Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2019 i The Field

I ONCE asked a hugely experienced picker-up – a retired gamekeeper with a team of four labradors and three spaniels – what he regarded as the most challenging retrieving he ever asks his dogs to do. His answer came back as quick as a Derby winner on the home straight: September partridges. It wasn’t the answer I was expecting, so I asked him to explain why it was so much more difficult than, say, August grouse or January pheasants. The biggest problem, he told me, was that many birds so early in the season weren’t what he called match fit. “The majority of those young partridges have probably never flown more than a hundred yards in their lives. Suddenly they are asked to fly 10 times that distance. Yes, they…

No matter how hot a day the shoot is having, there inevitably comes a drive – or even just a peg – where the birds are that little bit random. Lord and Lady Fairhaven’s Kirtling shoot just outside Newmarket had an excellent day last October, when The Field visited. Even so, when Aldred Drummond asked his host, the Hon Henry Broughton, where he should stand on the final drive, he was told: “Stand wherever you like, it won’t make any difference” – a clear indication that Drummond would not be in the money on that occasion. Having shot with stylish efficiency on previous, busier drives, Drummond took the dryish peg in the same good humour that characterised the whole day. Broughton’s friends had joined him at his parents’ Kirtling Tower…

A century ago, ducal kennels were brimming with breeds created by peers of the realm. Now the ancestral blood lines of the great estates are in a precarious position. The setter breed created by the fourth Duke of Gordon very nearly died out along with title, though the Duke of Richmond is honorary president of the Gordon Setter Club. Sussex spaniels are rarer than giant pandas, and even the famous Stratfield Saye labradors, originally founded by the Dukes of Wellington, haven’t had a new generation in decades. The good news is that while it may be the 11th hour for some, many of the best bloodlines and breeds are being brought back from the brink. The beacon of hope in all this is the Buccleuch labrador retriever. What we know…

That there have been deer on the Hebrides since ancient times is beyond doubt, though how they got there has until recently been something of a mystery. Arran stags are known to be able to swim the 5km or so to the Kintyre peninsula, so it is no surprise that the inner islands were colonised by red deer from mainland Scotland. But it would be a tough challenge for the strongest beast to make the 30km crossing from Skye to Harris in the Outer Hebrides. It has only been with the advent of DNA analysis of ancient deer samples that it has been shown that the red deer of the outer Scottish islands are the result of introductions by Neolithic people. Where these Stone Age folk brought the deer from,…

Burghley is one of England’s great country houses; a majestic presence, comfortably settled in a green Capability Brown-designed landscape and justly famous for the annual horse trials. The mansion house was built from the 1550s to the 1580s by William Cecil (1520-98), Lord High Treasurer to Elizabeth I. It represents the high point of Elizabethan courtier houses, like Longleat and Kirby Hall, that celebrated Burghley’s family roots, enhancing the place from which he drew his title (as first Lord Burghley) – although the house was less extensive and glamorous than his great house at Theobalds in Hertfordshire, where he often entertained the queen. Internal alterations were carried out in the 1680s and ’90s for his great-great-grandson, the fifth Earl of Exeter. His work was finished and extended by the ninth…

I THINK game should feature somewhere on every shoot menu and partridge, due to its size and flavour, is the most flexible and easiest game meat to use. A whole bird is the perfect portion for a dinner main course. However, it can easily be broken down and used for a huge variety of starters. The three recipes below are great examples of just how versatile the meat is and are all ideal to persuade even sceptics that game meat is delicious. They can all conveniently be made or prepped in advance and make good use of the whole bird all the way through the season. Breasts usually stay fairly tender but the legs become tougher as the months go on. However, the cooking method used for the sticky bourbon…

