Moose Head Destined for the UK

By Connor DeMerchant - 25 August 2026

Given the Saint John City Market’s long and storied history, it is safe to say that there are connections to that history scattered across the globe. For example, if it still exists, somewhere in the United Kingdom there is an enormous, mounted moose head which once passed through the Market.

Briefly in the fall of 1925, shoppers in the City Market had the opportunity to see the head of one of the largest moose shot in New Brunswick that season. With an antler span of 56 inches, it was only slightly smaller than the largest shot that season, which measured 64 inches.[1]

The moose had been shot by Patricia Grattan Esmonde (1894–1993), the daughter of big-game hunter Sir Thomas Grattan Esmonde, 11th Baronet (1862–1935), both regular visitors to New Brunswick. Sir Thomas, in addition to being the author of a popular memoir of his hunting exploits, was a member of the Irish gentry. He supported Home Rule for Ireland and, in the 1920s, served as a senator in the Oireachtas, the legislature of the Irish Free State.

Patricia Esmonde was determined to surpass her father’s hunting record. In an interview published after her return to Montreal, she explained that although she had already spent considerable time hunting in Canada with her father, including trips to Labrador, northern Quebec, and New Brunswick, this was her first attempt to best his record. “I set out with the intention of making father fairly gasp with a moose head that should better his own record of 57 inches spread,” she explained.

She travelled with a party of friends to the upper reaches of the St. John River, where they spent three weeks and, according to Esmonde, saw “no fewer than 30 moose.” On her first day in the woods, she and her guide became separated from the main party around dusk. Almost immediately, they spotted a moose moving through the bush towards the river. Esmonde fired, and although the animal initially stumbled and fell, it rose again before plunging headlong. Its antlers measured 56 inches across, an impressive trophy, though ultimately one inch short of her father’s 57-inch record.[2]

While the hunt itself took place on the upper reaches of the St. John River, the Grattan Esmonde family frequently enjoyed hunting trips in northeastern New Brunswick as well. After her successful hunt, however, Esmonde did not have time to wait for the head to be mounted in Canada. Instead, it was taken to the City Market, where it was kept in cold storage before being shipped frozen to London. There, it was to be mounted as a trophy and displayed in the family manor. 

[1] “Lady Visitor Gets a Big Moose.” The Daily Times. 14 November 1925, Pg. 5. 

[2] “An Irish Sportswoman.” The Wicklow People. 19 December 1925, Pg. 11 

Photos: (Above) Two hunters shake hands over a dead moose, c. early 1900s (PANB P210\2150); and (Below) Patricia Grattan Esmonde at her wedding to Lt. John B. Heffernan in 1927 (Irish Independent)