Charlton Hunt - Tapa dura

The Charlton Hunt began in the 1670s and is the earliest documented pack of hounds to be entered to fox alone. It attained a popularity among the gentry which has never been equalled. From the reign of Charles II, almost every noble family in the land had a representative at Charlton, including almost half of the Knights of the Garter. Its first proprietor had been the ill-fated Duke of Monmouth, but among other claims to uniqueness, it was the first hunt to establish a club, the members building themselves a dining hall.