Behind-The-Scenes, Tribute and Bibliography: The Story of How Seatoller and the Trevelyan Manhunt Came to Fruition

All good journalism is rigorous: finding the “inside scoop” on a story nobody else can tell. In the case of the Trevelyan Manhunt, here was a private event that had thrived outside the public eye. How could a historian profile a hunt without showcasing its hunting grounds?

Most publications intentionally obscured the hunt’s location, as it was clear that this was not an event that everyone had access to. Coincidentally, other information concerning Seatoller House, the fells, the Lake District, and the Trevelyan family legacy was richly detailed and accessible, orbiting outside the manhunt story.

The reconciliation of these discoveries was a real challenge.

Seatoller House is a terrific destination for those seeking a quiet getaway in the Lake District — it just so happens to host a harrowing, exciting event once a year — an event which makes for thrilling historical storytelling.

The solution: everything written about the hunt came only from what could be confirmed publicly (bibliographical links are included below). In fact, the various portions of the story discovered in snippits made it more compelling to tell in its totality. Connecting the dots, in this case, was a critical undertaking in accuracy and authenticity.

Others attempting to write of the manhunt spoke of how the “trail went dead…Cloak and dagger, word-of-mouth stuff.” As an outsider, it was felt that if the story of the Trevelyan Manhunt could be told authentically, it might finally become relatable. The intent was to inspire readers, so that someone might be motivated to implement their own local manhunt and share the results, or (at the bare minimum) inject a bit more enthusiasm in their own off-road running.

But in practice, the Trevelyan Manhunt needed to remain private. The story was important to memorialize, while the event required exclusivity and preservation.

The stories shared were already fantastic. Alice Thomson’s article was first uncovered while gathering sources for “The Complete History of Cross-Country Running” years ago. Reading her account of this extreme, fringe version of hare and hounds was intriguing. Delving deeper spurred the task of sourcing the “original” conversation about it — locating why these brave souls chartered this course in 1898. Further, the sheer audacity of a manhunt in the fells sparked the imagination: who could take such a simple concept and apply it for so long with such a threshold of risk?

What was discovered in the process highlighted why so many love cross-country running. It emphasized the immediate appeal of being outdoors with friends — the thrill, the risk, and the sense of camaraderie. It resonated with those who may have hesitated to join a cross-country team, unsure of their abilities or social status: learning that a close-knit group of friends and family engaged in a lighthearted, multi-day fell running hide-and-seek chase was enviable. It proved that running was more than just event times or global rankings; it was about the enriching opportunity to join like-minded individuals in enjoying the outdoors. What more “ennobling” contest could there be when every participant contributed to the hunt?

In conclusion, the location might be secretive and the event inaccessible to most, but the thesis of the subject was invaluable — perhaps even motivational— and that made it all worthwhile.

Source Bibliography (in order of appearance in the story):

Stevenson, Robert Louis. “Kidnapped” Harper and Brothers. (1886)

• All the quotes from “Kidnapped” that appear in the article were from the original source.

Defoe, Daniel. “A Tour Thro’ the Whole Island of Great Britain” G. Strahan, London. (1724)

• Daniel Defoe’s tome in his tour of Great Britain was one of the earliest sources defining the fells.

Wordsworth, William. “A Guide to the Lakes” Henry Frowde, London. (1906)

• A popular and important work that led to the popularization of the Lake District.

Wordsworth, William. “The Brothers” London. (1800)

• “The Brothers” is a lengthy poem utilizing the setting of Ennerdale, within the Lake District.

Wordsworth, William. “Yew-Trees” London. (1815)

• Wordsworth’s “Yew-Trees” takes place in Borrowdale, the primary county that includes Seatoller House.

Askwith, Richard. “Feet in the Clouds” Aurum Press, London. (2004) [pages 1, 11, and 12]

• Askwith’s seminal history of fell running investigates some of the most popular races and characters in the sport’s history. In this article, it informed running in the fells.

Taylor, Hugh. “The History of High House as a Building, and of its Occupants” (September, 2023)

• Hugh Taylor documented the history of “High House” a notable landmark for fell runners in the Lake District. His description included the history of Seathwaite (with its Scandinavian roots), a hamlet in close proximity to Seatoller.

Seatoller House. “Seatoller” (January, 2024)

• The staff at Seatoller documented the history of the area and building on the guest-house’s website.

