By Ed Cullinane

THE world-famous Cornish pub ’Jamaica Inn’ has banned hunts from meeting there after 100 years following a recent visit by 'the favourite hunt’ of Prince Charles - the Duke of Cornwall.

The inn on Bodmin Moor is known for its association with smuggling and as the setting for Daphne du Maurier’s 1936 novel.

The meeting of hunting parties outside the Cornish pub has been common practice for over a century.

But in a post on Facebook the pub said it would be banning hunts from meeting on the premises.

It said it made the decision after their local hunt invited The Duke of Beaufort’s Hunt there last week.

The Duke of Beaufort Hunt is known to be one of the most prestigious hunts in the country.

Royalty have ridden out with them including Prince William and Prince Charles and is said to be Charles’ ’favourite hunt’.

Charles’ Duchy of Cornwall manages 18,710 acres of land in Cornwall - which comprises 13% of the whole Duchy estate.

But apparently the arrival of The Duke of Beaufort’s Hunt from Gloucestershire last Saturday (12/3) was the last straw for the pub’s owners.

Posting on Facebook the pub said they had previously been happy to allow hunts to meet at the pub due to the tradition.

But the arrival of the massive Beaufort’s Hunt disrupted what owner Allen Jackson says are usually modest meetings.

In the post, the pub said: “In the past the Inn’s position on hunting has always been clear – not supported other than to allow Hunts to start from the Inn because of the one hundred year tradition of doing so.

"It was something the current owner, Allen Jackson, was not comfortable breaking as he saw himself as a ‘temporary custodian’ and not for him to make such a decision.

"He has never personally hunted or even shot before.

“However, last Saturday the local Hunt invited the Beaufort Hunt to join their usual modest gathering which the owner sees as extremely ill advised.

"Taking this fully into account and the passionate views of some of the Inn’s customers the owner has decided to no longer allow any future Hunt at Jamaica Inn”.

The Jamaica Inn and the Hunt have been contacted for comment.