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MERL miscellaneous note – 'The following is a summary of some notes taken by Ollie Douglas during an informal meeting with Susan Carter on 7 February 2013 at her place of residence. These notes are in addition to reminiscences to be handwritten by Susan herself and concerning her father and his lifelong involvement in foxhunting. The notes that follow focus largely on the artefacts donated to the Museum and on the accompanying photographs of which digital surrogates have been obtained. The original photographic prints and cutting from which these have been taken will be returned to Susan Carter. // This hunting and riding equipment belonged to the donor’s father, Tommy [Thomas Henry] Bryan (12/10/1922–01/10/1995), who was a keen horseman and huntsman. He was a sheep farmer who specialised in Dorset Horns and farmed at Stanscombe Farm, Askerwell, near Bridport, Dorset. He served as Field Master of the South Dorset Hunt from 1968 to 1981 and as Honorary Secretary of the same Hunt from 1968 until 1994. He married the donor’s mother, [Patricia] Jane Roberts, in 1952. She was also a keen rider. // • Object 1: One hunting jacket or ‘pink coat’, as made for Tommy Bryan and used by him throughout much of his adult hunting career. The jacket features the buttons and distinctive white collar of the South Dorset Hunt. // • Object 2: One hunting cap that belonged to Tommy Bryan and made originally by the well-known hatters Herbert Johnson of London. This cap is of a type that when worn in conjunction with a pink coat was traditionally indicative of the wearer being an official of the hunt. // • Object 3: One pair of hunting boots complete with boot trees. The boot trees are marked ‘L’ and ‘R’ (left and right). The boots have the wide brown upper band or trim characteristic of many hunting boots. They also feature a thin white strap. // • Object 4: Two ‘hacking out’ whips, both of which are missing their end thongs. One or more of these will possibly be returned subject to assessment and consideration. // • Object 5: Three ordinary hunt whips. One or more of these will possibly be returned subject to assessment and consideration. // • Object 6: One ‘showing’ whip or plaited show cane. // • Scan 1: Tommy Bryan astride a horse named Doonigan, circa 1976. Bryan is wearing the hunting jacket, hunting boots, and hunting cap and to his left is Ken herring, the Whipper In of South Dorset Hunt at that time. Susan Carter credits Doonigan with being the horse that led to her re-engaging with riding after a number of years of being less keen (Image © John R Corsan, Russell Cottage, The Knapp, Shaftesbury, Dorset; Ref: SD1/9) // • Scan 2: Tommy Bryan participating in hunt trials, most likely in the mid-1970s and almost certainly wearing the same hunting cap and hunting boots (Image © Mark Fiennes Studios, Motcombe, Shaftesbury, Dorset; Ref: 4/17) // • Scan 3: Tommy Bryan taking a horse named Merganser cub hunting in October 1975. Bryan is holding the ‘showing’ whip or plaited show cane and wearing the same hunting boots and possibly the same hunting cap (Image © Unknown). // • Scan 4: Newspaper cutting, possibly taken from the Western Gazette in circa 1981 or early 1982 and concerned with Tommy Bryan being awarded a decanter in honour of his many years of service as Field Master of the South Dorset Hunt. The image depicts (L-R): Ian Loftus, unknown woman, Tommy Bryan (in foreground, holding decanter), Nugent Kerns, Christopher Lister-Kaye (with beard), and Caroline Kelsey (Image © original publication). // • Scan 5: Tommy Bryan and Jane Bryan (nee Roberts) in circa 1952, the year they married (Image © Regent Photographs, 47 Castle Lane, Winton, Bournemouth; Ref: IE/CROXTON). // • Scan 6: Tommy Bryan with ?Susan Carter at the time of his retirement as Honorary Secretary of the South Dorset Hunt, upon which occasion he was presented with a statue of a fox (Image © John Mennell, Hillside Cottage, Charleton, Horethorne, Sherborne, Dorset). // • Scan 7: Tommy Bryan with his daughter Susan in March 1977 (print is marked on rear 7 March 1977) at Cokers Frome Farm, Dorchester, which lies near to the Dorset County Show showground and belonged to the Mayo family (Image © John R Corsan, Oxford Cottage, Silton, Gillingham, Dorset; Ref: IA/8177/9A) // Notes prepared by Ollie Douglas (8 February 2013)', Set of 7 scanned photographs., Email, Susan Carter to MERL, 10 December 2012 - 'Thank you for making contact concerning my Father's hunting bits and pieces. I would be delighted to donate them to the Museum knowing that they will be well looked after and provide interest for future visitors. // In fact, I am not local - I come from Dorset so we are talking about the South Dorset Hunt. // Please let me know when you would like to meet.', Email, MERL to Susan Carter, 02 January 2013 - 'Dear Susan, // Happy new year. // Many thanks for your last email and apologies for the delay in my responding to it. The run up to Christmas was a bit chaotic! Anyway, I’d be very glad to come and collect the hunting items from you. This would also give me time to gather a few details. Might you be free sometime between 22nd and 25th of this month? I could come across to you early in the afternoon one day. Alternatively, perhaps you might be able to suggest a convenient time or some dates that suit you. // I hope you had a nice Christmas and I wish you all the best for 2013. // Best wishes, // Ollie', Email, Susan Carter to MERL, 06 January 2013 - 'Dear Ollie // I think the best time for us to get together is probably early Feb - which sounds ridiculous but I am away off and on until then. Hope this is OK with you, // Best wishes // Susan', Email, MERL to Susan Carter, 07 January 2013 - 'Dear Susan, // Early Feb suits me just perfectly. I’m currently free on 1st Feb and the entirety of the following week. If any of these days suit you then