subsequent employment was with the Duke of Richmond as huntsman for at the South Down Foxhounds.    The hounds were kennelled at Ringmer House.   This lasted for two seasons until and he then retired altogether in 1884 and lived in Lewes where he was a familiar figure in the area until his death in 1903 at the age of 78.

I moved to Findon in 1993 and for the next few years colourful huntsmen and hounds did meet on Nepcote Green (along with protestors) but eventually the practice of fox-hunting finally diminished in the Findon countryside.   

The only foxes now found in Findon are the Snooty Fox Bar of the Findon Manor Hotel in the High Street..... and the occasional estate agent's board bearing the name of Fox & Son.

Continue if you would like to read The Last Meet on Nepcote Green in 1997.

THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon.