A legacy of leadership: Claire Bellamy MFH retires

As one eminent female huntsman retires, Polly Portwin finds out more about other ladies hunting hounds and supporting in kennels. This article was first published in My Countryside magazine.

After almost three decades of hard work, dedication and complete devotion to her hounds, Claire Bellamy MFH, has recently announced her intention to retire from hunting a registered pack of hounds at the end of the 2024/25 season. As an ambassador for hunting, Claire (pictured above) steps down with a CV which boasts 10 years as a professional member of hunt staff and 18 years in total as a sole master of two packs – the Spooners & West Dartmoor and the Lauderdale where she is currently in her ninth season. 

There aren’t many huntsmen – male or female, professional or amateur – who have hunted hounds under four different laws within the UK, but Claire can lay claim to having done just that. Her career as a professional member of hunt staff and then as a master took place pre- and post-Hunting Act while whipping-in and then hunting hounds on Dartmoor where she grew up. In 2016 Claire headed to the Lauderdale to hunt hounds under the Protection of Wild Mammals (2002) Act, then, just over a year ago, the legislation in Scotland changed again and Claire has had to adapt to operate within the confines of the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Act which came into force in October 2023. 

Claire attributes much of her career’s success to the good relationship she developed with the farming community wherever she has been hunting. “Without the farmers there would be no hunting,” she emphasises. With plans to get further involved in shepherding and no doubt a continued role in judging hounds around the country, Claire will remain an ambassador for hunting even after retirement. 

Image: Heather Runciman

Scotland may be losing one female huntsman, but they have recently gained another in the form of Poppy Tutcher MFH who started hunting the Duke of Buccleuch’s hounds this season. “I was pretty much born on a horse and feel incredibly privileged to have learnt from some fantastic huntsmen,” says Poppy, whose stepfather and role model – former professional huntsman William Deakin – hunted the Warwickshire hounds for 22 seasons. 

Poppy reflects on how privileged she feels to have been able to ride up with hounds alongside William, learning so much from him and others along the way. “I was second whip to John Holliday at the Belvoir before he retired and he really helped to shape my career,” she says. “He gave me the confidence to take on the first whip’s role under James Finney at the Belvoir and without getting that promotion and experience I wouldn’t have been able to take on the role that I’ve got now.” 

Alice Griffin, amateur huntsman of the Ross Harriers also grew up hunting as a child where she developed a passion for watching hounds work, but that’s not the case for Elle Simpson, joint-master of the all-female mastership of the Warwickshire Beagles who whips-in to their amateur huntsman. Elle took a different route completely; having moved to a smallholding near Warwick in her early twenties, she encountered the beagles at a country show and after an introduction to another young follower, soon became a regular. 

“We joke that if you stand around too long when out with the beagles, someone will give you a job,” explains Elle who, some 10 years later, credits that initial introduction with opening the door to a fulfilling pastime and an entirely new community. “Clearly the hounds themselves were a joy to be around but everyone was so welcoming and I felt like I’d found a space to be myself, away from the hustle and bustle of work and everyday life.” 

“I’ve tried to explain to people over the years about the bond you form with hounds at kennels over time, but it is tricky to put into words,” Elle expresses when considering why she enjoys spending so much time in kennels. “There’s something that just clicks at a certain point and you realise that the beagles are responding to your voice in a different way and they get excited when they hear your car on the drive. Until you’ve experienced it it’s hard to comprehend, but there’s no greater feeling of acceptance than that from a pack of hounds.” 

Alice is now in her second season hunting the Ross Harriers, having spent a lot of her hunting life “just getting involved”. Alice grew up surrounded by supportive figures who encouraged her enthusiasm for hunting. She spent around 20 seasons going out twice a week with the Cotswold before moving home which took her to Cotswold Vale country. It was at the Cotswold Vale that she started whipping-in on an amateur basis. 

“I was always thinking ahead, watching hounds, and working out what was going on,” reveals Alice. She then became more involved with the Ross Harriers, whipping-in, field mastering and being asked to carry the horn when their previous lady huntsman, Miriam Wilkulski, stepped down. 

One of the greatest challenges for Alice in her new role was blowing the horn. “My mouth was rearranged back in 2021 when a horse bucked me off and I landed face first on tarmac,” she recalls. “I thought, ‘how am I ever going to blow a horn because I still haven’t got all the feeling back in my bottom lip’, so I literally bought a horn and I drove everybody insane practising.”

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Reflecting on some of their most memorable hunting experiences so far, Poppy and Claire each recall their first day hunting hounds. For Claire, it was during her time whipping-in to huntsman Mike Weir at the Dartmoor: “Mike was unwell, so I thought I was just taking hounds to the meet and then heading back,” she remembers. “But the fog suddenly lifted and I found myself hunting hounds for the first time. What followed was a fantastic pre-ban hunt across the moor – it was magical and I’ll never forget it.” 

Last season, Poppy gained the accolade of being the first female to hunt a pack of foxhounds in Leicestershire. Belvoir huntsman James Finney “had a very rare day off due to illness” and on the Saturday morning the lady master advised Poppy that she would be hunting hounds that day. “They are a very special pack of hounds so apart from getting them to the meet and putting them in the first covert, all I really had to do was try to blow the horn,” she laughs. “It wasn’t until walking hounds out the next morning that the enormity of what had happened the day before really sunk in. The support I received was almost overwhelming, but in the nicest way possible.” 

These four ladies each bring unique stories, insights, and perspectives to the hunting world. From early inspiration to unforgettable days with hounds, becoming part of the community, or finding joy in the daily routine, their recollections each reveal a shared commitment and passion for their hounds, whether they’re foxhounds, beagles or harriers.