The Old Surrey Burstow and West Kent Hunt
The Old Surrey Burstow and West Kent Hunt was formed on 1st May 1999 with the amalgamation of the Old Surrey & Burstow foxhounds with the West Kent foxhounds
The Old Surrey & Burstow
The Old Surrey & Burstow
The Burstow dates, as a foxhound pack from 1866, having previously existed as a harrier pack. Having been kenneled at Poundhill from 1904 until 1909, the pack moved to Felbridge in 1909.
The Old Surrey & Burstow was itself formed in 1915 by the amalgamation of the Old Surrey foxhounds and the Burstow foxhounds, the kennels remaining at Felbridge, where the hounds have been ever since.
The West Kent Hunt
The West Kent hounds date back to 1776 when John Warde hunted hounds from Squerries on the edge of Westerham. More recently the West Kent hounds were kenneled at Walters Green near Penshurst when Tim Lyle took the Mastership in 1980. Hounds remained here close to the Point to Point course until the amalgamation in 1999.
For a more detailed history of both packs, books have been written detailing their histories.
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The image shows Stan Luckhurst, Huntsman on the right and Stewart Harding Professional Whip on the left. Behind them on the right is Mr. Malcolm Wright MFH and Bob Cocks Amateur Whip. An Autumn Hunting morning c1998.
For More Information
For a more detailed history of both packs, books have been written detailing their histories:
Hunting in West Kent 1617-1999, An Anthology - by Peter Webb
A Portrait of Jorrocks Country - by John Robson
On the first ever visit by West Kent hounds to the Peterborough Hound Show, the bitch West Kent "Payment" became the Champion Hound, also being the first ever champion from a two day a week pack. More recently the hounds won the two couple class at Ardingly in 2003 and hopefully in the years to come more will follow!