THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — the Findon Chronicles are created by Valerie Martin and contain great stories from her home village of FINDON, West Sussex, U.K.    Everyday tales about real people...... in fact, a potted history of the village.   The topics today, are history tomorrow.

TALES OF FOX-HUNTING FROM FINDON

Copyright Valerie Martin 2009

As Christmas approached in 1740, Lord Harcourt planned to join the hounds due to hunt at Findon.   Unfortunately, I have found that he had some problems persuading his Charlton colleagues to accompany him.   This seems rather odd as the hounds provided excellent hunting for the gentry with foxes well distributed throughout the Findon countryside.   He duly corresponded with the Duke of Richmond at Goodwood and said that William Green of Findon would provide the accommodation and would hunt himself with the Charlton Pack.  William Green was a name associated with Findon at that time. He often stayed with his uncle, John Cheale, the Lord of the Manor who resided at the Manor House..... and William was in line to be a future Lord of the Manor of Findon by 1751.

Lord Harcourt then wrote to the young William Green asking him to arrange stabling. It was a cold Christmas and Findon was certainly at the centre of things during that festive season.   The flurry of activity for this so-called "sport" of the past can only be imagined.    Letters were going to and fro and on Boxing Day the Duke of Richmond wrote to the Duke of Newcastle telling him that he was dining at Findon and staying until the Saturday and departing after hunting in the morning.

On Friday, 2nd January, 174l the Duke of Richmond sat down in Findon, (presumably from the comfort of Findon Manor) and wrote —

"We had a very fine chase yesterday and ran to ground".

The hounds were recorded as still being in Findon at the end of the month and returned to Charlton via a further hunting spree in the Arundel environs.

At the beginning of 1742, the Duke of Newcastle corresponded again with the Duke of Richmond and informed him of the names of the hunting guests at Findon.

At 7 a.m. on the morning of Monday, 4th January 1742, the hounds duly left their quarters at Charlton en route for the trek to Findon. After traversing the River Arun at Houghton Bridge, where they must have made a truly wonderful sight, they cast about for a fox and made their first fast chase of the expedition. They ran as hard as hounds could, after spying Mrs. Reynard’s sleek back and bushy tail and ran her to ground near Parham Common.   Some of the party were elected remain there and dig the poor quarry out.

The pack once more settled down and hitting it off again, continued tenaciously following a fresh fox by way of neighbouring Highdown and were now within sight of Findon.   They subsequently hunted over into Findon country at Muntham. They laboured up and over Blackpatch Hill, and sprinted past the site of the mansion at Michelgrove and into the woods where there were several foxes waiting and it seemed almost begging to be chased.

Meanwhile back at the Parham area, the earlier bitch fox had been dug out.    She was now being prepared for a second dose of the same sport ― and was in the process of being now turned out by her captors (hardly sporting of them)....in foreign terrain at Muntham.   Somewhat puzzled by her new surrounds, she raced to seek sanctuary she knew not where. The bloodthirsty hounds pursued her. There was to be no respite and she was marked to ground after a few minutes at Cobden Farm back within the Findon boundary. The huntsman stopped for breath and then blew hard for his stray hounds.

Two days later the hounds in good form (in spite of the pouring rain), departed from their Findon quarters and headed north in the direction of Steyning. They returned after a long run.

Anyone out on the following day, now Thursday, would have seen the hunt depart yet again from Findon in all their splendour. They trotted north once more and this time pushed Mrs. Reynard around the woods at Chanctonbury and Wiston, then on to Steyning. Turning to the south they paced down to the working windmill (then still standing at Lancing), where the vixen cunningly chose a neat route on through South Lancing to common land.

The observant dog hounds where quickly away on her scent and did not falter and pursued until she took refuge on the very shoreline.  Here a local inhabitant’s cur took it upon itself to intercept and assist the hunt with their cause. The sea lapped around its ankles as he chased her into the waves. The by now tired bitch fox struck out furiously in a brave attempt to outstrip her new pursuer.  Eventually they dog-paddled side by side out to sea. As if sensing the distant French coast was too far for them, they circled and returned to the Lancing beach, where the by now exhausted couple sadly came face to face with the baying hounds in full flight.

The hounds, but not with the Duke of Richmond in attendance, were to be seen at work in the environs of Findon again on Monday, 17th January 1743. There was no stopping them and they took an unbelievable number of eight foxes before returning jubilantly home to Charlton on Saturday 12th February 1743.

Tom Johnson was still the huntsman in these days and Old Tom hunted the Findon hounds until his death in 1744 and the event went down in the records as...

The following inscription bears witness to his employment on a mural tablet in the church...

I can find no other references to the life of our Honest Tom..... but .."cheers"  .... here is a portrayal of his drinking bottle.....

A note of expenses for 1745 bears the following entry.... "Findon Kennel, a years rent £8. 0s. 9d.

Continue if you would like to read about John Cheale's Hunting Party at the Manor of Findon

THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — is a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon and nearby..... and sometimes beyond.