Towards the end of 1979, at a meeting held at the Fountain Inn, Ashurst, the idea of creating a new pack of hounds to hunt a quarry previously unhunted in the south east, and probably unknown to most local inhabitants, was discussed and accepted. The name Wealden was agreed. Letters were sent to foxhound and beagle packs, Ministry of Agriculture, etc., and by the Spring of 1980, with the support of the numerous bodies concerned, we registered with the Mink & Coypu Hunting Association (now the Masters of Mink Hounds Association). This enabled us, as a registered pack, to draft hounds and soon we were underway. The first Wealden hound to be heard was a woolly called Parson who opened to a rabbit at Laybrook ponds in the early Spring of 1980!

Twenty years on, with 2 of the 5 founder Masters still remaining, we celebrated our 20th season with a splendidly supported Anniversary Dinner at the Cisswood House Hotel, Lower Beeding. There were representatives of at least 12 local packs of hounds to see a presentation of a specially commissioned painting of 2 of our hounds to Gordon Laing, who had completed 31 seasons as Kennel Huntsman to the Surrey & North Sussex Beagles, the last 17 of these looking after our hounds as well. He was wished a happy retirement by all present.

With 2 puppies born in January safely out at walk, the pack started the 1999 season looking fit and well, if a little plump. Blank draws marred the first month before our first mink was caught after a short hunt on the Longford stream below Newick Park on 8th May, followed by one of the hunts of the season a week later on the Arun, south of Billingshurst. This mink, a big dog, was found in dense cover above Lordings Weir. Hounds had to work hard to move him about the cover, but they did so and pushed him out the bottom. A swim and tree eviction preceded a lovely upstream hunt on land and in water all the way up to Streele, a distance of about a mile. Hounds hard at him, he took to a tree and was bayed enthusiastically. Out of here, he again made upstream, leaving the water at a fallen tree and running the trunk to the bankside into a hole at its base, where hounds marked and soon accounted for him unaided. Two weeks later, another big mink was caught opposite the Anchor Inn, Barcombe, on the Ouse from a meet at Isfield Place. This mink had been reported a week earlier, causing problems amongst local poultry.

On 5th June, a big dog mink had to be left on the Arun because of the close proximity of the A29. lhis was deemed unsafe so we drew on. The following week saw a lovely find and hunt on the first bitch of the season below Okehurst down to Rowner, nr. Billingshurst. She proved unget-at-able, but her litter of 5 were accounted for. Later that day, near Hope Farm further up river, another dog mink was found and caught after a hunt which included a couple of bolts and a tree eviction.

Mr. Askew's Wellingham Barn meet, nr. Lewes, proved to be a busy day. On joining the main Ouse, hounds became busy. Working downstream, Folly and Nagle swam across and tried the oxbow. After a while Naylor, who had joined them, opened and a hunt took place resulting in a mark. As it was a long way to a bridge, the Huntsman and another Joint Master swam the incoming tide to join hounds at the mark. It was a big rooty place in the middle of a black stagnant pool, and smelt accordingly! Hounds managed short hunts up and down the oxbow and caught 3 mink.

Following a lovely meet at our Supporters Club Chairman's pub, the Stag at Balls Cross, we vanned on to Rother Bridge, nr. Petworth. After a nice find and clever work from Monarch, the hounds took a line away from the river to mark an earth at the edge of a field where 3 brace were accounted for. There was no sign of the puma we had been warned about, which had apparently been spotted a couple of days before at the bridge.

The following Wed., 30th June, we met at Besley Farm, Watersfield, and had an unusual sighting for inland Sussex - a seal, midstream in the Arun half a mile above Amberley Castle, swimming in with the tide. Folly, the only hound to see it, looked on somewhat bemused.

