Unholy origins of the hunt for stags and foxes

WESTERN Europe took many of its ideas and culture from the old Roman empire, which brought about the greatest development in the use of hunting as an amusement or what is now claimed as ‘sport’.

“There is much in religion which belongs not to the Catholic tradition, but to the native or barbaric element that underlies medieval culture”, observed one historian, referring to the church’s connection to this cruelty.

The historian Henry Hallam outlined how it became impossible to repress the eagerness with which the clergy rushed into these amusements after the barbarians, tempted by the rich bishoprics, decided to take upon themselves the sacred functions.

Prohibitions of synods and councils, he wrote, had little effect. Those false shepherds said Mass with their spurs on, their hunting daggers in their belts and their horses saddled and ready outside the church. Thus began the grafting of bloodsports onto the Christian religion.

With the ascent of the Borgias and Medicis to Peter’s chair, such grafting got to the top. To entertain Pope Leo X (Medici), bulls were fought in the piazza of St Peter’s itself. He kept 16 horses and a pack of 35 couples of hounds. Those caught trespassing on his 10 square miles of game reserve had their hands and feet cut off, their houses burned, their children sold as slaves.

By Nero’s order, Christians were sewn into animal skins before being torn to bits by dogs. In 1537, the then ‘bishop’ of Salzburg had a peasant sewn into the skin of a stag before setting his pack of hounds on the man who, it is said, was wrongfully blamed for killing the stag, thereby depriving the bishop of his pleasure. Is it surprising that the church lost credibility?

The seminary at Maynooth was founded and funded by the British to provide the crown with a succession of dog-collared quislings. Not alone did staff and students swear allegiance to the Crown, but good horses were provided on which deans and professors keenly rode to hounds.

With this church backing, it’s not surprising that carted staghunting and foxhunting have only relatively recently met serious opposition.

Dick Power

Boherlode

Ballyneety

Co Limerick