On this day in Wembury — 3 January 1832

The Royal Devonport Telegraph and Plymouth Chronicle reported from Ridgeway Petty Sessions that on Tuesday 3 January 1832 two local surgeons, Thomas Denton and P. Anthony, were convicted under the recently introduced Game Act of 1831. Denton was fined £1 plus costs for shooting at Wembury on 27 and 30 December, and Anthony £1 for a similar offence. Both men were also fined £2 each for shooting at Memberland on 30 December, and Anthony received a further £1 penalty for giving a false name. Mr. N. Lockyer appeared on behalf of the complainant, while Mr. Robbins represented the defendants.

The context here is important. The Game Act of 1831 was designed to tighten control of hunting and shooting, restricting who could legally kill game and when, in order to protect landowners’ rights and regulate sport. Before its passage, game laws were highly resented for favouring the gentry; the new legislation made licences a requirement and broadened access slightly, but still imposed penalties on unlicensed shooting. That two medical men were caught flouting it in Wembury underlines how even professional classes tested the new boundaries. The case also shows how Wembury’s rural landscape—with farmland and coastal estates like Memberland—was closely watched for illegal shooting in the early 19th century.

(Source: Royal Devonport Telegraph and Plymouth Chronicle, 14 January 1832 — reporting on Ridgeway Petty Sessions, 3 January 1832.)