Hare Coursing

Hare coursing was finally banned in the UK in 2004, but a remarkable photograph that was shared with Forncett History Group shows that it was very much part of village life in the early 20th century. Norfolk is a major stronghold for brown hares in the UK, and they are a common sight in Forncett's fields. Nevertheless, the hare population has declined markedly since WW2 and it's now estimated that there are only about 600,000 hares in Great Britain. In the early 1900s it was probably at least five times greater than it is today, and, with many more grass meadows, there would have been plenty of hares for the dogs to chase.

The photo was taken outside the Chequers P.H. (known locally as The Bunk) at a meeting of the Forncett Coursing fraternity. The image was the property of Jessie Ford née Gapp (1911-2002) who was born in Wattlefield and who married Maynard Ford from Tharston in 1932. Maynard's maternal grandfather, Charles Davey (1848-1915), lived at Horsenford Farm and was a member of the Forncett Coursing group. He's shown in the photo, front row 3rd from the right.

Meetings of the Forncett club were reported in the newspapers at least twice, in 1905 and in 1908, and the photo probably dates from about that time.