I’ve had interesting conversations with locals living near grouse moors in the north of England recently about payments, living conditions and employment contracts of both beaters and ‘keepers on some famous grouse moors in the north of England. Some of these stories involve foreign workers.
I wouldn’t take any of these tales at face value without corroboration but I wouldn’t rule them out either. They aren’t exactly on a par with Leicester garment factories but…
Any information would be interesting ahead of the Inglorious 12th – perhaps for forwarding to journalists who are also sniffing around. Any information will be treated with discretion. Email [email protected]
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I used to beat regularly on 3 grouse moors between 1988- 95 and several other moors occasionally but that was a long time ago. The only foreigners I ever came across beating were Americans from Menwith Hill on one moor but that stopped after one of them collapsed and had to be airlifted to Harrogate Hospital with exhaustion, and dehydration!
I did come across Austrians and Italians shooting, not the safest of guns despite a safety lecture before the first drive, including no shooting in front after the whistle. Had it not been for a fast acting loader knocking the gun up as the trigger was pulled I would probably have been shot by an Italian and the Austrian shot where I had been stood momentarily before but I had anticipated it and hit the deck.
I did along with the other occupants once have to vacate (temporarily) a Landrover on the way to a shoot because dogs fed on a largely tripe diet develop terrible wind!
One did here some terrible things in the lunch hut that usually found their way to Investigations.
Recall that beaters on shoots also used to get cash in hand tips so it will be fascinating to learn if any estates do issue any kind of employment contract. If not then why not and how do they account for claims of local employment?
Cash in hand pay in my day started at around £12-15 a day and was £20-25 when I stopped. The only tips I ever got were a brace of grouse (twice), brace of rabbits ( dog killed) and Hare. I/m not that keen on grouse and don’t like Hare. There were estates and times when they wanted a list of beaters paid I think for tax purposes but it was and may still be black economy money so nobody signed with their real name or address by and large, there were an awful lot of “J Smith” and M Mouse, I once signed as C Windsor and on another occasion as G Grosvenor. Most beaters were under-keepers, keepers offspring or local farmers sons and occasionally daughters. It was hard work, either too hot or in awful weather but generally good fun except for the head-keeper in charge and they always seemed stressed and thus bad tempered.
If the H & S rules that the rest of society have to follow were enforced, the whole thing would be shut down. I’ ve known kids lose their direction and get lost in drives, folk suffer from near exhaustion/dehydration (and although the Guns get plenty liquid refreshments for walking mere 50yds to the Butt, most Estates don’t give anything to beaters until lunch) and of course really seasoned beaters and especially flankers will all have tales of being pelleted. Some welcomed it, as they often got a nice bung of cash or other generous gift by way of aplology. I’d like to see the Risk Matrix for that!