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The Disappearance of the Fox from Co. Antrim. Ireland Published in the journal 'The Irish Naturalist' in 1900, by Robert Patterson, F.Z.S.
"1st day of May, 1782. We the Grand Jury of the Barony of Glenarmare determined for the future not to allow any money for killing foxes, as they are paid for at the Assizes, the Bailiffs are ordered to let this our Resolution be known to the Country." "14th
day of May, 1783. As wee understant that the Grand Jurey at last Assises
would not pay for anny Foxes, now the Jurey of Glenarm means to Continue
the Premium as formerly and that the Bailifs should inform the Country
of the same."
1783,
..15 Foxes.
1784, ..30 Foxes. 1785, ..43 Foxes. 1786, ..34 Foxes. 1787, ..34 Foxes. 1788, ..7 Foxes.
The sudden
drop in numbers here seems to have been caused by a misunderstanding
as to the responsibility for payment, for on 2nd May, 1792, we find
the following ;- This
seems to have had the desired effect, for at the next Court, only six
months later, we find 57 Foxes were paid for!
1793,
..52 Foxes.
1794, ..70 Foxes. After
paying £8 15 shillings for Foxes in one year, the Grand Jury must
have thought the amount too large, for at the same Court, held on 12th
November, 1794, we read: "We agree only to Pay the sum of two shillings
and two pence for Each fox and to be levied e Parrishes they are killed
in."
The people resented this reduction by only producing 7 Foxes in 1795 1796
- 36 Foxes
1797 - 25 Foxes 1798 - 21 Foxes 1799 - 8 Foxes 1800 - 30 Foxes 1801 - 31 Foxes 1802 - 20 Foxes 1803 - 33 Foxes 1805 - 14 Foxes 1806 - 30 Foxes 1807 - 13 Foxes 1808 - 5 Foxes 1810 - 20 Foxes 1811 - 26 Foxes 1812 - 13 Foxes
Thus in 47 years we get the enormous total of 1,462 Foxes produced at the Court Leets for this small portion of Co. Antrim only, for which the 'Manor of Glenarm' paid the sum of £159 4 shillings and 6 pence. Coming
to more recent years, Thompson in his 'Natural History of Ireland' vol.
4, page 12 says: "The fox is still found in suitable localities throughout
the island, whenever it can remain in spite of man." But he does
not mention any occurrences in Co. Antrim, although he records the killing
of 400 Foxes in Co. Down between 1827 and 1851.
The
B.N.F.C. "Guide to Belfast" published in 1874, says Foxes "seem
to be rapidly decreasing before the gamekeeper's gun and the shepherd's
trap."
Lord Antrim informs me that the only Fox he ever heard of in the two Baronies was killed in his deer park about the year 1870. It was running with a rabbit trap on one of its legs, and a wood-cutter killed it with a stick. The skin was preserved. Lord Antrim is convinced there is not now a single Fox in the two Baronies, nor has there been any since the 1870 capture. Even this one is supposed to have been 'turned out' by the late Mr. Chaine, for hunting purposes. Mr. Sheals, the well-known Belfast taxidermist, informs me he cannot remember having received any Foxes from Co. Antrim. Finally,
in the whole of Ulster there is not one pack of Fox-hounds, although there
are two packs of Harriers, to satisfy the hunting proclivities of the
Northern gentry, who would doubtless hunt Foxes if there were any Foxes
to hunt.
Robert
Patterson, Malone Park, Belfast. 1900
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