2018 THE INTERLUDE PINOT NOIR (£7, Co-op) An absolute steal, a single vineyard Pinot from South Eastern Australia that’s spot on with wild duck. 2017 VIÑALBA PARILLA MALBEC (£9 if you mix 6, Majestic) Rich, violet-scented Mendoza Malbec to enjoy with jugged hare. 2015 BODEGAS SAN VALERO ‘PARTICULAR’ CARIÑENA (£10, Corney & Barrow) Full-throttle, rich, ripe and earthy Spanish red ideal with roebuck. 2015 WAITROSE RIOJA CRIANZA (£10, Waitrose) Deliciously fresh ’n’ fruity rioja that would slip down a treat with roast grouse. 2016 MARMORA CANNONAU DI SARDEGNA (£11, Private Cellar) A cracking, herb-laden and game-friendly Grenache from Sardinia. 2016 DOMAINE SAINT GAYAN (£14.25, Yapp Bros) A gloriously aromatic and creamy white Côtes du Rhône Villages that cries out for crayfish.…

WE British love our dogs even more than our horses, so why should it be that we have such excellent equestrian painting and sculpture today, and yet almost no contemporary depictions of dogs worth calling art? Canine portraitist Christopher Marshall is determined to lift dog painting to a level that is beyond the predictable, shiny-nosed cuteness of a thousand “thank you for having me” cards. Working directly with client commissions, he insists: “People want to see their animals and be able to recognise them and their character. They don’t want to see a generic chocolate-box image. Now I am lucky to be in the position where I can enjoy what I am doing with portraiture without having to be strict about the economic aspect of it.” “When I am doing…

THE annual Lobster Shoot has yet to be targeted by antis mistaking seafood suppers for an armed culling of crustaceans. Yet this staple of the Hampshire social calendar might have been under threat if the hosts had lost a legal case that carried severe implications for everyone who shoots. For two years the Tyrwhitt-Drake family, owners of Bereleigh estate, fought a private prosecution brought against them by a neighbour, on the grounds that game shooting caused a noise nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act. No such prosecution has been brought before and the consequences could have been serious. The Tyrwhitt-Drakes’lawyer commented: “Had they lost, it would have emboldened complainants to make complaints to the local authority or to bring their own similar private prosecutions. Likewise it would have emboldened local…

There’s nothing like the banter of close friends to set the tone for a day’s shooting, and from the moment I walk into the Admiral Rodney hotel in Horncastle it’s clear the nine guns tucking into a full English are here to have a good time. Relaxed, easy going and friendly, most had arrived from their farms in the Shires the previous evening, although Justin Maeers was looking remarkably alert having endured a nightmare journey back from Belgium, where he had been racing historic cars. The group has been invited by friends and business partners William Main and John Briggs to shoot driven partridges in the Lincolnshire wolds, although this September day has a twist following Main’s chance encounter at a clay pigeon shoot with sporting agent Richard Gray, who…

With the demands of the First World War and noise of the Somme offensive echoing over the English Channel, why, during July 1916, was Sir Francis Acland asked by Prime Minister Asquith’s government to set up a committee to “consider and report upon the best means of conserving and developing the woodland resources of the United Kingdom”? Weren’t there more pressing priorities? By the beginning of the 20th century, Britain’s woodlands, which once thickly clothed the countryside, had been reduced to about 4% of the land area due to centuries of clearance by our ancestors, who needed the land to grow food crops and wood for industrial processes. Apart from a small number of ‘Crown forests’, such as the New Forest and Forest of Dean, there were no state woodlands:…

In the annals of the British Army… there can be few episodes more glorious than the epic of Arnhem.” Field Marshal Montgomery’s tribute to the men of the First Airborne Division, who in September 1944 battled heroically but unsuccessfully for the bridge over the Rhine at Arnhem in the Netherlands, has stood the test of time. Few battles are still commemorated with the same defiant pride as Operation Market Garden, especially in the Parachute Regiment. While the battle honour ‘Arnhem 1944’ and the Parachute Regiment are forever, and rightly, linked, there were others who fought and died there. Besides the supporting arms and services who jumped with the Paras on 17 September (engineers, signals, medical and more), there were many whose arrival by air was equally, if not more, perilous.…

