Black Combe Beagles
Matthew Higgs profiles Stan Elwood, founder of the Black Combe Beagles
Matthew Higgs
One of the pleasures of beagles, as opposed to the mounted packs, is the ease with which they can be travelled. Indeed, before we amalgamated with the Trinity Foot “away days” became an imperative for the South Herts as our country was increasingly too small - to place a season’s fixtures.
One of the many pleasures of travelling were the people met and the friendships made. One of the most notable characters we came across was the great Stan Ellwood of the Black Combe beagles in the south eastern Fells.
We were lucky in 1998 to discover that the then Black Combe huntsman, Geoff Freeman, had family connections to Luton (his nephew Mark is now a keen supporter of our hounds and a puppy walker) and it was through him that we were invited to spend a weekend with our hounds in their country.
Some of us travelled up on the Friday enjoying an excellent afternoon with our beagles while the majority fought their way through the evening traffic to join us that night. We were staying at the wonderful Brown Cow in Waberthwaite, whose landlord at that time was Richard Walker.
Like so many of that area his childhood had been spent with the fell hounds which are such a part of the Lake District. He used to go out with his uncle in his mobile shop and if the hounds were in the area their round would usually take them in that direction. Richard’s uncle would sometimes have a drink and then Richard would be heaved into the driving seat with wooden blocks strapped to his feet so he could reach the pedals!
The Black Combe are kennelled in Waberthwaite so the Brown Cow was and is Stan’s local, and on that evening he regaled us with many stories of his eventful life. One by one South Herts supporters arrived and joined us spellbound as Stan entertained us. The last, getting to Waberthwaite a little before 2 am, were not a little astonished to fall into a pub in full swing and a seventy year old at the centre of it all!
This year the Black Combe celebrate the Fiftieth anniversary of their foundation and it is perhaps appropriate to record a little of the life of the remarkable man who brought them about.
Stan Ellwood was born in 1925 into a Lakeland farming family who moved to Tor House Farm near Bootle in 1936. A motorbike came and measured the distance between the farm and the village school and at 3 miles the distance was deemed small enough for the Ellwood children to walk there each day.
Another of Stan’s favourite stories is how he and his cousins would hide beneath the rudimentary toilet facilities (basically a plank above an open pit!) provided for hikers at his uncles farm. There they keenly observed the different anatomies revealed to them and were not averse to occasionally surprising some poor unsuspecting hiker with the application of a bunch of nettles to their bare nether regions!
Hunting was, of course, an important part of his life and he spent happy days with the Eskdale and Ennerdale hounds walking many miles after them. The Fells were a very different place to those of the present day, and there were far more people working in the quarries, farms and mines. Everyone took a keen interest in the fell packs and if hounds slipped their followers their progress would be noted and relayed to them by those at work in the Fells.
The Eskdale and Ennerdale were hunted at that time by Arthur Irving and Stan got the opportunity to hunt them one day when Arthur’s back was troubling him. Hounds caught their fox in an iron gate on Corney Fell and a lady took the brush. When Arthur Irving arrived by car he quietly asked for it back - and it and the mask were set up and presented to Stan. Unfortunately he used the mask to frighten his children up to bed when they were little, and they certainly took their revenge on it when old enough for it to hold no fears, so that memento of a great day is no more!
The local pack of beagles was the West Cumberland and Stan used to follow them too. By 1954 support for the West Cumberland was failing and it looked as if they would disband. Stan’s offer of help was viewed with some scepticism by the rather smarter officials of the then hunt, and he was at first rebuffed. However, by 1958 he became the owner of the last four couples and took them to new kennels at the old workhouse in Bootle.
Adding drafts from the Colne Valley and Per Ardua Beagles Stan soon built up a useful pack from this nucleus. By now he was working at the nuclear power station at Sellafield and he would walk his hounds to his cousins at Field Head, Eskdale after each weekend where they would stay until he fetched them at the end of the week. But hunting took up far too much of Stan’s time and he was summoned by the Sellafield management for a “final warning”. He saved them the trouble and walked out - much to their surprise!
