The object of this article is not to glorify pest control, but to give an insight into village life, both past and present. As someone who was born in Castor and has lived here all my life, I care passionately about the two villages and the village way of life. I also believe that this way of life must be recorded for future generations to enjoy.
At the time of night when most people are thinking about switching the TV off and going to bed a small group of Castor people are about to go into the fields to keep alive a traditional and, to most people, unknown form of rabbit control.
The Art of Longnetting
Mark Smith with the net
The Longnet was widely used in Victorian times to catch large numbers of rabbits in a single sweep of a field. Rabbits caught in this way would command the very best prices at market as they were clean and unshot.
The Longnet was a favourite tool of the poacher. A good team of netters could set out 100 yards of net in under 4 minutes and maybe catch 40 or more rabbits if they were lucky. They may have set the net at three or four different locations in a single night - some may not have been successful but others may have yielded enough rabbits to make the night worthwhile. Two or three nights longnetting a week with good results would have boosted a poacher's income considerably.
It was not uncommon for rival netting gangs to be working the same areas. When this happened it usually meant trouble - at worst a fight would break out, but more often the nets would be stolen putting one gang out of action for a while.
Longnets usually come in sizes of 25, 50 and 100 yards. In Victorian times they were made from hemp. Today's nets are usually made from nylon, the diamond mesh being favoured by most. It is large enough for a rabbit's head to go through, but difficult for it to remove it. There are two lines which run the length of the net - known as the headline and the footline. At each end would be an anchor pin. The net is held up by hazel pegs about 2'6" in length and positioned every ten yards. The object of longnetting is to set the net in front of a warren or at the side of a wood where it is known there is a large rabbit population. It is only done at night.
The best night for this is one which is dark and blustery with a little light rain. Moonlit nights are no good as the quarry will undoubtedly spot you and the net. The wind must be blowing towards the warren so that the rabbits will not detect the human scent. Once everything is in place the netters walk up the side of the field into the wind to a pre-determined spot, then spread out across the field and back towards the net and warren making enough noise so that the rabbits out feeding will instinctively run back towards the warren and into the net. That is the theory!!! It doesn't always go according to plan. Sometimes the rabbits may not be out feeding at that particular time.
Mick Beeson removing a rabbit from the net
One of the most memorable
nights netting for myself and the other members of the Castor Longnetters
was on 8th August 1997 at a location close to Castor where we were asked to
reduce the rabbit population. We were on the third set of the night, the first
two only producing seven rabbits between them. We quietly set the net about
15 yards in front of the warren. Once ready, and with voices at a whisper,
we moved out into the field. Kevin and Steven moved up the left side of the
field, Mick and myself up the right.At about 400 yards we started to turn
across and back towards the net, spread out at 50 yard intervals. We began
to make a noise to force the rabbits home. As we approached we could hear
the rabbits in the net. How many? Three? Maybe 4? Or would this be the big
catch which we had been waiting for? At 20 yards the excitement was overwhelming.
As we moved along the net it was soon apparent that this was a good set. In
the first 20 yards we had 5, then 6, 7, 8 and onwards - 14, 15, 16, - 17 in
total!! After removing them from the net we decided that was enough for the
night as it was about 3.15 a.m.
Mark Smith, Mick Beeson, Kevin Conkey, Steven Conkey
The Castor Longnetters after a good night
We collected our bikes from the bushes where they were hidden and with the rabbits and netting equipment hanging from them we made our way back to Castor. We slipped back into the village like a commando raiding party returning from a mission. With the streets void of man and machine there was a ghostly silence. We passed St Kyneburgha's Church, standing there in all her splendour like a wise old owl keeping watch over us all. I often wonder if only she could speak what stories she would tell from centuries past. Maybe the Cavaliers and Roundheads fought in the meadows, the sight of Kings and Queens passing this way en route to the Cathedral. The building of the railway. The men and women going off to fight in countless wars - never to return. But tonight she is witness to the return of the Longnetter.
In four nights of netting that August we accounted for 92 rabbits. The warren will soon recover and their numbers increase - when it does - you can guarantee we will be back. Longnetting was all but forgotten after myxomatosis was introduced into the wild rabbit population in the early 1950's. This terrible disease killed 99% of the population.
Some people would say there is no place in the modern way of life for old traditions like longnetting - it should be be confined to the history books. Why do I do it? The reason - because I enjoy it! I enjoy it in the same way that somebody enjoys driving their classic car or renovating their old cottage. We are all helping to keep a small piece of history alive. But for me maybe it is something in my genes that I've inherited from my Romany ancestry - who knows?
So the next time you switch off the TV before you go to bed, take a look outside and if it is a dark blustery night, spare a thought for the Longnetters of Castor.