THE Royal Armouries collections at the Tower of London hold one of the most unusual firearms shown at the Great Exhibition of 1851 – a steam-powered gun originally invented by the American engineer and inventor Jacob Perkins (1766-1849) in 1824. Perkins’ second son, Angier March Perkins (1799-1881), produced a later version of his father’s steam gun, and it is this one that graced the 1851 Exhibition. Unlike the previous months’ exhibition weapons, which can be viewed as objets d’art, this is an item of innovation. Perkins claimed the gun could discharge a large number of balls in a few seconds with immense power and velocity using only steam. On the morning of Tuesday 6 December 1825, beside the Regent’s Canal basin in London, Perkins demonstrated his invention to a party…

WELL, that’s one mystery solved: the identity of the man sitting in the corner of our rural pub, busily but surreptitiously making notes as a group of country folk discussed what we really, really wanted from the new Land Rover Defender. He was the Man from Toyota, obviously. It’s the only explanation for the new Land Cruiser Commercial, which almost perfectly matches our mud-machine menu. For a start, it’s a simple three-door van. (A five-door version is available, but less is more in this case). The load area is vast and there’s a handy grille/bulkhead already installed (although any self-respecting Sealyham would soon wheedle its way through the gaps at the side). It has plain steel wheels with practical tyres. The gearbox and handbrake are both manual, the drive is…

BRITISH RIFLES Donald Dallas’ item on British gunmaking was fascinating [British gunmaking of the 21st century, July issue]. One area of British gunmaking not covered is the British and Commonwealth single shot target rifle. Used by individual competitors, school, county and national teams with great success, they are a distinctive, British-made style of rifle. Companies such as HPS and RPA innovate constantly and there are several outstanding gunsmiths, such as Norman Clark or Fultons, who tailor rifles for individuals. Whilst not game rifles, purchase as with any custom, British-made rifle can deliver a lethally shocking wound to the bank balance. Peter Kelly, by email SEAL DEAL Neither Alan Robinson nor Graham Salisbury mentioned seals in their excellent letters on the crisis we are all, particularly the noble salmon, facing [August…

This small, Warwickshire estate, between Warwick and Redditch, has 56 acres of ring-fenced land, set in open countryside in a slight bowl. The 7,000sq ft, five-bedroom house sits within landscaped gardens and there is also a walled garden. The property is on the market for the first time in more than 50 years and is built of brick under a tiled roof, with the rear sections constructed in brick and timber. A new frontispiece has been added to the 17th-century farmhouse, using reclaimed materials and handmade bricks. There is a workshop barn that could be extended, subject to planning, to create a leisure wing. Hole Farm has equestrian facilities, with 12 stables, tack room, feed room and a hay barn. There is also an all-weather manège and fenced paddocks. Agent:…

A year or so ago, Nicholas Penn put a film on You-Tube entitled Both Eyes Open, which explained why no-one should close an eye when shooting. At the end of the film, he says: “If I don’t change you, I don’t charge you.” Since the film appeared, Penn has had many guns come down to his Pennsport Shooting School at Curridge, near Newbury, Berkshire, for lessons – to date, they have all paid. “We devise a tailormade teaching plan, recogising no two clients are the same” “If you shoot with an eye closed, it’s time you stopped guessing where the target is and learned to shoot with both eyes open,” explains Penn. “No one should shoot with an eye closed. Believe me, your performance will improve immeasurably doing it the…

People often ask me for the correct timing when gameshooting and, of course, there’s no one answer as every shot varies. But we all know perfect timing when we see it, as anyone who watched England win the cricket World Cup or saw the Wimbledon final realises. When we see the best sportsmen hitting a ball travelling at more than 100mph we can only marvel at their skill and perhaps wonder why the very best, such as Roger Federer and Josh Butler, remain at the top of their game for so long. My view is that all these brilliant players – in addition to natural talent, the will to win and putting in constant practice – have exceptional eyesight and an unusual mental capacity to process visual information far faster…