In those days hounds walked to most meets and on one famous occasion Stan attempted to return to kennels with his hounds by bus. He’d spent the evening in the Brown Cow and when the 10 o’clock bus arrived for Bootle he got a friend to distract the driver while he spirited his little pack onto the bus by the back door.
Unfortunately the bus had hardly set off when a woman screamed as a beagle attempted to jump on her lap and Stan and his hounds were summarily ejected
Stan set off for home across the fields and when a hare jumped up - left his little pack to it. The next morning he was greeted by the village bobby who had received reports of the midnight hunt. Stan denied all knowledge and took the policeman to his kennels to see the hounds tucked up on their beds. It could not have been them could it! The hounds had of course returned to their kennels and put themselves to bed.
In 1966 Stan’s life took a turn and he moved south first to London (where he had a brush with the Krays) and then to Derbyshire, and on to Scotland. After 10 years he came home and found the beagles in need of support once more. In 1980 he returned to the mastership and has remained their to this day.
Of course there are many others who have contributed to make the Black Combe the success it is today, not least their new young huntsman Michael Cummings. But it is with Stan that they are most closely associated and he continues to do much of the kennel work.
Time spent with Stan is seldom wasted and he can entertain an audience for hours. His (oft repeated!) stories bear constant retelling and his ability to conjure chaos out of almost any situation is wonderful to behold. Throughout much laughter he is unwavering in his support for all forms of hunting and is dedicated to seeing the sport done well, and to the standards he learnt at the feet of the fellhunting greats of his youth.
We’ve been lucky to take our hounds up to the Black Combe country on several occasions and the emphasis has always been very firmly on having fun. Two particular memories are worth retelling. On one occasion we were high up on Muncaster Fell when Stan remembered he had left his lunch under the grill in his cottage. It was wonderful to behold him attempt to return the charred remains to the village shop the next day on the grounds that there must have been something wrong with it!
On another occasion we came off the hill from a joint meet in torrential rain. We were one hound short, one of ours; Tetley. Stan had put his hounds away and was sure Tetly had not crept in with them, so the South Herts staff trudged back up the hill into the downpour to look for him.
Meanwhile on the way home Stan’s van had a puncture. The spare was in the back with hounds and with some difficulty he got it out from under them and changed the wheel. As he pulled away he was flagged down by a passing motorist and asked whether he had lost a hound that was now wandering about on the road. It was Tetley who had sneaked into the Black Combe van.
All ended for the best but it was a little disconcerting for us visitors to consider that while we were drowning on the fell - Stan was releasing our precious hound onto the main road far below us!
Anyone who has met Stan (certainly every lady!) will know of his fondness for the fairer sex and his charm and cheerful manner has lead to much success with them. Now at 83, his enthusiasm is undimmed and he gleefully told me his latest quarry has promised him a date on his hundredth birthday.
I’m sure I’m not alone in wishing we all live to see that day!
Stan Elwood
Matthew Higgs
Last word to Wendy who is with Stan on the photo above: “We have always found Stan very helpful when taking our hounds into his country - and he did offer to swap some hounds for our secretary's wife! She wasn't pleased when Wayne wanted to take him up on it... He is truly one of hunting's legends.
Wendy
BLACK COMBE BEAGLES: The first 50 years...
The Black Combe Beagles this year celebrate their 50th year. To mark this milestone, the Black Combe are holding a dinner at the Bridge Inn, Santon Bridge, Holmrook, on Saturday 21st March.
The committee are trying to inform and invite as many officials, hunt staff, committee members and supporters from the past 50 years as possible. Tickets are limited and cost £20 each; the evening will feature a three course dinner, followed by singing, auction etc: a 50th anniversary badge has been issued, and all funds to go to the BCB.
Based in West Cumbria their hunting area roughly stretches from Cockermouth in the north, down to the South Lakes, westward to the coast, and to the east - inland to Keswick and Ambleside.
If you would like more information regarding the Black Combe Beagles in general, the 50th dinner in March, badges or baseball caps etc. Please contact Stephen Lowthian, Secretary/Treasurer on 01946 841030 or email stephen.lowthian@sky.com
Some tickets are still available