THIS year marks the 200th anniversary of formal hunting in Co Carlow and one family in particular laid the foundations for foxhunting in the county that stood the test of time.

The Watson family of Ballydarton founded the Tullow Hunt, which was one of the first of its kind, featuring its own clubhouse, stabling, and fully staffed accommodation for hunt followers. The Watsons planted coverts, some of which are in still in existence today, such as Graney, Rathdaniel, Ballydarton and John’s Gorse, and imported different strains of foxhounds.

The Tullow Hunt became the Carlow Hunt, with John Watson and his son Robert the masters for the entire 19th century. The Carlow Hunt and the Island Hunt were closely associated during this time as Mr W. Bolton of the Island, who died in 1853, hunted a pack named after his residence. He handed over the pack to Lord Fitzwilliam, who in turn handed over to Robert Watson, master of the Carlow Hounds.

A painting of Robert’s father John Watson hangs in the RDS and he was master of the Carlows for 61 seasons and Robert took over from him from 1869 to 1904, serving 35 years as master and 56 years as huntsman.

Another brother of Robert’s, William Watson, was joint master of the Cotswold Foxhounds in England, while Robert’s son John was joint master and huntsman of the Meath Foxhounds from 1891 to 1908 and is credited with drafting the first rules of polo. A serious man when hunting, he was once described as a gentleman, but only when he was off a horse!

Mr W.E. ‘Cornie’ Grogan took over as master of the Carlows from 1904 to 1920 and took on the role of huntsman from 1920 to 1936, when Mrs Olive Hall succeeded him as master from 1920 onwards. They were breeders of some outstanding hounds, in particular the stallion hound Godfrey and the white bitch Lively. When the pack was disbanded in the 1960s, it was hunted by the Naas Harriers, until the foundation of the Carlow Farmers Foxhounds in 1979.While much has been written about various members of the Watson hunting family of Carlow, one member, George (1827-1906), educated at Kilkenny College, is often overlooked.

George emigrated to Australia in 1850 at the age of 24 with his girlfriend Sarah Townsend, who he married shortly after they arrived in Melbourne. They travelled out on the clipper the Lord Stanley from Gravesend and he took with him a timber three-bedroom bungalow as accommodation was scarce in Melbourne due to the gold rush. He also brought four couple of Carlow hounds to form the basis of a pack when he got there.

George Watson went on to become the most distinguished Irishman in hunting or racing in Australia. In 1853 he founded the Melbourne Hunt and hunted the pack and remained as master until he died in 1906.

Initially he hunted deer, wild dog, dingo and kangaroo until they imported foxes into Australia in 1864 and started a breeding programme. To build up his pack, he sourced more hounds from his native Carlow, the Island, Duke of Beaufort, and the Fitzwilliam.

He leased Kirk’s Horse Bazaar, the principle horse sales yard located in Bourke Street in Melbourne, and held horse auctions, supplying them to the goldmines, as well as hunters, racehorses, and thousands of remounts to the Indian Army.

He owned, trained and raced his own horses, but was also skilled as a coachman; once driving a coach between Wangaratta to Melbourne, some 150 miles, between sunrise and sunset. He secured the mail contracts to the goldfields of Ballarat and Bendigo, and purchased the coach company Cobb & Co.

Falls out hunting and while racing eventually ended George’s career in the saddle, so his son Godfrey took over as field master of the Melbourne Hunt.

RACING

He was a steward of the old Colonial Jockey and Turf Clubs, and was a founding member of the Victoria Jockey Club in 1856, alongside the Victoria Turf Club that ran race meetings such as the Melbourne Cup.

George was well known as a rider, breeder, owner and administrator and was the official starter of the Melbourne Cup for 33 years. When a large field came under starter’s orders in the Melbourne Cup, he got them away with such efficiency that when he cantered back to the parade ring, the crowds in the stands rose as one and cheered him on.

Another official, Mr MacGeorge, sent him a message on Melbourne Cup Day ‘To the best starter in the world, from a brother official’, so from then he was known as ‘The Prince of Starters’. He saved the present day Caufield Racecourse from being turned into a graveyard, and his racing colours were cerise jacket and black cap. A set of his colours are in the Australian Racing Museum.

His successes in the saddle were on horses like Chisl’em in Melbourne, winning the Queen’s Plate and the Town Plate in 1854. More successes followed with Sultan at Geelong, and on The Doctor, Emerald and Lottery at Victoria and Tasmania. Flying Colours won the Victoria Jockey Club Derby in 1860. His two best hunters and steeplechase horses Blackboy and Rocket won many valuable races.

His son Godfrey was also a talented rider, winning four Hunt Cups, while another son Tom was also a Hunt Cup winner, as well as a starter to Adelaide Jockey Club, and his daughter Blanche was known as one of the most graceful and straightest riders to hounds.

George and his wife Sarah reared two daughters and nine sons. Godfrey succeeded his father as race starter at the Victoria Racing Club, and three more sons, Tom, George and Robert, were also race starters. His son Alfred died as a result of a fall riding Explorer in the Hunters Steeplechase at Monee Valley in 1890.

Meanwhile, the Watson’s equestrian tradition was continued in Ireland by another branch of the family. John Watson won a silver medal for Ireland on Cambridge Blue in the World Championships in Lexington, Kentucky in 1978, while his son Sam represented Ireland at the 2014 World Equestrian Games.