Berkeley Hunt

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Foxhound pack in England

title: "Berkeley Hunt" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["fox-hunts-in-england", "south-gloucestershire-district", "sport-in-gloucestershire"] description: "Foxhound pack in England" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley_Hunt" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Foxhound pack in England ::

::data[format=table title="infobox hound pack"]

Field	Value
name	Berkeley Hunt
image	BerkeleyHunt & BeaufortHunt JointMeet KingscoteGloucestershire 1988.jpg
caption	Berkeley Hunt in 1988
type	Fox hunting
country	England
breed	Foxhound
region_county	Gloucestershire & South Gloucestershire
master	Henry Berkeley
quarry	Fox
founded	12th century
(foxes from 18th century)
founded_by	Berkeley family
former_quarry	Stag and buck
website	www.berkeleyhunt.co.uk
::

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/HuntCoat_BerkeleyHunt_5Buttons_YellowWithGreenCollar_Huntsman&AmateurHuntsman.svg" caption="website=berkeleyhunt.co.uk}} 5 gold buttons, as worn by professional huntsman and "amateur huntsman" (i.e. a Master of Foxhounds who hunts his own hounds)[http://www.horsecountrylife.com/catalog/buttons.html http://www.horsecountrylife.com]"] ::

The Berkeley Hunt is said to have been one of the largest and most important in the world at its time in 18th century. Hounds have been kept at Berkeley Castle since the 12th century, initially to hunt the stag and the buck, and since the 18th century, to hunt the fox. The Berkeley family of Berkeley Castle (who lost their titles of Baron Berkeley and Earl of Berkeley in 1882 and 1942 respectively) still owns the Berkeley hounds and the kennels.

Country

The "hill country" above Dursley and Wotton-under-Edge is mainly hunted in March and early April, and is adjacent to the estate of the Duke of Beaufort. The "vale country" includes the Vale of Berkeley, largely dairy and cattle farms with much permanent pasture, although the use of this land for arable farming is increasing.

Relationship with the Old Berkeley Hunt and Cotswold Hunt

At one time the hounds of the Berkeley Hunt were kennelled at Berkeley and at Cheltenham, Nettlebed, Gerrards Cross and Cranford, Middlesex. It should have been possible to hunt from Berkeley Castle to Wormwood Scrubs, 100 miles as the crow flies, although not on a regular basis without disturbing other hunts. This extensive activity may have begun with the Berkeleys taking their hounds to London each year. In the late 18th century, the fifth Earl of Berkeley lost most of his land in and around Middlesex.

The country around Cheltenham and Broadway became Cotswold, North Cotswold and Cotswold Vale Farmer's Hunt. Gerrards Cross and Cranford retained the old livery and became known as the Old Berkeley Hunt. They were later divided into East and West.{{Cite web |title=Wallace Charles Devereux, master of the Old Berkeley Hunt (West) |newspaper=Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News |date=22 November 1946 |url=http://www.kimble.info/showmedia.php?mediaID=491&medialinkID=705

After the Hunting Act

Although "hunting wild mammals with a dog" was made illegal in England and Wales by the Hunting Act 2004, which came into force in 2005, a number of exemptions listed in Schedule 1 of the 2004 Act allow some previously unusual forms of hunting wild mammals with dogs to continue, such as "hunting... for the purpose of enabling a bird of prey to hunt the wild mammal".

The hunt continues to meet regularly and on special occasions such as the Boxing Day parade and hunt in Thornbury. Despite the threat of further legislation, this continued in 2024.

Lending a name

: The Old Berkeley Hunt developed a large following among the prosperous London middle classes:

The slang term "berk" is a contraction of "Berkeley Hunt", which in turn refers to the English vulgarity "cunt" (the usage is dated to the 1930s). It is an example of Cockney rhyming slang. The "berk" in Berkeley is pronounced , but in Cockney it is pronounced , as in American English.
The Hunt-class mine countermeasure vessel HMS Berkeley was named after the hunt.
Berkeley Square in London is named after the family. Berkeley House in Piccadilly was sold in 1696 to the Duke of Devonshire, who demolished it to build Devonshire House.

References

"Home".
[http://www.horsecountrylife.com/catalog/buttons.html http://www.horsecountrylife.com]
Charles Richardson, ''The Complete Foxhunter'', Methuen & Co, 1908
[http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2004/ukpga_20040037_en_1.htm Hunting Act 2004] {{webarchive. link. (April 7, 2009 , text online at opsi.gov.uk)
Stephen Moss, "[https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/nov/07/hunting.ethicalliving The banned rode on: Eighteen months ago hunting was banned. Or was it?]" from ''[[The Guardian]]'' dated 7 November 2006, at guardian.co.uk, accessed 29 April 2013
(27 December 2024). "Crowds gather for Boxing Day hunt in Thornbury 2024". Gloucestershire Gazette.
Jonathon Green, ''Cassell's Dictionary of Slang'' (Cassel & Co.) {{ISBN. 0-304-35167-9.

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