the mardale hunt

The Mardale Church in happy times Ready for demoloition Here are the final chapters of The Mardale Hunt by Ron Black. Through the courtesy of the author, Foxhunting Life has brought you the entire book in installments, with an invitation to download each installment to your computer. Generations of Ron Black’s family have followed the Ullswater foxhounds at the Mardale Shepherds Meet both before the flood and after. The demolition of the ancient village, the relocation of the villagers, and the construction of a new Dun Bull Hotel and a new church were wrenching changes for inhabitants and hunting visitors alike. Ron’s life underwent its own wrenching change when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. A side effect of his medication produced insomnia, and, with more waking hours to fill, he decided to collect all the history of this famous meet—records of the hunts, the many songs written and sung at the Dun Bull in tribute to huntsman Joe Bowman, and the story of the Manchester Water Project as it affected the lives of this community of sheep farmers. We hope you have enjoyed it. In the course of bringing these downloads to you, we had a happy idea for the future. Please see Norm Fine’s Blog (above) for details! Connect with the author by clicking here. (To access downloads of previous installments, click here.) Posted February 22, 2012... This content is for subscribers only.Join NowAlready a member? Log in here

The Dun Bull Hotel, 1920Here are Chapters 8 to 10 of The Mardale Hunt by Ron Black. Through the courtesy of the author, Foxhunting Life is bringing you the entire book in installments every two weeks. You are free to download the book to your computer. We hope you have enjoyed the previous installments. There is one more installment to follow, which will complete the manuscript. Excerpt from Chapter 8 “A man walked over the pass from Kentmere to play the piano at each shepherds meet. He wore a fancy waistcoat with pockets. After two days of playing the piano, he ran out of money he’d earned for his efforts, so on the third morning he set off to walk home again. When he reached the top of the Nan Bield pass, he sat down to have a smoke, feeling in his waistcoat pocket for tobacco, he found half a sovereign, so he returned to the Dun Bull for another two days.” Connect with the author by clicking here. (To access downloads of previous installments, click here.) Posted February 10, 2012... This content is for subscribers only.Join NowAlready a member? Log in here

The Mardale Dam under constructionHere are Chapters 5 and 6 of The Mardale Hunt by Ron Black. Through the courtesy of the author, Foxhunting Life is bringing you the entire book in installments every two weeks. You are free to download the book to your computer. We hope you have enjoyed the previous installments. Chapter 5 deals with the construction of the dam that holds back the reservoir which submerged Mardale forever. Chapter 6 returns to the memorable days of Joe Bowman and the Ullswater Foxhounds and the songs that were such a huge part of the after-hunt entertainment at the Dun Bull. Excerpt from Chapter 6After a good days sport, huntsmen, shepherds, visitors, sheep dogs and terriers (hounds were not admitted) all turn towards the Dun Bull for a meal. In the evening, a smoking contest took place. Skelton records, “The main portion of the pack, cast off in the large dining room and every room in the house filled with overflow meetings, or rather concerts” The big room was the focal point, a tray was sent round and money subscribed for the evening’s refreshment. Each individual orders his choice of drink and the chairman pays out of the general pool. Toasts and song follow in quick succession. The chairman selects the singer and everyone is supposed to sing at least one song and there was an element of pride in singing one that had not already been sung that evening. If the song had a good swing or chorus the men got particularly enthusiastic, the shepherds beating the tables with their sticks in time to the tune and the sheep-dogs and terriers howling either in enthusiasm or execration, no man knows which. (To access downloads of previous installments, click here.) Posted January 16, 2012... This content is for subscribers only.Join NowAlready a member? Log in here

Picking out the straysHere’s Chapter 2 of The Mardale Hunt by Ron Black. Through the courtesy of the author, Foxhunting Life is bringing you the entire book in installments every two weeks. You are free to download the book to your computer. We hope you enjoyed the first installment. “As long as there are sheep on the fells, there’ll be a Mardale Meet. I’m good for a few more yet….” (Isaac Cookson on the occasion of his sixty-first attendance in 1952)  (To access downloads of previous installments, click here.) Posted December 1, 2011... This content is for subscribers only.Join NowAlready a member? Log in here