Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2020 i The Field

THE UK Government’s proposal to ban the import and export of hunting trophies has caused much concern to those who live with wild animals and shoulder the financial burden of conserving them and their habitat. If enacted, it won’t just stop British hunters travelling abroad for legal, licensed hunting but also it will stop hunters coming to the UK to stalk wild deer. It seems to be based on sentiment relating to the term ‘trophy hunting’, rather than science. The term is misleading, encouraging the general public to view legal, licensed hunting as having only one objective: to hang a wild animal’s head on the wall. Nothing could be further from the truth. Safari hunting is all about the chance of the chase, respect for the animal, enjoyment of whole-some…

Willow trees could help boost lamb growth, reveals research led by the Woodland Trust. The research sampled willow, alder and oak leaves from the GWCT’s Allerton Project in Leicestershire, the Organic Research Centre in Berkshire and Bangor University’s Henfaes research station last June and September. Willow leaves were found to have high levels of zinc and cobalt. “Lambs tend to perform well in the spring because they are still getting the ewe’s milk, but as they take less and you go into the dry summer period there’s an issue because the cobalt levels in grass begin to deteriorate,” said Dr Nigel Kendall, a lecturer in nutrition at the University of Nottingham’s veterinary school. “This means growth can slow or stop all together but by providing access to willow leaves farmers…

Email: field.secretary@ti-media.com LETTERS MAY BE EDITED FOR CLARITY OR SPACE TIME FOR STEEL In consideration of wildlife, the environment and to ensure a market for the healthiest game products at home and abroad, we wish to see an end to both lead and single-use plastics in ammunition used by those taking all live quarry with shotguns within five years. The shooting community must maintain its place at the forefront of wildlife conservation and protection. Sustainability in our practices is of utmost importance. Many years ago, wetland restrictions demanded a move away from lead shot and we believe it is necessary to begin a further phased transition. Recently, there have been significant developments in the quality and availability of non-lead shotgun cartridges, and plastic cases can now be recycled. For the…

STAR BUY Ston Easton Park is a Grade I-listed Georgian country house dating from 1769, with Grade II-listed gardens and views across the neighbouring parkland. In the late 1950s the house was derelict and on the verge of demolition but was bought by former Times editor William Rees-Mogg. The property was later converted into a country hotel. Features include pavilions, Tuscan columns and Palladian architecture. There are 19 en-suite bedrooms, including one with a roof terrace. The gardens and grounds wrap around the mansion house, with lawns sloping down to the River Norr and two stone footbridges. There is a walled garden, a rose garden, a cutting garden and a kitchen garden. There are also two cottages and a coach house on the estate, which runs to just under 30…

Of course, none of our own dogs would ever commit any of these crimes, but just in case you have a friend whose dog is a bit of a sinner, here are the top 10 gundog faults — and how to cure them (so that you can give your friend a bit of help). 1 PULLING ON THE LEAD In at number one yet again, pulling on the lead is the most common problem reported by all dog owners, and massively exploited by the manufacturers of various harness-type contraptions. In fact, the issue is that the dog does not heel. Look at it logically. If the dog is heeling, he is not pulling. So, rather than spending a fortune on bondage gear, teach him to heel. You can teach heel…

Since ancient days, nothing was more sacred than fertility. Continuity of the human race sustained by good husbandry and a bountiful natural world were the absolutes. Every culture worshipped divine and mystical forces, unseen but given names and form, which were believed to promote and govern survival. The Old World abounded with gods and goddesses. Northern and eastern Mediterranean areas worshipped a good two dozen deities understood to affect fertility. Greece and Rome shared some 30. Egypt had 13. Nordic and northern Europe listed 17, and the Celtic areas at least nine. Ancient peoples believed in multiple chances. In total, cultures worldwide venerated some 170 recorded fertility deities. Men may have felt the need to boost their libido but it was the function of women to enhance the chances of…

THE formation of the London Metropolitan police in 1839 occasioned a general fall in crime in the capital over the following two decades. But the fear of crime persisted, thanks to instances of murder, robbery and violence, and their lurid reporting by the newspapers. In particular, the so-called ‘garrotting’ cases, where a robber strangles his victim, often using their arm or a length of wire, cord or cloth, seemed to touch the rawest of nerves among London’s middle class. The fear of garrotting reached a fever-pitch in the early 1860s, particularly after the earlier ‘London Garrotting Panic of 1856’. Indeed, the newspapers loved to report many of these murders as garrottings even if it was not the case and Londoners lapped it up. But the odd thing about garrotting and…

