Falconers - picture by Russian Artist Stepan Fedorovich Kolesnikoff (1879-1955)
Set of posttamps of the UAE in 1965

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Welcome to the Falconry Heritage Trust Website

The Falconry Heritage Trust:

  • Free access to all through the Internet
  • Working with the world's falconry clubs through the International Association for Falconry
  • Supporting regional archives of falconry artefacts
  • Ensuring that irreplaceable items and records are not lost
  • Linking falconers in 83 countries.

 

Panel from Indiana Falconers' Association
Panel from Indiana Falconers' Association

Aims:

  • An information hub for world falconry, conservation and breeding
  • Ensuring a good image for world falconry
  • Promoting access to physical archives
  • Linking all physical archives and promoting access
  • Providing source material for the media.

How does it work?

  • Artefacts can be physically gifted to the Trust
  • Alternatively they may remain with the owners or their heirs, but are recorded by the Trust, copied or photographed for posterity
  • Artefacts may be gifted to the Trust on death of the owner
  • The website is the sole method of accessing the archive
  • Physical access may be available at the discretion of the trustees, and the owner
  • Items are added regionally through a committee of editors
  • Access to the Falconry Heritage Trust website is free but downloading of archive material may attract a usage charge or subscription.

What is on the Trust website?

  • Historical material - manuscripts, texts, art
  • Images of physical items - hoods, bells, gloves etc
  • Photo archive
  • Film archive including video-interviews with the most famous, experienced and old falconers
  • Law archive
  • Educational material for modern falconry

The Falconry Heritage Trust provides links to items in independent collections such as:

  • National and regional falconry clubs
  • Other national collections
  • Academics
  • Private collectors.

Grants and Scholarships

The Falconry Heritage Trust is inviting applications for grants and scholarships. Please download and complete the Application Form, and email to fht@falcons.co.uk.

More details are in News section.

Company registration number: 05401103; Registered Charity Number 1125033

FAQs

The FHT is principally an online archive of items in public and private collections around the world. The majority of the artefacts shown will therefore not be stored in one central location. However, the Trust will store details of the geographical whereabouts of each item and so it may be possible to arrange physical access at the discretion of the FHT Trustees and the owner, or alternately to forward details of public collections where items may be physically accessible by agreement with them.

The Falconry Heritage Trust is primarily concerned with protecting cultural heritage for future generations. However, in the UK there are a number of clubs that can give you more information about the modern sport of falconry and, if appropriate, guide you along the route to becoming a falconer. Visit the Hawk Board and Campaign for Falconry website at http://www.hawkboard-cff.org.uk for a list of UK falconry clubs and further information about the sport including guidelines on keeping birds of prey. Most other countries where falconry is practiced have their own falconry organisations and legislation relating to the sport.

By forging links between interested parties, the FHT will ensure that artefacts including oral and documentary information, images and physical objects relevant to falconry are identified, located and recorded so that they can never become lost. Artefacts will be accessible to falconers and others through an electronic archive so that, wherever they are located, all are able to enjoy them.

We hope that, ultimately, our online archive will be the first port of call for anyone researching falconry's history. It should allow academic researchers to access a wealth of documents and images about the sport through one portal. One of the major strengths of our archive is that it facilitates searches for information based on country of origin, historical period, species of hawk, type of artefact or a combination of these. Therefore, someone wishing to research seventeenth century Japanese falconry furniture, for instance, will be able to narrow down their search for information. In addition, access to the archive for academic researchers will, in most cases, be free of charge and will greatly reduce the time and travelling research might otherwise involve.

The Falconry Heritage Trust is dedicated to conserving falconry's cultural heritage. It aims to link the international falconry community, national archives and collections, private collectors and academics to ensure that items and information related to the sport's global history are protected for future generations.

Access to the Falconry Heritage Trust website will be free of charge. However, a number of important considerations will govern individual cases where downloading and using archive material is concerned. It may be possible to use items where the FHT holds copyright in return for a fee which the Trust will put back into its maintenance purposes. Items which are out of copyright may still attract a usage charge or subscription where they appear on the FHT archive but physically belong to other collections. Please contact us for advice on individual requirements.

About Us

The FHT aims to establish a portal for the world's falconers and other interested parties to access aspects of the sport's rich heritage by linking existing physical archives, including international private and public collections, through the medium of an electronic archive. This archive features falconry furniture, works of art, books, correspondence from leading falconers and film and photographic material for the education and interest of falconer and scholar alike. We hope that, whatever your background or interest in our sport, you may find something of value through our archive to deepen your knowledge, understanding and passion for falconry and will help us, through your support, to preserve this precious cultural heritage for future generations.

Write To Us

Falconry Heritage Trust
P.O.Box 19
Carmarthen,
SA33 5YL
UK

Speak To Us

Phone: within the UK (01267) 233864
and from abroad +44 1267 233864
Fax: within the UK (01267) 233864

Contact Us