Once again, the Sharpes Farm meet below Newick on the Ouse, proved a busy day with hounds catching 4 mink out of 6 found, the other 2 evading hounds in the dense nettle, thistle and balsam cover that cloak this river in July. This pack meets more times in July, as it is traditionally the most active month for families of mink. This year was no exception other than at a number of meets we found mink had been partly, if not wholly, dealt with before hounds arrived. We did, however, catch mink on the Wey at Eashing on a joint day with the Valley Mink Hounds on 22nd, on the Rother below Cowdray Park on 24th, and a brace on the Arun from a meet at Shipbourne Farm, Bedham on 29th. On 31st July, Joint Master Donald Mockford hunted hounds from the Sloop at Scaynes Hill above Sheffield Park Station (Bluebell Railway). A mink was found halfway down the draw on the Ouse and hounds had what some considered the best hunt of the season. An energetic mink made up river, then over to the canal and down the woodland before being marked and accounted for in a small place.

Hounds were called out on the eve of Thurs., 12th Aug., to Homelands Farm, Partridge Green, where a litter had moved on to the flight pond. Two brace had been dealt with prior to our arrival, but a brace were proving elusive. A quick find and busy hunt around the large pond saw hounds hard at work before catching 1 mink on the bottom island. The second was found on the drain below the pond and hunted towards the river before being lost in roots at the base of a tree as light faded. Sats., 23rd and 30th Aug., from Coates Pumphouse, Fittleworth, on the Rother, and Malham Farm, Wisborough Green, on the Arun, both proved frustrating days with mink about, but neither hounds nor huntsman knew where. In between, however, we had a great day following a lovely lawn meet at Theale Farm, Slinfold, and caught 2 mink after fast hunts just below the farm.

On Sat., 11th Sept., from the White Hart, Henfield, we drew the Rye Farm water blank, so vanned on to Shermanbury Place where Mr. Greenwell had reports of mink. These proved right as hounds found on the east Adur and hunted up to the Cowfold stream junction where the mink was moved around the rocks. After a couple of trips into the river and back into the rocks, they marked and it was eventually accounted for. Meets at the end of Sept. and early Oct. proved successful from Trusslers Well, nr. Albourne, on the Chess Stream, and from North Ease, south of Lewes, on the brooklands alongside the Ouse, where there was also a good showing of hares.

Sat., 16th Oct., at Dedisham, nr. Slinfold on the Arun, saw hounds repeatedly marking trees in pursuit of their quarry before he eventually made it back downstream to where he was found. Out onto the farm drive he ran to the bridge and crossed it before heading on down towards the cattle bridge, where following a good hunt, he was pursued into a dense bramble patch, marked to ground and accounted for after an awkward dig as darkness fell. The season came to a close at the end of October with 2 hunts. On 23rd, during torrential rain on Knepp Castle lake, hounds, oblivious to the conditions, worked hard and were beaten by the dark. On 30th, from Martinsland Farm, Bines Green, they hunted half the length of the Honeybridge stream from above Ford Farm to lose the mink in a land drain on Honey Bridge lane. Hounds hunted on 39 days, found 54 mink and caught 34.

There was a good showing of kingfishers again this year, with reported sightings on over half of days hunted. Also seen were buzzards (Arun, Rother, Ouse), barn owls, an egret, a terrapin (west Adur), a seal, hares and exotic frogs (lower Ouse) which made the Summer quite a wildlife safari at times.

On 1st May we welcomed a new Kennel Huntsman, Nigel Kirke and Dawn who have turned hounds out in splendid condition. We would like to offer them our very best wishes in the job and congratulations on the recent birth of their beautiful daughter, Megan.

With the season now closed it is hound walking at weekends again, with the older hounds taking it in turns to be coupled to our lovely puppies, Fortune and Foster. These pups have been reared from whelps by Donald and Marianne Mockford, to whom we are indebted.

In a year that has been extremely hard for farmers, we are only too aware of the pressures that the rural community is facing. We sincerely thank all farmers and landowners for the privilege of walking their land and wish to assure them of our support in helping to achieve a fairer deal for farmers.

We send a very happy Christmas and prosperous Year 2000 to all.

Back to top

Date uploaded to site 3 June 2000