Askwith, Richard. “Running Free” Yellow Jersey Press, Great Britain. (2014) [pages 365–391]

• This book by Askwith includes a lengthy chapter on his experience with the Trevelyan Manhunt, of which he was able to participate in 2013.

Hankinson, Alan. “Geoffrey Winthrop Young” Hodder and Stoughton, London. (1995) [pages 46, 47, 97, and 98]

• Hankinson’s biography of Geoffrey Winthrop Young included source material about the origin of the discussion for the manhunt, and for the quotes on the tenth anniversary of the event.

McDonald, Pete. “The Story of White Hall Centre” New Zealand. (2018) [pages 346–347]

• Pete McDonald gave credit to Hankinson’s work in describing Geoffrey Young’s contributions to the manhunt, his meeting with Major-General Robert Baden-Powell, and of his “roof climbing”.

Thomson, Alice. “Manhunt on the Fells” The Daily Telegraph. (June 27, 1998) [page 12]

• Alice Thomson details her experiences with the Trevelyan Manhunt under two occasions when she participated directly, writing for the Daily Telegraph in 1998.

Richardson, Pen. “Sidney McDougall” University of Manchester War Memorial, Main Quadrangle. (2010) [Helles Memorial, panel 158 to 170]

• Pen Richardson presented a short biography of Sidney McDougall in conjunction with memorializing soldiers who lost their lives fighting in World War I.

Young, Geoffrey Winthrop. “The Grace of Forgetting” Country Life, London. (1953) [pages 27 and 28]

• Geoffrey Young’s autobiography included an aside about his meeting with Major-General Robert Baden-Powell in 1901.

Young, Geoffrey Winthrop. “Mountain Craft” Methuen, London. (1945)

• Geoffrey Young’s book on mountaineering includes a dedication to Sidney McDougall, his “gallant comrade.”

Eulogy by Staff. “George Macaulay Trevelyan, 1876–1962” History Today, Volume 12, Issue 9. (September, 1962)

• The staff at History Today had direct experiences with G.M. Trevelyan that they eulogized in 1962 when they wrote of his passing in their editorial.

Trevelyan, George Macaulay “An Autobiography and Other Essays” Longmans, Green, London. (1949) [page 15]

• G.M. Trevelyan’s own autobiography informed his thoughts about founding the manhunt and of his friendship with Geoffrey Young.

Farrer, Frances. “Sir George Trevelyan: And The New Spiritual Awakening” Floris Books, Edinburgh. (2002)

• Frances Farrer included a blurb from the centennial of the event that detailed an experience that a hound had in pursuit of George Trevelyan, son of Charles, and nephew of G.M. Trevelyan.

Barrett, Richard. “Cycling in the Lake District” Cicerone Press. (2016)

• In Richard Barrett’s nuanced guide to cycling in the Lake District, small sections enlighten the reader of local history (including a section on the manhunt). It’s here that the original format of the game is described, depicting two groups of hares deposited in separate locations in the park and their need to reconvene before being captured.

Greenbank, Tony. “Rural Affairs” The Guardian. (June 8, 2008)

• Tony Greenbank directly participated in the hunt of 2008 and wrote about his experience for The Guardian newspaper.

Orgill, Roger. “George and His Influence on Outdoor Adventure” Sir George Trevelyan: Close Encounters. (July, 2001)

• Roger Orgill informs us about his experience with the hunt as a pupil of George Trevelyan, including the sing-song challenge following the chase.

Clancy, Sharon. “Sir George Trevelyan, Residential Adult Education and the New Age” Springer International Publishing. (2023) [page 210]

• Clancy’s book references William Beveridge’s autobiography, which describes his experience with the manhunt.

Photos:

Newcastle University Special Collections: “Page Turners: Trevelyan Family Albums” Volumes 6–11

• Newcastle University has scanned and made public the “Trevelyan Family Albums” as part of their special collection. Meticulously cataloged year-to-year, these scrapbooks have numerous photographs of the hunt from the early 20th century, in addition to the “Hunt Dinner” which was held a week or two after the event at Seatoller. Most of the photos and pamphlets came directly from Charles Trevelyan and other family members.

Other pictures, including the black and white pen and ink drawings and the “hunt artifacts” were generated using Artificial Intelligence (OpenAI’s DALL-E).

Photos of Seatoller and of the fells were provided by creative common uploads.

This article has been released in conjunction with Pursuit! What Can Be Learned From a Manhunt on the Fells? released in January, 2024.