By John R. DeBergh Rappahannock News Writer When the

By John R. DeBergh

Rappahannock News Writer

When the English colonists .Settled in America, they brought with them the well known love of foxhunting by Ihe English. I have read that the English fox hound had a rather large frame and fairly heavy. . * In the lowland and not very steep terrain this hound jvas very well adapted. When these hounds tried to negotiate our very steep and rocky mountains they had difficulty Jn negotiating this type terrain.

This difficulty was the reason for the breeding of the American Foxhound. A smaller, compact, very quick hound that could negotiate our steep rocky mountains.

The Rappahannock River Basin was called the cradle of the American Foxhound, including the counties of Culpeper, Fauquier and Rappahannock. Many families contributed to the breeding of the American Foxhound. I will only name a few of the local families that I knew including Colonel Charles Green, the Bywaters, and the Easthams. *

There were many other' families that contributed to this breeding. Of all the families, I think that the Bywaters family contributed the most. Tb own Bywaters hounds was a mark of distinction in the fox hunt world.

I read about the several hunts that pitted the English hounds against the American. The English hounds were competitive in the lowlands, but when the hounds started up our steep, rocky mountains the English hounds could not compete.

The following is a reprint from the Washington Sunday Star, Dec. 9, 1956. It was called Circling the Countryside, Rappahannock Hunt is most hospitable, written by Dolores Phillips.

The Rappahannock Hunt territory, as large or larger than that of any hunts in Virginia, and certainly as rugged, claims to be the cradle of foxhunting in Virginia.

According to John DeBergh, joint-master since 1950 with James W. Fletcher, 1 Col. Charles Green hunted ’ hounds during the Civil War over some of the same hills