Everyone loves the idea of spending quality time with family and friends on a luxury motoryacht but unless you are already a seasoned boat owner the barriers to entry can seem uncomfortably high. It’s not just the cost of buying such a valuable asset, it’s learning to skipper it safely and the time required to maintain it properly. Unless you use it regularly, it can be hard to justify the time and money involved, especially if you only get to spend a few weeks on board each year. “You only pay for the four weeks you spend on board” But what if you could enjoy all the upsides of boating on your own, fully crewed, professionally maintained, luxury Princess motor yacht without the complexities and for only a fraction of…

“His best year by far was 1936, when he caught an incredible 678 salmon” The Wye’s worldwide reputation as a salmon river is undisputed. Over time, thousands of rods have beaten a path to its banks, enticed by the promise of landing a ‘big one’. However, in the early decades of this century that certainty has receded as salmon numbers decrease. Fishermen once talked about how much their previous salmon weighed; today, it’s more likely to be how many months since they last had a pull. Nonetheless, the romance of the heady days of casting for the salmon remains strong and there is hope that numbers may increase again in the future, thanks to the huge efforts from dedicated agencies and individuals on the river. The Wye is the fifth-longest…

In the decade before the Second World War, revered huntswoman and hound expert Daphne Moore spent 700 days foxhunting and 648 days otter hunting. This on a lean income derived from hunting correspondence and without being able to afford a horse. There were infrequent days mounted but she relied famously on her feet or a bicycle, thinking nothing of cycling 10 miles to a meet (her first bike fell apart such was the battering it received crossing country and was sold for 4p as scrap). Post-war, she gained patronage from the Duke of Beaufort and spent the latter part of her life hunting her quarry by bike or running with hounds twice a week. ‘The lady who runs’, as she was named by Warwickshire huntsman George Gillson, was renowned as…

If you don’t frequent country shows or have green fingers, you may be unaware of a phenomenon sweeping through the Shires, stimulating more double entendres than a Carry On film, smashing world records and with a cult following among all ages. The cause of all this rural excitement is giant vegetable growing. These whoppers need to be seen to be believed. I watched pumpkins being delivered to the Malvern Autumn Show, home of the CANNA UK National Giant Vegetables Championship, on fork-lift trucks. They can reach in excess of 1,600lb (114st) – and it’s not just the pumpkins that are gargantuan: the 2018 show saw six world veg records broken. As with many great British traditions, the giant vegetable movement was started in a local pub over a pint in…

PURVEYORS OF WILD SCOTTISH GAME FOR 27 YEARS Woodmill Game began in 1992, when Steven Wade bought a plucking machine and set off to gather birds from Scottish shoots. He processed 500 and pioneered the giving of oven-ready birds to guns. But by 2000, demand was falling. “Customers were tiring of oven-ready birds,” explains Wade. “They had freezers full of birds from the previous season.” So the company started breasting birds and outsourcing game sausages but shoots were supplying their own and game dealers had stopped buying. Today, they process some 40,000 birds a season and their deer-stalking agency, launched in 2003, harvests 250 red deer and 150 roe per year. They launched a retail side in 2018. “We decided to ramp up our involvement in game marketing and lead…

THIS month’s test spotlights one of a pair of 20-bore Perazzi SC3 MX20 game guns built on a scaled-down version of the firm’s MX12 chassis (notable for having a fixed lock rather than a detachable one). The No 2 gun considered here weighs in at 7lb 6oz – on the heavier side for a 20-bore over-and-under (but a good weight nevertheless). It has tightly choked 30in barrels and immediately impressed with elegant form and good aesthetics. The engraving, deep scroll on a coin-finished action, appealed particularly. The stock wood is well figured, too: straight grain through the grip with rich figuring rearwards (the No 1 gun is similarly stocked). Fit and finish were up to the maker’s high standards. First-class wood-to-metal and metal-to-metal fit are evident. Blacking shows good preparation,…