Here's a photo of Gavin Maxwell (1960s Scottish author of 'Ring of Bright' Water fame) and his Deerhound Dirk who I have named my puppy after. Maxwell had two deerhounds, he also had a bitch called Hazel, they were with him when he died on the lonely island of Eilean Ban in 1968. (where they have now planted one foot of the Skye bridge!)
I have always wanted to know what happened to the deerhounds who he clearly adored, or who bred them - does anyone, especially from Scotland, have any ideas?
I am off to Scotland on thursday to the same area where he lived, so may ask around a bit to see what I can find out, although suspect the locals will clam up when an English tourist starts asking too many questions!!

Here's another one of Maxwell and Dirk at Sandaig...Dirk was obviously a big lad!!

cant help but oh my what a big,beautiful,noble looking boy he was

He's a whopper!!! more so in the sitting picture than the one of him standing up, it might be the way the camera is angled.

There's another photo of him with a deerhound on the front cover of Douglas Botting's recent edition of his biography of Maxwell, a more delicate hound so suspect it was Hazel. I have written to three authors who knew and wrote about Maxwell but no answers yet! I guess the hounds must have come from a Scottish breeder in the 1960s so maybe Anastasia Noble? If only she was still here to ask! Who else was breeding that fra back, was there someone called Galbraith? Kenneth someone I think......?

Hello,

Here is link to a picture from the book front cover.

Link: www.nwp.co.uk/UserFiles/I...81897784853.jpg

Best regards
Joerg and Yoki

Trowsahound wrote:


I remember hearing that Gavin Maxwell coursed his hounds, so I've contacted a few people who've been in Deerhounds longer than I have to see if they remember - if I hear anything more, I'll post it asap. As to breeders in Scotland, Miss Noble's the most likely, but there were also Hamish (Coronach) Cambell and Hugh (Orbost) Cambell and possibly Mr Cummings (o' the Pentlands) and the Portsonachan kennel actively breeding around the right time. The Kenneth you're thinking of would be Kenneth Cassels, our Deerhound Club president - he was living and working in Scotland then.

Oh thanks Sid, thats a great help! Yes it was Kenneth Cassels I was thinking of, I have his book with the lovely drawings!
And thanks Joerg and yoki for the link to the book I mentioned, its a lovely cover photo I think.
I shall post anything more I find out!

Progress! Mary Girling has come up trumps for us - here's a link to the pedigree of Luath of Camusfearn - Dirk (Hereward of Enterkine) and Hazel (of Portsonachan) were his parents. kilbournedeerhounds.com/p....php?code=00802

Wow thats a brillaint bit of information Sid! So Maxwell bred them together by the look of it? I didnt know that! (How could they have excluded deerhound puppies from all of those books?!!!)
I dont suppose Mary would know what happened to them in the end, because I believe they outlived him and he didnt have close relatives?

Sorry to be such a totally hopeless deerhound nerd...

Trowsahound wrote:


I'll certainly ask her, but since she's away for a few days from tomorrow, it may take a wee while.

Didn't Terry Nutkins (off the wildlife programmes on BBC) spend a lot of time with Gavin Maxwell? He might know what happened to the hounds.

Trowsahound wrote:




To be honest didn't have a clue who you were talking about so went off for a google ..read that he does still have relatives living today in the area he came from and also read a tribute to him written by a nephew Sir Michael Maxwell of Monreith Bt ..that maybe of no help to you but thought I would mention it..

ring of bright water brings childhood memories of watching films with family ,mind you i can also remember being traumatised when the otter was killed!!!!dont think i could watch it even now!!!!!!

Yes Terry Nutkins has a house in the area, its impossible to get hold of some of these people by phone or anything but I might just try knocking on the door!

Well the only relatives of Maxwell I have heard of were contempories of his so either very old or passed on now. And as for the nephew, I cant find any contact details!

Yes the 1960s film was a pretty sentimental and much edited version of the real book, and infact the real story is much more interesting. But I love his writing and the area where all this happened is spectacular - I had been a fan of his books for a very long time before I discovered he had Deerhounds! That was the icing on the cake!!

i have never read the book and didnt no he had written others(very ignorant ) will have to see if i can find some,wouldnt mind reading them.

And this just in from Marjory McKinnon:

Dirk was Camusfearna Hereward of Enterkine and bitch was Camusfearna Hazel of Portsonachan. They were mated in 1966 - Hazel's third litter. 2 pups;- Luath of Camusfearna (incorrectly Camusfearn on the Kilbourne site) and Fionna of Camusfearna. Luath is behind Sonnet and therefore Enoch so is on everybody's pedigree.
Dirk and Hazel went to Dava.

Hello Sid,

You have a great knowledge.

Respect
Joerg and Yoki

Hey Sid, thats fantastic! Do thank Marjory for that information - but excuse my ignorance - who or what is Dava???

Trowsahound wrote:


Hello Trowsahound,

It give a Dava in the Highlands (???).

I think, Sid can send a answer of your question.


Regards
Joerg and Yoki

My knowledge is all second-hand, Joerg - gained from kind friends just for the asking. Glad to pass it on; we shouldn't forget these things.

Now, Dava. Oh, where to begin. Think of trudging through waist-deep heather on a mild November day, with a Deerhound or two to help you trip over the roots and into a hole and good company to help you back on to your feet. Think of the sheer elation of watching a pair of Deerhounds or Salukis coursing wild hares on their own ground; stretching out and in like elastic scissors and making it look so easy. Think of a wavering line of similarly inclined people and their dogs across the heather moor and a sky the size of Denmark and you're getting close to the joy of coursing on Dava moor.

Dava lies between Forres and Grantown-on-Spey in the hills and we used to have a three day joint meeting with the Salukis, running separate thirty-two dog stakes and finally running the winning Deerhound and the winning Saluki together for the Blanco cup. If a dog won Dava, you could be sure you had a good one; it was a severe test of agility, speed and stamina.