The Petre Head

In 1874 a stag skeleton was found by a boy, Harry Hodgson, near the Dun Mountains, Nelson, while he was out hunting wild goats. It is generally believed that this was the stag received from Thorndon Hall, Essex, in 1851. Mr E.N. Jones, of Nelson, obtained the antler and skull from Hodgson and gave them to his brother-in-law, Mr William Brown, of Wellington, who mounted the head on the skin of another stag.