please me know what day is best and where I should come to and I’ll pop out at a mutually convenient time. I hope the remainder of your January is filled with fun things rather than work! // Best wishes and thanks again, // Ollie', Email, Susan Carter to MERL, 15 January 2013 - 'Shall we say the 7th, in the afternoon sometime? I am out at Streatley.', Email, MERL to Susan Carter, 16 January 2013 - 'Hi Susan, // That sounds perfect. What about I come to you at about 3pm? If that suits please send me your address and telephone so I can find you and so I can ring should anything crop up (or I get hopelessly lost!). // Many thanks and I look forward to seeing you then, // Ollie', Email, Susan Carter to MERL, 16 January 2013 - 'Great, // [...] // See you at 3 pm.', Email, Susan Carter to MERL, 06 February 2013 - 'Ollie, // Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. Have got the items out but am concerned that the hunting boots look a bit uncared for - I havn't been polishing them over the last 15 years. What do you feel about them - I htink they would probably come back - they are in tact with the boot trees etc. // Susan', Email, MERL to Susan Carter, 06 February 2013 - 'Hi Susan, // I am very much looking forward to seeing them and would urge you not to polish the boots at this stage, nor to intervene with the other items. Our conservator Fred van de Geer will know how best to treat things in order to ensure they are safe for future generations. I have little doubt that the boots and other objects will make a fine addition to the collection. // The boots we borrowed for the current temporary exhibition came from the dusty corner of a damp and dank tack room, where they had been left for years. Fred worked wonders with them and I am sure he can conserve and consolidate your items in a sensitive and appropriate fashion. // Looking forward to seeing you at 3pm tomorrow. // Many thanks, // Ollie', Email, MERL to Susan Carter, 08 February 2013 - 'Dear Susan, // Many thanks for yesterday, for your kind hospitality, and for taking the time to provide such detailed information. Just to confirm that I have got this information down more or less correctly might I trouble you to take a look at the attached document and edit/amend as you see fit. If you are still able to provide a more extensive summary of your father’s life in the foxhunting world that would be extremely useful to have on file. // As you will see from the attached PDF, I have now scanned the pictures (including an extra one that was enclosed in one of the frames (see image listed as ‘Scan 6 – is that you with your father? I wasn’t 100% sure). I’ll have to revisit the document as and when we make a final decision about the artefacts. The riding whips/crops are the only things I’m not sure about. We will definitely keep the show cane but I’m unsure about the two hacking out whips and the three hunt whips at this stage. When is Simon next due to be here and I will make sure to have made a decision by then so he can collect the photographs and any artefacts we might not wish to retain? // I spoke to my father and he said that although he didn’t recognise the name of your father or of Rex Lovelace, that there were a few Dorset Horn breeders that sued to come up during that period. He also tells me that the distinguishing feature of the Dorset Horn was that they are one of very few breeds where the season can be easily altered as it is not governed by light conditions but by other factors. As such he said it was possible to obtain three crops of lambs over the course of two years (and theoretically even four crops, though this was pushing it a bit). He said you father would almost certainly have known Kenneth Oliver, who ran the Mart in Hawick and who was himself well connected in the horse breeding and fox hunting world. // [...] // Many thanks again. // Best, // Ollie', Email, Susan Carter to MERL, 12 February 2013 - 'Sorry, Ollie, I havn't replied. All your information was very useful - of the sheep. I am going to print out the bit you have written and amend it and ask Simon to return it to you. // I will put my mind to writing something about his life in hunting, // Thank you // Susan', Email, MERL to Susan Carter, 13 February 2013 - 'Dear Susan, // Thanks for this and I look forward to seeing how much I managed to get right from my scribbled notes! I wish I’d been taught shorthand (and touch typing) but alas such useful skills evade me. No hurry on a description of your father’s life in the hunting world but this would always be welcome if you manage to find the time to do it. // As I explained in the other email to Simon, we have decided to keep the show cane/crop but to return the other whips and crops. The three ordinary examples are very similar to other ones already in the collection and, although the monogram is interesting on one, it is not your father’s initials. As for the hacking out ones, they are, as we discussed, incomplete and therefore difficult to use to represent that kind of artefact. // Many thanks again and if my father has more to add about Dorset Horns and more importantly about your father’s Border connections I’ll let you know. Once he has something like this in mind he is wont to root out some information! We are about to go to Spain with my parents for a week so I’ll interrogate him further about the relative merits of the breed and I suspect I’ll now be privy to the entire history of Hawick mart! // Many thanks again. // Best, // Ollie', Email, Susan Carter to MERL, 14 February 2013 - 'I think you did very well with remembering all the facts. // No problem with returning the whips. Do you think I could cut off the handles and frame them in some way? all together or do you think that would be vandalism!! // Your father sounds a gem with his info - I look forward to hearing what the spanish break comes up with!! Hope you have a great break // Susan'
