A Brief History of the Old Berkeley Beagles

The history of the OBB started 1923 when Mr Robert Wigram bought the RAF(Uxbridge) Beagles. They were kennelled at Penn and hunted by John Hill and Fred Robinson. Three years later Mr Wigram gave his pack to form a subscription pack known as the Old Berkeley Beagles. The name comes from the Old Berkeley Hunt (a constituent of what is now the Vale of Aylesbury with Garth and South Berks Hunt). The yellow collars of the OBB uniform derive from the yellow hunt uniform of the old OBH.

We now have 27 couple of hounds. They have a distinctive deep cry which comes from a deep chest and strong compact body. They are bred for work, not appearance. In a country criss-crossed with busy roads we are looking for hunting ability and stamina, not speed. Control is essential. We therefore keep height down to a maximum of 16 inches at the shoulder and we hunt a mixed pack of bitches and dogs. The dogs slow the impetuous bitches down and this results in better quality hunting.

After the Second World War the AMHB took a major step to improving the quality of the breed by prohibiting the sale of registered hounds or the charging of stud fees. The result of this was that the best breeding stock was made available free of charge to any pack.