Langham Village History Group
An emotive subject today but without doubt it played an important part in the economic life of the village
in former years.
At first, in the 1730s, hunting was a local activity with horses and hounds having to be hacked to the meet
and back at the end of the day.
The advent of the railways allowed wealthy business men to spend the weekend in hunting country,
travelling by "express train" and staying in local hotels.
Soon the "Hunting Lease" became the norm, enabling wealthy people to take a lease on a house and
stabling from September to March. Although personal servants, stud grooms and coachmen were usually
brought from the "town house", there was plenty of opportunity for casual employment for village people.
Local tradespeople also benefited - farriers, feed merchants, grocers etc.
The two properties in Langham normally let on hunting leases were Langham House and the Old Hall.
There is more on this subject in "Langham in the Past" by Don Mantle.
Cottesmore Hunt
In 1732 Thomas Noel started a pack of hounds at Exton. Sir William Lowther, later the
1
st
Earl of Lonsdale bought the Exton pack on the death of Thomas Noel in 1788 and
built kennels at Cottesmore House - thus was founded the Cottesmore Hunt.
The Cottesmore Hunt has had several homes, with kennels at Stocken Hall,
Normanton Park, Little Bytham and Barleythorpe. The kennels between Ashwell and
Oakham were built in the 1880s to hold a hundred couples of hounds with stabling for
fifty horses and accommodation for the huntsmen, whips and stud groom. The cost
was £11,500. The hunt has moved on again with this accommodation converted into
housing for the local population.
Hunting near Langham
Vintners Yard - Langham