Hunt the Fox VS a Fox Hunt: Regency England Pastimes

In the spirit of this series, “The Hunt,” I would be remiss if I did not discuss Hunt the fox and fox hunts. Thus far, I have talked about the silly and tantalizing game of Hunt the Slipper that was played in the evenings at house parties and was a hit among those on the marriage mart. I have also discussed it’s counterpart Hunt the Whistle which was a similarly played game except that the lady in the middle was actually the butt of the joke of the other guests. Both of the previous games were played by adults and children, but what of Hunt the Fox? Well, Hunt the Fox was more exclusive to children. It was a game of hide and seek of sorts. However, there was an adult version of it.

In this blog post, I will be talking about both versions of this fox-related game.

What was Hunt the Fox?

Hunt the Fox was a game played by children. It was a game in which the “fox” or one of the children was given the role of hider. The child could go a certain distance from the rest of the group to hide on the estate. It wasn’t unlimited. Then the other children had to find him. So it was a game similar to hide and seek, except that there was one hider and the rest of the children were seekers.

What was a Fox Hunt?

While Hunt the Fox was not played by adults, fox hunts were quite popular. Hunting parties would be armed with guns and typically on horseback. They would ride out to hun an actual fox or other animal. Sometimes, the Fox was released into the area, while other times, it was just an area with a lot of foxes. The men and sometimes women who accompanied them would ride out and hunt the animal. They had fox-hunting dogs as well. This was a hunt to kill game.

Children at House Parties

Children and adults attended house parties. Some were family gatherings, others were part of the marriage mart festivities for people in search of a spouse. Both groups, adults and children, needed entertainment. Both groups would play games. However, Hunt the Fox was most exclusively a children’s game, while Fox hunting was a hunting trip for adults that could even last a few days.

Conclusion

The regency era had a variety of pastimes different from what we have today. With all the screens and entertainment we currently have, many of these old games have been phased out. However, it is nice to learn about them if you are an author of this era, so that you can incorporate them into your writing for a bit of fun. It is also nice for readers of the genre to read about them to learn more about the history of the era.

Hunt the Fox was a fun little twist on hide and seek. It was a children’s game that could be played outside during the day at a house party where children were present.