On This Day in Wembury — 28 February 1891
The Dartmoor Hounds Begin Their Spring Meets
On Saturday 28 February 1891, the Totnes Weekly Times announced the start of the spring hunt calendar in its column headed “The Ivybridge Hunt Week.” That day’s meet was listed as “The Dartmoor Hounds — New London Inn, South Brent, 11 a.m.” with the following Saturday’s fixture already planned for Wembury Lodge. These regular hunt schedules were keenly followed across the South Hams, linking rural parishes from the moor to the sea in a shared social season of mounted sport.
The Dartmoor Hunt was one of the region’s most active packs, drawing riders from Ivybridge, Cornwood, Harford, Modbury, and Wembury. Each meet began with a gathering at an inn, farm, or lodge where the field assembled — horses gleaming, hounds restless, and spectators lining the lanes. After a stirrup-cup and a blast of the horn, the pack would sweep out into the fields, crossing hedgerows and streams in pursuit of a fox. The hunts were as much about fellowship as chase: a chance for farmers, gentry, and local tradesmen to mingle in an outdoor ritual deeply rooted in Devon country life.
Although traditional foxhunting was outlawed more than a century later, the rural soundscape still carries traces of that world. The echo of gunfire, the calling of dogs across the fields, and the gathering of modern trail-hunters and pest controllers all recall an older rhythm. On that February morning in 1891, as horses pawed the frosty lanes and horns called over the hills, the hunting season in South Devon was once again in full cry.
Source: Totnes Weekly Times, Saturday 28 February 1891 – “The Ivybridge Hunt Week” column, listing “Saturday, Feb. 28 — The Dartmoor Hounds, New London Inn, South Brent, 11 a.m.”
