Phillip Edward Brougham Glasier (22 December 1915 – 11 September 2000) was Britain's leading expert on hawking and
falconry
Falconry is the hunting of wild animals in their natural state and habitat by means of a trained bird of prey. Small animals are hunted; squirrels and rabbits often fall prey to these birds. Two traditional terms are used to describe a person ...
. Glasier initiated a new interest in falconry in both the UK and the United States of America. He spent much of his life involved with the conservation and breeding of
raptors and bringing them to public attention through the foundation of the Falconry Centre (now the
International Centre for Birds of Prey
The International Centre for Birds of Prey, formerly the National Birds of Prey Centre, in the United Kingdom houses a large collection of birds of prey with over 60 species of owls, eagles and hawks. It works towards the conservation of birds o ...
),
Newent
Newent (; originally called "Noent") is a market town and civil parish about 10½ miles (17 km) north-west of Gloucester, England. Its population was 5,073 at the 2001 census, rising to 5,207 in 2011, The population was 6,777 at the 2021 Census. ...
, Gloucestershire, as well as through books, lectures and public demonstrations. He founded the Hawk Trust (now the Hawk and Owl Trust) with John Burkett and the Raptor Breeders' Association.
[ Daily Telegraph , ](_blank)
/ref>[As The Falcon Her Bells, Phillip Glasier, Futura Publications Ltd., London. 1978, .]
Early life
Glasier was born in Southfields
Southfields is a district of inner London located within the London Borough of Wandsworth, England, 5.6 miles (9 km) south-west of Charing Cross. Southfields is mainly residential, historically a part of Wandsworth itself, and is divided b ...
in south-west London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, where his father was a land agent. Around 1920 the family moved to Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
and later to Suffolk
Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...
where he spent his childhood. A great influence on his life at that time was a step-uncle, Captain Charles Knight, a respected ornithologist and falconer who encouraged the young Glasier's interest in nature and wildlife. Charles Knight lived a short distance from Glasier's home outside Sevenoaks. As a child and teenager Glasier spent much time with his uncle learning about wildlife and in particular birds of prey. With his cousin, the actor Esmond Knight
Esmond Penington Knight (4 May 1906 – 23 February 1987) was an English actor. He had a successful stage and film career before World War II. For much of his later career Knight was half-blind. He had been badly wounded in 1941 while on active ...
, he took part in a number of amateur films made by Charles Knight. Such was his skill at handling birds that when his uncle went away on an expedition he left his young nephew in charge of an African hawk-eagle
The African hawk-eagle (''Aquila spilogaster'') is a large bird of prey. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family ''Accipitridae''. This species’ feathered legs mark it as a member of the Aquilinae subfamily.Lerner, H., Christidis, L., Gamauf, ...
.
On leaving school Glasier went to work in his father's land agency business.
[New York Times](_blank)
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Second World War
During WWII Glasier was an instructor in the Royal Armoured Corp. He was stationed initially at Bovington Camp in Dorset, and while waiting for a commission he became an instructor for arms and then tanks. He finally went to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town of ...
as a gunnery instructor. Glasier was demobilised in 1950 after 6 years' service.
Middle years
His father had died during his period of military service and he was unable to return to his former employment. He set up as a press photographer in London but found it unsatisfactory and moved to Salisbury, where he set up a photography shop specialising in bird photographs. At this time Peter Scott
Sir Peter Markham Scott, (14 September 1909 – 29 August 1989) was a British ornithologist, conservationist, painter, naval officer, broadcaster and sportsman. The only child of Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott, he took an interest in ...
was starting the Severn Wildfowl Trust (now the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) is an international wildfowl and wetland conservation charity in the United Kingdom. Its patron is Charles III, and its president is Kate Humble.
History
The WWT was founded in 1946 by the ornithologist a ...
) and Glasier sent him a photograph of a mallard
The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...
, hoping that Scott might buy it. He not only bought it but commissioned Glasier to take more photographs at the Wildfowl Trust, something he did on annual visits.
In 1953 Glasier took a minor part as the 'Royal Falconer' in a film called ''The Sword and the Rose
''The Sword and the Rose'' is a family/adventure film produced by Perce Pearce and Walt Disney and directed by Ken Annakin. The film features the story of Mary Tudor, a younger sister of Henry VIII of England.
Based on the 1898 novel '' When Kn ...
