Tommy Dobson ("larl Tommy Dobson")

A bobbin maker by trade Tommy Dobson, it is said, began hunting at his own expense in the 1850s, apparently killing his first fox in Eskdale in 1857. It seems at that time there were several small packs in the area.

In 1883 a meeting was held and a subscription pack formed, Tommy Dobson being appointed as Master and Huntsman. Although he hunted hounds for almost half a century, apparently he could not blow a horn and instead used a whistle. In 1899 he then, aged over 70, admitted he was too old to hunt hounds handing over to Willie Porter. He remained Master of the Eskdale and Ennerdale until his death in 1910.

A much respected man, Master of Hounds and Huntsman.

Richard Clapham

Although not strictly a Lakeland huntsman Richard Clapham wrote several books on the sport in the 1920s and 30s and heavily influences this site. I feel him worthy of inclusion in this thread
Thanks to Cragman for the profile.

Richard Clapham was born beneath the imposing back drop of the Yorkshire three peaks in the village of Austwick in the Yorkshire Dales in the year of 1878. He was the eldest of three children, and was educated at Giggleswick Grammar School leaving in 1893 to work for a firm of architects in Leeds. He didn’t like the confinement of the office and emigrated in 1900 to New Zealand. Three years later he moved onto Canada, where he met and married his first wife and returned to England in about 1910 following his father’s death and to take up his inheritance. He moved to Troutbeck in the Lake District later that year and lived there for 40 years. Firstly in Rose Cottage and then at Lane Head House. He saw his first fox killed on the Tongue when Joe Bowman brought the Ullswater Foxhounds over from their kennels in Patterdale to hunt up the Troutbeck valley. He shot Grouse and Blackcock on Wansfell and killed a fair number of deer in Troutbeck Park. He served his country valiantly in the Great War, being wounded but returned to the front several months later, finally being demobbed in 1919. In later life and in poor health he returned to his native Yorkshire to see out his remaining years and moved to the hamlet of Feizor, a stones throw away for his birthplace of Austwick. He died at home in 1954 and is buried in the cemetery at Austwick. In all he penned 13 books including several novels and wrote hundreds of articles for the sporting press during his career. He was briefly involved as a hunt servant whipping in to the now defunct Pen-y-Gent Beagles who were based at Horton in Ribblesdale and he also whipped in for the Kendal and District Otter Hounds

Richard Clapham 1878 - 1954

Dennis Barrow

Dennis Barrow originally “whipped-in“ to Chappie and the Coniston foxhounds, when Joe Wear retired after more than 40 years service with the Ullswater Foxhounds, Dennis became huntsman, staying for 25 years until 1996.

Joe Bowman

Arguably the most famous Lakeland Huntsman after Peel, Joe Bowman was the eldest son of Matthew and Mary Bowman of Matterdale, in his boyhood days he worked on a farm before becoming a miner at The Greenside Mines in Patterdale.

The Ullswater foxhounds were formed in 1873 after the amalgamation of two smaller packs the Patterdale and Matterdale. In 1889 a Mr. J.E Halsall became Master of the Ullswater and appointed Joe Bowman as Huntsman. Bowman had already hunted hounds, the first recorded date being 14th November 1879 at the age of 22. He finally retired (having once retired in 1911, returning in 1914) in 1924 serving for 41 seasons.

He married a Miss Martin of Dockray with whom he had a large family. He died in 1940.