More than just a stick of wood in the hand

For as long as there has been complex society, people have used walking sticks for support, protection, status and ceremony. The stick continues to be a crutch in myriad rural pursuits and the art of their production is a cottage industry that has stood the test of time. There is strong evidence of the use of walking sticks in prehistory, through antiquity, Egyptian times, the middle ages and into the modern day. 

My early experiences of being taken to the game fairs at Ragley or Blenheim are dominated by memories of lingering over all of the independent stick making stands. The hand-made sticks are so deeply tactile that looking was never enough. You have to remove the stick from its stand and run your hands over the grain of the wood or the pearling of the antler used in its handle to fully appreciate its beauty and workmanship. 

As a youth, and in fact as a somewhat grown up, whenever I spy a stick vendor, no matter whether I have a serious intention to buy or not, I must still take the stick for a test drive of a few paces. If the handle is a Y shape like Dennis the Menace’s catapult, then the stick’s cleft must be sampled with both forefinger and thumb for smoothness and comfort. Despite owning an umbrella stand ful of sticks, there is always enquiry with the seller as to how tall a stick should be and what material is best. 

Badgering 

As a child, I would often beg my parents to buy me a stick at the Moy or Scone game fairs and they would occasionally give in to my vigorous campaigning. At home the stand in the hall still bears many of the dark Soay horn handled crooks that bear testimony to my extended badgering. 

My favourites were the crooks where the curled tip of the ram horn handle was embellished with a brown trout tail, thistle or pheasant head. These works of art were likely not intended for hard beating work by overzealous adolescents, and if ever I cracked one of the finer details of the handle during a day thrashing through undergrowth or tapping perimeter fences, I would be in a thunderous mood for the remainder of the day. 

My brother and I once convinced our parents that we needed matching sticks that had whistles built into the handles. These items were quickly confiscated when it became apparent that any walk or shoot day when we were so armed, would devolve into an extended, incessant and unimaginably irritating whistling competition between the two of us. 

My grandfather, a retired colonel in the Parachute Regiment, was involved in running the shoot on Salisbury Plain for many years and also took to stick production as a hobby in retirement. He would proudly show me the rows of arrow straight sticks that he had cut and left to dry for a couple of years in his shed. Every now and again I would be presented with a homemade stick as a birthday or Christmas present that might have my name scorched into the handle and a 12-bore cartridge wedged onto the bottom in place of a ferrule. 

I ask the managing director of Classic Canes, Charlotte Gillan, why a high quality traditionally crafted country stick is worth investing in. Charlotte tells me that a country walking stick is about so much more than aiding balance, it is “an individual style statement that also reflects a person’s character and interests.” Charlotte explains that the sticks that Classic Canes sell can last for decades if not longer and often become much-loved heirlooms. 

Stick selection, she tells me, is an intensely personal decision: “A hiking staff is a popular choice for beating, whilst a thumb stick with a natural ‘V’ in the handle, in which to rest the thumb, is a popular choice for followers of fieldsports. A shepherd’s crook or natural horn crook is also a popular choice and makes a special present for country folk.” 

A stick’s quality is not just limited to the crafters’ wood working skills and the finish they can achieve, it is also a testament to the traditional forestry skills required to grow and select the wood in the first place. In an age where mass production is reaching new heights, supporting traditional skills that result in truly unique products is more important than ever. 

A country stick is generally made from a single shoot of wood and these are usually best produced through the centuries-old technique of coppicing. This involves cutting the parent tree down to just above ground height, or shoulder height if there is a hungry deer population ready to eat the resultant shoots. After three or four years’ regrowth, the shoots that have sprouted from the stump are the correct diameter to be harvested and made into walking sticks. This process can then be sustainably undertaken over and over again. 

Charlotte shares that the woods that they most often use in traditional stick making are British hardwoods such as hazel, chestnut, ash and blackthorn. They each have their own character; from the shimmering highlights of hazel bark to the glorious knobbly appearance of blackthorn with its distinctive reddish-black colour. Blackthorn sticks in the form of the walking stick-come-cudgel, known as the shillelagh, have even come to represent Irish patriotism and are used ceremonially across the British and American armies. They are yet another reminder of the symbolic importance of the humble walking stick. 

British hardwoods are robust and provide a visually pleasing contrast with antler or bone handles. Charlotte finishes by saying: “The creativity of amateur and professional stick makers alike is astounding. Go to any game fair and you will see trade stands of lovingly produced sticks featuring bird and animal heads, natural spirals where a creeper has twisted the shape of the stick and beautifully-dressed horn. It is wonderful that so many people continue to enjoy this ancient hobby” 

Rachel Elizabeth Harris, a designer at Westley Richards, also speaks of the importance of stick making as a connection with rural history: “Stick making like many forms of heritage and artistic craftsmanship in the UK is one way to connect with the distinguished artisans of the past. These unique industries and the products that they produce are revered worldwide.” 

Westley Richards manufactures each one of its incredible range of life-like designs by hand so no two sticks are the same. Westley Richards also uses a lot of hazel as Rachel says it enables the firm to carve amazing and intricate designs and gives a beautiful sheen when finished. The brand was recently asked to make a Chinese water deer topped stick and Rachel explains that the process of developing new ceramic materials to use for canine fangs proved that despite the ancient nature of this particular industry it still fosters a spirit of innovation. 

Functional 

Ash Shaw, the director of Fine Shooting Accessories, says: “Sticks are typically a personal item, be it something handed down by a family member, a gift or an impulse buy that will remain with you for many seasons to come. They are more accessible than a best gun but still functional, and they celebrate the game that they portray.” 

The variety in skill sets of stick carvers is as great as in any artistic field and it can take a while to find a craftsman of an appropriate skill level to represent a brand. Ash tells me: “For us it has taken years to find one maker, the maker, that in our eyes stands out and delivers a product that is more akin to artwork than simply a stick. Like art, gunmaking, and leatherwork, the best sticks are a celebration of a rare craft and skill set that isn’t easily replicated.” 

Ash concludes: “The variation and individuality that come from a hand-crafted piece can’t be replicated. We could create stick tops using 3D printing or CNC carves, but there would be no soul in products like that and they would be less worthy of interest or admiration.” 

Craft nature 

Even within larger companies that manufacture shooting sticks, like Purdey and Farlows, the craft nature of the industry has not been forgotten. Farlows produces an astounding array of sticks topped with hawthorn woodcock and hares, ash mallards and beech partridge. Meanwhile, Purdey still has its sticks made at a cottage scale by master craftsman Robery McKergan in his garage-come-workshop over in Portstewart in County Londonderry. 

In the Smithsonian museum, there sits the crabtree cane that Benjamin Franklin left to George Washington with a letter addressed “To my friend, and the friend of mankind.” This serves as a further reminder of the social significance of walking sticks of all shapes and sizes. Country and shooting sticks are as relevant today as they ever have been. Their practical utility remains undiminished, they make wonderful gifts and represent a meaningful link to a pre-industrial time. Long may their enduring popularity continue.