Daring Rescue of Dog In Lakeland

The bronze medal and certificate of the R.S.P.C.A. have been awarded to Mr. James Bewley for his courage in rescuing a dog from Helm Crag, Grasmere.

A terrier was imprisoned from early one Tuesday in May til the following Saturday evening 40 feet down a hole, the entrance to which was at the summit of the crag.

Several people abandoned rescue efforts on the Thursday evening owing to the roof and sides giving way.

Walking round on Saturday evening. Mr. Bewley decided to try to reach the dog. Crawling in headfirst he called the dog's name and it answered and he found it located at the bottom. Under the light from torches Mr. Bewley removed the debris and cleared a way to the dog.

The society has also sent a letter of appreciation to Teddy Tyson, aged 14½ years who accompanied Mr Bewley to the crag.

Westmorland Gazette 15th March 1944

Hunt Terriers Rescued
Trapped Three Days Near Hawes

After three days entombment in loose rocks below Hawes End Crag, Wensleydale, two crossbred Lakeland Border terriers belonging to the Lunesdale Pack were rescued on Saturday.

The terriers, 12 months old Rock, and 4 years old Tim owned by Mr. W. Mason of Dent, were put into the rocks after a fox had gone to ground there during a hunt. The terriers killed the fox, but were unable to get out again because of the fox’s body.

Several tons of rock had to be moved before the terriers could crawl out to safety. They were unharmed and well.

Westmorland Gazette 15th November 1957

THRELKELD

John Richardson, rescued two terriers, which had been entombed for two days. The ground level entrance was blocked by boulders, making it impassable.

Cumberland and Westmorland Herald
8th March 2003 (25 years ago section)

I had a brief trawl through the local newspaper archives but was unable to find any reports relating to this, so I emailed Pete Davis who runs the Blencathra web site.

Here is his reply.

'Hi Ron

'Johnny was 35 yrs old in 1954.

'Not sure of the story or location but believe it was a mineshaft in Brandy gill in the Caldbeck fells.

'Barry remembers his mum & dad telling him about it when he was a boy---he can't remember the names of the terriers

Pete'

Coniston Foxhounds

Friday’s hunt took them from Ireland Grassing into Longsleddale and a fast hunt went on through Goat Scar into Harter Fell, where the pack divided. Followers saw one fox killed and the same night a visitor to Staveley hunt ball informed them that a second kill took place at Thornthwaite Hall. A terrier, trapped in a borran at Rangebarrow Crag was rescued on Saturday after four days underground.

Westmorland Gazette 13th March 1948

One notable happening in the hunting world was the escape of Smuts, the five-year-old Border terrier belonging to Major G. R. Williams, Lilymere, after 11 days in a limestone underworld on Leck Fell. Smuts, a terrier which has worked with the Kendal and District Otter Hounds, as well as the Lunesdale pack, forced his way past the dead fox and came to the food and straw at the hole mouth on Friday morning, so that when Mr Arthur Swettenham made his routine visit, he had a welcome surprise at a stage when hope was becoming more and more slender. The terrier had made it’s own way out of a place where no rescue work could be done, and after veterinary attention it has made a splendid recovery. TALISMAN

Westmorland Gazette 13th March 1954

Not only terriers became trapped underground, occasionally hounds too became fast, sometimes slipping underground when followers or the huntsmen, working at the borran were not keeping an eye on them. Occasionally, they got in before anyone got to the place where the fox had gone to ground.

The Lunesdale
Leck Fell Pothole Rescue of Two Hounds

Nearly 100 followers attended Lunesdale’s meet at Park House, Cowan Bridge. A line was taken at once in Spring Wood and a fox was roused in Easgill, which headed for Leck Fell. After going round by Leck Fell House reynard went to ground in Fenwick Allotment. Terriers were entered, and some time later the huntsman noticed that crack hound Bellman was not at the hole, though he had been on the hunt. There were several entrances to the place, and on finding that both Bellman and Glider were missing, Walter Parkin crawled in some 12 feet in the biggest limestone hole, shouted for Bellman, and immediately heard the hound reply from somewhere below. The huntsman then discovered a vertical shaft down which the hounds had apparently fallen. Helpers went off to collect pot holing rescue ropes, lamps and sacks, after which the huntsman, carrying a lamp and with a rope tied round him crawled the 12 feet and was lowered nearly 30 feet to the bottom of the shaft some six feet in diameter. Here he found both Bellman and Glider, both with cuts and bruises and one at a time he placed them in a sack, tied the rope round them and they were hauled up. He came up last, somewhat shaken after an unnerving experience, to make a happy ending to what could have been a tragedy for the pack had the “incident” occurred on a misty day and no one got to the place – as so often happens in fell foxhunting. Both hounds will be out of action for a time.

Westmorland Gazette 27th February 1954

A Fox Hunt In A Mine

Particulars reached Penrith on Saturday night, of an unusual incident in connection with mountain fox hunting. The Ullswater foxhounds have been hunting on the Helvellyn range. One day last week the pack of twenty-four hounds disappeared into an old lead mine, which is entered by a level. The workings go a long way under the mountain, but are chiefly dangerous through the roof giving way. One of the hunters, Jack Munroe volunteered to enter the mine; at his second attempt he reached the hounds that had chased the fox a considerable distance underground and affected a kill. Munroe brought out the carcass.

The Scotsman 8th November 1909

Thanks to Pete Davies and Barry Todhunter for their help.