AT a time in life when friends and family are having children and are keen to get them into fieldsports, this season saw my godson and nephew have their first days’ out beating. Encouraging the next generation is something I am immensely passionate about and it was this that led me to become a Scouts volunteer when I lived in Clapham. On a regular basis, I am quizzed by curious parents and relatives: “How/when did your love for shooting start?” But, if I think about it, actually, my love for shooting and fieldsports came from a passion for the outdoors. We were an incredibly ‘outdoorsy’ family growing up. From hiking trips to camping trips to spending our school holidays in a little village on the Llyn Peninsula called Abersoch. We…

I HAVE been wailing on and off like a Cassandra for the past three or so years about the future of British agriculture. However, now the umbilical cord with Europe has been cut. No more Common Agricultural Policy to which farmers may cling. But where are we going? The 2020 Agriculture Bill is moving through Parliament as we speak. “This bill is one of the most significant pieces of legislation for farmers in England for over 70 years and it is absolutely vital that it is tailored to farming’s specific needs and ambitions,” declared Minette Batters, president of the National Farmers’ Union. I have got news for you Minette, it won’t be tailored to the specific needs or ambitions of farmers. The writing is all over the wall. With apologies…

EQUESTRIAN art’s canvas version of the Dublin Horse Show has galloped into Chelsea and is now bucking and kicking in an exhibition at The Open Art Fair. It is a joyful explosion of ‘horseyness’. There are thoroughbreds, of course, nostrils flared and coats gleaming. And, just like the Dublin Show, there are posh hunters and show hacks, who are just as much status symbols as the racehorses. There is colour, there is glamour, and excitement, and nerves — and there are people. Is equestrian art about the horses or the people? Wherever horses take you, there are people to tell a story. If it’s the Derby at Epsom, there’s Prince Monolulu shouting: “I got a horse!” Or today’s version of Munnings’ gypsy rider will be pulling a colt out of…

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EXTRACT FROM SILVER SHOALS: FIVE FISH THAT MADE BRITAIN, I read an interview many years ago with the palaeontologist Richard Fortey, in which he perfectly summarised the sibylline link between geology, natural history and human history. “Far from being the driest of sciences,” Fortey said, “geology informs almost everything on our planet and is rich with human entanglements. The rocks beneath us are like an unconscious mind beneath the face of the earth, determining its shifts in mood and physiognomy.” The natural and unnatural history of our wonderful but beleaguered Atlantic salmon has been greatly determined by geology and the forces of the Earth’s evolution, suggesting one hopeful thought – that somehow the salmon will survive – and one terrible thought – that even so we may yet lose them…

Two hundred years ago, on 16 April 1820, William Mudge died. Not a name that resonates like those of some of his contemporaries – Byron, Wordsworth, Darwin – but one that should be better known for, during his relatively short life, he put much of Britain literally on the map. Since 1518, map-making in Britain had been a minor responsibility of what was called the Board of Ordnance (from the French word ordonnance, which relates to the organisation of military affairs). Distinct from the Army, it was an independent military body that operated from the Tower of London where, based in a drawing room in the White Tower, a talented, small band of both military and civilian draughtsmen, some as young as 11, busied themselves with the intricacies of military…

THIS month’s test gun is a new 20-bore, round-bar side-by-side from FAIR (Fabbrica Armi Isidoro Rizzini, founded in 1971). It is imported into the UK by John Rothery Ltd, which also distributes Lincoln over-and-unders made by FAIR. Lincolns, first specified by David Nickerson (whose firm is now part of John Rothery), have long been respected as offering a lot of ‘bang for the buck’. The new gun, however, is a little different to the FAIR-made Lincolns with which we are acquainted. Although this is a budget gun with an RRP substantially under the £2,000 mark, it is not without real elegance of form and function. I was surprised when I first picked up the Iside by just how ‘right’ it felt. That is a rare reaction to a less-expensive, machine-made…

I ALWAYS look forward to April, not because of the longer days and potentially warmer weather, but because I know there will be an abundance of two of my favourite short-lived ingredients: wild garlic and chocolate. Last year, in my excitement, I accidently picked a little more than I could immediately eat, so I tried freezing some as an experiment. I blanched some, made some into pesto, and wilted, chopped and stirred the rest into salted butter. I have been delighted with the results, especially when midway through winter in need of a reminder of sunnier days. If you want to try freezing some, remember not to over forage or pick it before the garlic starts flowering as the leaves become tough. The abundance of chocolate is also a short-lived…