''. His role involved flying falcons to add authenticity to the drama.[IMDB](_blank)
/ref> This film starred James Robertson Justice
James Robertson Justice (15 June 1907 – 2 July 1975) was a British actor. He is best remembered for portraying pompous authority figures in comedies including each of the seven films in the ''Doctor'' series. He also co-starred with Grego ...
who was later to invite Glasier to be his personal falconer. He was also responsible for the flying of falcons for the film ''Knights of the Round Table
The Knights of the Round Table ( cy, Marchogion y Ford Gron, kw, Marghekyon an Moos Krenn, br, Marc'hegien an Daol Grenn) are the knights of the fellowship of King Arthur in the literary cycle of the Matter of Britain. First appearing in lit ...
'' starring Ava Gardner
Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress. She first signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew critics' attention in 1946 with her perform ...
and Robert Taylor.
Shortly after this Glasier and his family moved to Black Isle
The Black Isle ( gd, an t-Eilean Dubh, ) is a peninsula within Ross and Cromarty, in the Scottish Highlands. It includes the towns of Cromarty and Fortrose, and the villages of Culbokie, Jemimaville, Rosemarkie, Avoch, Munlochy, Tore, and Nor ...
, Inverness
Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...
, Scotland to take up James Robertson Justice's offer of employment. Further falconry work was provided for an episode of a 1959 TV series called ''Three Golden Nobles''. Later he returned to Melbury Osmond
Melbury Osmond is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It lies approximately south of the Somerset town of Yeovil. The underlying geology is Cornbrash limestone, with adjacent Oxford clay. Within the clay can ...
in Dorset, south-west England, returning annually to Scotland for the shooting season to fly his birds for, among others, Prince Philip
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...
and Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...
. In 1963 he undertook an overland trek to the Middle East and India in search of Hodgson's hawk eagles (''Nisaetus nipalense''). The trip was undertaken with his friend Peter Combe in an ancient Austin Gypsy.[A Hawk in the Hand, Phillip Glasier, Robinson Publishing, London, 1990, ]
In 1963 Glasier wrote the autobiographical ''As The Falcon Her Bells'' (title from Shakespeare's ''As You Like It, act III, scene iii.'') recalling his early life and his influential uncle.
In 1965 Glasier went to the Royal Navy Air Station in Lossiemouth
Lossiemouth ( gd, Inbhir Losaidh) is a town in Moray, Scotland. Originally the port belonging to Elgin, it became an important fishing town. Although there has been over 1,000 years of settlement in the area, the present day town was formed over ...
, Scotland to demonstrate how trained raptors could be used to prevent bird strikes on planes by clearing the runways of seagulls and other birds. This was the first time that falcons had been used in this way.
Later years
In 1966 Glasier moved from Dorset to Gloucester, opening the Falconry Centre in May 1967[International Centre for Birds of Prey](_blank)
/ref> His intention was that the public would have close access to raptors, witness their handling through flying displays and be more aware of their ecological value. At that time there was a general feeling that many raptors were destructive pests. The centre grew and developed a successful breeding program of many birds that had not previously been bred in captivity.
In 1982 Glasier retired to Scotland to escape the newly passed Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom implemented to comply with European Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds. In short, the act gives protection to native species (especia ...
: he continued to fly his birds and also wrote another autobiographical book, '' A Hawk in the Hand''.
He later returned to Gorsley
Gorsley is a small village in the Forest of Dean district of Gloucestershire, forming part of the civil parish of Gorsley and Kilcot in the South West England. Nearby Gorsley Common and Little Gorsley are both in Herefordshire.
Location and am ...
in Gloucestershire.
Family
Phillip Glasier's first marriage to Valerie Pedler, by whom he had two sons and a daughter, was dissolved. His second marriage was in 1949, to "Bill" Lees. She died in 1998. They had three daughters and a son, Jemima, Anna
Anna may refer to:
People Surname and given name
* Anna (name)
Mononym
* Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke
* Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773)
* Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century)
* Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 12 ...
, Dinah and Nicholas. International Centre for Birds of Prey – history
/ref>
Bibliography
* '' As the Falcon Her Bells'', Phillip Glasier, Heinemann, 1963.
* ''Guide to Falconry and Hawking'', Phillip Glasier, B.T. Batsford, London, 1986,
* ''A Hawk in the Hand'', Phillip Glasier, Robinson Publishing, London, 1990,
References
External links
International Centre for Birds of Prey
Hawk and Owl Trust
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glasier, Phillip
English conservationists
Zookeepers
English non-fiction writers
1915 births
2000 deaths
Academics of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Falconry
English male non-fiction writers
20th-century English male writers