Duke of Beaufort's Hunt

Hunting with hounds in the area dates back to 1640, primarily deer but also foxes, and was led by the Marquis of Worcester.

In 1762, Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort, decided to focus on foxhunting after an unsuccessful day hunting deer.

Henry Somerset, 10th Duke of Beaufort held the position for 60 years,[1] gaining a reputation as "the greatest fox-hunter of the twentieth century",[2] and was eventually known simply by the nickname, 'Master'.

[3] The hunt country covers a 760 square miles (2,000 km2) area of land between Cirencester and Bath to the north and south and between Malmesbury and Nailsworth to the east and west, although only 500 square miles (1,300 km2) of land was usable by 2013.

[5] In October 2021, the Beaufort sparked widespread revulsion when footage shown on UK television depicted the hunt killing its own dogs by shooting them in the head.