Under the eastern sky
Shooting Times & Country|June 28, 2023
In our series on the history of sporting counties, Richard Negus looks at East Anglia
Richard Negus
Under the eastern sky

Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and the northern part of Essex, known collectively as East Anglia, boasts a sporting pedigree as wild and diverse as its people. It is no idle swank to say that much of the sport enjoyed today in England was either invented, first recorded or formalised here in the east. This is the home of the Jockey Club and Swaffham Coursing Club. The notably picky red-legged partridge decided, (with a little help from the Marquis of Hertford) that Suffolk was just the place to be. This is the birthplace of driven pheasant shooting and ancestral home of the punt-gun.

Izaak Walton fished our waters and wrote a masterpiece about it; other sporting literary greats followed in his wake. John Humphreys, Allan Savory and James Wentworth Day penned images of East Anglian wild sport. Henry Williamson escaped notoriety in Devon to farm and fulminate at Stiffkey. Roger Deakin, Sir Peter Scott and Helen Macdonald wrote wonders here about matters diverse.

The French word 'terroir' infers that a region imbues its people, animals and food, the very soil and air with a uniqueness. In essence, the place makes the man. East Anglia's terroir has made many of Shooting Times' current crop, including Ed Coles, Simon Garnham and myself, so make of that what you will.

The region's western reaches play home to the dark soils of the peat fen. Here, vast acres of agriculture rub shoulders with ancient washes and oozing meres. The sweeping wetlands of the Ouse Washes, while on the surface appear tamed by man, in truth are a place on the edge. One super high tide or pump switch failure could see black earth become liquid once more, returning it to a place of water and reed, waders and wildfowl. Members of the Ely and Fenland Wildfowling Clubs are the 'Fen Tigers' of today, the modern incarnation of Wentworth Day's Rum Owd Boys.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 28, 2023-Ausgabe von Shooting Times & Country.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 28, 2023-Ausgabe von Shooting Times & Country.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRYAlle anzeigen
United we stand
Shooting Times & Country

United we stand

Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors

time-read
5 Minuten  |
August 02, 2023
Serious matters
Shooting Times & Country

Serious matters

An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning

time-read
3 Minuten  |
August 02, 2023
They're not always as easy as they seem
Shooting Times & Country

They're not always as easy as they seem

While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort

time-read
5 Minuten  |
August 02, 2023
Debutant gundogs
Shooting Times & Country

Debutant gundogs

There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting

time-read
4 Minuten  |
August 02, 2023
When the going gets rough
Shooting Times & Country

When the going gets rough

Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique

time-read
5 Minuten  |
August 02, 2023
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
Shooting Times & Country

The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition

In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make

time-read
4 Minuten  |
August 02, 2023
A step too far?
Shooting Times & Country

A step too far?

Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work

time-read
6 Minuten  |
August 02, 2023
Two bucks before breakfast
Shooting Times & Country

Two bucks before breakfast

A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem

time-read
6 Minuten  |
August 02, 2023
Stalking Diary
Shooting Times & Country

Stalking Diary

Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill

time-read
2 Minuten  |
August 02, 2023
Gamekeeper
Shooting Times & Country

Gamekeeper

Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside

time-read
3 Minuten  |
August 02, 2023