Tarporley Hunt Club
The Tarporley Hunt Club is a traditional hunting club in Tarporley, Cheshire, England. It was founded in 1762, making it the oldest surviving hunt club in England. The club’s stories were celebrated in Rowland Egerton-Warburton’s Hunting Songs. It also ran the Tarporley Races, a horse meeting, from 1776 to 1939. HRH The Prince of Wales has been the club’s patron since 1980.
Founding and early years: Nine founders included Reverend Obadiah Lane (first president), John Crewe, Booth Grey, Robert Salusbury Cotton and George Wilbraham. The first hunt took place on 14 November 1762. The club met twice a year at Tarporley, with hunts largely in Delamere Forest. It began with hare coursing and soon focused on fox hunting. Membership grew from 20 to 40 over the years. The Swan Hotel became the club’s HQ from 1769. Early rules even mentioned drinking after meals and dress codes, and the red coat replaced the earlier attire in 1770; today members wear green collars.
The club used Cheshire’s first foxhound pack, led by John Smith-Barry. One famous hound was Blue Cap. After Barry’s death, the hunt used a pack kept by Sir Peter Warburton, later known as the Cheshire Hounds. The Egerton, Cholmondeley and Grosvenor families were among early members. Rowland Egerton-Warburton, president in 1838, wrote Hunting Songs and a club history.
Tarporley Races moved around after 1812, finally settling at Arderne Estate for a permanent course. The races drew big crowds, but stopped in 1939 and ended in 1963. Today the club still meets twice a year mainly as a social/dining club and sponsors a cup at Bangor-on-Dee. The Prince of Wales has been patron since 1980.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 15:32 (CET).