The Duke of Wellington at Pau, France

During the Peninsular War, 45,000 British, Spanish and Portuguese infantry and cavalry wintered in the Basque Country awaiting provisions and preparing what they intended to be the final campaign to rout Marshal Soult's troops from the Iberian Peninsula.

Headquarter baggage arrived on March 4 directly from Saint-Jean-de-Luz, including legal and administrative staff, 1,200 animals, spouses, guests, prisoners and Wellington's famous pack of hounds, where they remained until the bridge over the Adour river was repaired.

Fane delivered Wellington's proclamation making Pau's town council responsible for its own security, leaving British troops able to rejoin the campaign.

The most prevalent early versions recount Wellington having established his headquarters along with his stables and pack of hounds at Orthez where, while hunting, the general was ambushed by French hussars and defended himself with a pistol.

In 1956, historian Raymond Ritter shuns the development of the legend in an article celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Pau Golf Club:We would like to say the Pau-Billère course has fabulous origins.

It was there that a historical painting, depicted an adventure of the English [sic] general caught in an ambush and defending himself with a pistol against French hussars, who had interrupted his hunt.

All manner of fun was made of the American who could neither understand nor talk French, and many times I thought the translations given me by young Prince were far from the truth, for the ladies would often break out in gay laughter at my remarks.

The date is unknown; however, it is after the end of the 1888 - 1908 tenure of Henri Faisans as mayor of Pau and probably before the publication the 1917 publication of Arthur Smyth Este, not mentioned in the address: But I hope someone will mention that I was the first Frenchman to be honored with the mastership, and I preserve, precisely the numerous testimonials I received from the Town, the Mayors (then Faisans) and the followers of the Hunt; medals, hunting-horns, silver etc.

The Este versions adds the number of hunters and hounds, flirtations with the young bride of the hotel owner, the chemin de Henri IV and the town of Nay.

[g] The following is a translation of the text added as a preamble to the Valparda article and published in 1917: Firstly, we must go back a full century, when the English fought against us during the Peninsular War in Portugal.

The Duke's quarters were finally fixed at Orthez at the Belle Hôtesse inn, where he rested after the war and received, they say, the favors of the pretty girl of the establishment.

One day, while the adventurous officers, in the course of a hunt, had crossed through Henry IV road and Nay, they were overtaken in the Tarbes plain by a detachment from a regiment of French dragoons, who, at once, took their positions to capture them.

Here, Sir the Duke; mounts with some of his officers and rides off to joint the pack composed of 32 hounds, who are waiting at the city gates not far from the Moncade tour where Gaston Phoebus killed his son.

[14][15]In 1840, Colonel White [sic] and Sir Henry Oxenden and Mr. Cornwall, founded the hunt that exists today... An article with the legend of Wellington appeared in the European Edition of The Chicago Tribune on April 11, 1930, "Pau : Final Hunt Race Attracts Society to Turf at Pau", eliminating flirtations at the hotel, stating Wellington's stables included race horses, changing the town of Nay to "May Heath" and replacing hussars with dragoons:In conclusion, let us quote some interesting remarks written by Baron d'Este on this subject: Fox-Hunting at Pau!

One day, when a party of English officers in the course of a hunt, had followed through the Henry IV wood and May Heath, they were overtaken by a detachment from a regiment of French dragoons, who, at once, took their positions to capture them...

Between two battles: Bayonne and Toulouse, he stayed at the inn of "La Belle Hôtesse", whose beautiful eyes did not leave him indifferent, and pursued the fox through fields of gorse and ferns, woods and banks.

Everyone was preparing to fight, but sporting took hold, meaning the adventure ended with a collective gallop and the capture of the hunted animal at "La Corne de Luquet".

It is up to the psychologists of history to look for in this a precursory reason for the cordiale accord; we find there, in any case, the preface to the extraordinary development of the sport of "Fox Hunting" that is essentially English and has taken hold, in Bearn, a land so French.[18]Col.

The first was an article, published in Country Life magazine in January 1935, "With Frederick Prince at Pau" and the second a chapter of his memoir, Twenty Years as a Military Attaché, with the heading "The Duke of Wellington M.F.H.".

The English and Irish officers who composed the hunt had reached the highway that leads to Nay, when some French hussars out on patrol discovered them and at once made dispositions to capture the lot.

[24] In an article published in a local historical revue, "Pau in 1841-1843, description of a tourist town by two Englishwomen", respected historian Tucoo-Chala, presents and compares the works of two authors; Sarah Stickney Ellis and Louisa Stuart Costello.

[25][26] Early in the article, he wrote a fleeting reference to Wellington in the Pyrenees linked to an album of lithographs published by William Oliver, who was born in 1804.