Did the occupants of Hoar Oak Cottage have hobbies? It’s very hard to imagine them having any time for hobbies. Easier to imagine that some of the things we may consider nowadays as hobbies were part of their everyday lives – knitting for example or dipping candles or felt making or growing herbs. However, one thing that is a characteristic of many of the shepherds at Hoar Oak is their huge interest and skill in breeding and training sheepdogs. Certainly, the sheepdog was a part of the sheep farmer’s working life, but it might be said the interest and devotion given to these dogs went beyond simple work. Perhaps, almost a hobby.
The archive is lucky to hold several photographs and digitised copies of certificates and programmes of Exmoor Sheep Dog Trials linked to the Little family and their ‘hobby’ of breeding and trialling sheepdogs. Below is a photo of William Little of Hoar Oak trialling and the front cover of the programme for the 1976 Exmoor Sheep Dog Trials – please get in touch (info@hoaroakcottage.org) if you’d like scans of the entire programme contents.
Thanks to David Little for supporting the Friends of Hoar Oak Cottage and allowing us to make surrogate copies of many of his photos, documents and sheep dog certificates and trial programmes. Dave was a descendant of one of the Scottish shepherds on Exmoor – John Little, and son of William Little who was shepherd at Hoar Oak Cottage in the 1930s.