I FELT a bit sorry for the BMW X6. On its first day here, it served as the refreshment bus for the last day of the shooting season. So, come elevenses-time on a cold, damp January day, it sat slightly awkwardly in the old grain-store yard, surrounded by iffy pick-ups and panel vans, while some of Hampshire’s gnarliest Guns and beaters gave it a fairly hard time. Can’t blame them. It’s a typical, modern, high-end SUV, which means it’s more coupe shaped than cavernous transporter. The boot has a low roof and a high floor. There’s no spare tyre underneath, either. And buying your own isn’t an easy option as the X6 has different wheel sizes front and back. There was no way we would let loose the pack of…

IT would be much easier if conservation could go back to being simple. Until the 1980s, it was generally assumed that wild-life could only thrive where it was protected from the hand of man — in nature reserves. As with so many simple solutions, it was wrong. The RSPB-led State of Nature reports are manifestations of this failure. Nature reserves cannot possibly protect viable populations of a wide range of species in the long term, because they make up less than 2% of our countryside. Even if we add all the other designated conservation areas, such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), much of which are still working farmland, it is not enough. To truly thrive in our working countryside, these species need to live alongside man. Our approach…

ROW ONE Aleksandra Jurczak and Paul Paré; Katharina Fehrer; David Taylor-Smith; Harry Molyneux; Michelle and Andy Crow; David Miles and Jennifer Rookes; Mark Molyneux and Hubert Rousseau THERE is something unerringly special about a Macnab. The combination of luck, skill and determination is the antithesis of those lesser sorts of sporting day. No justification is needed for the challenge that emanates from a genuine celebration of our quarry, understanding of its habits and downright effort. There is no such thing as well-watered elevenses when you’re taking a Macnab. This year a record 24 Macnabbers pitted their wits, determination and skill successfully against hill and river, and congregated at the Savile Club in London to celebrate and honour their endeavours at The Field’s Macnab Dinner in association with our generous sponsor,…

The shooting field is certainly not the exclusive domain of sleek spaniels and exemplary retrievers. The Field loves nothing more than a rambunctious terrier completing the pack, whether as eager assistant, self-appointed overseer or fully-fledged gun-terrier. While the majority may consider picking birds beneath them, a proper gun-terrier provides unparalleled peg companionship and has a remarkable sausage-snaffling success rate come elevenses. “We live by a different code. We sit on laps, chase the cats and show those peg dogs who’s the boss. We may deign to please – or decide otherwise.”…

The British rook and rabbit rifle enjoyed its heyday between 1880 and 1910, when these elegant little weapons were produced by virtually every gunmaker in the country. Most of these rifles were crafted by the Birmingham trade and many fine examples were retailed by the leading London names, where they provided a useful source of income to supplement the production of best guns. For example, in 1887, Holland & Holland sold 371 rook rifles, compared with 186 shotguns and only 30 full-bore rifles. The popularity of its rook rifles was clear and they accounted for 11 full pages of Messrs Hollands’ catalogue that year. The craftsmanship and finish of these miniature rifles was carefully controlled in order to ensure that they lived up to the name on the rib. Holland’s…

With so many small farms struggling to survive, their outmoded barns and farm buildings often end up derelict and abandoned. I find it uplifting to come across any that have been repurposed as thriving barnyard businesses. In just one week, I visited a famous contemporary art gallery in an 18th-century tithe barn in Somerset and had lunch in its former cowsheds, now a trendy restaurant. Later that week, I dropped off my daughter at her drama school in a tiny Oxfordshire hamlet, its former barns and workshops no longer housing sheep and cattle but full of budding actors. Then I popped up to Leicestershire to see the new retail park at Belvoir Castle in the former Engine Yard. Nearer to home, I collected some personalised pottery from an isolated converted…

MY mate E tells me he is wondering if he is being diddled when he bids on the internet. I was sceptical. But E is not given to hyperbole or paranoia so I asked him to expand. He has been bidding on both the-saleroom.com and Invaluable.com (I’m keeping his name secret as much from his wife as you) and every time he taps ‘Buy’, that item then goes on to sell, him in hot pursuit, for multiples over high estimate. Conversely, similar things he does not bid for in the same sale sell within estimate, or don’t sell. Given how downright devious technology is becoming he’s worried ‘it’ – whatever ‘it’ is - has noted what a determined bidder he can be and is bidding him up. I have a…