THE BULLDOG.

A MONOGRAPH

THIRD EDITION.

BY

EDGAR FARMAN,

Honorary Member of the Bulldog Club (Incorporated), &c.

LONDO N:

THE " KKNNKL GAZETTE," 7,' GRAFTON STREET, BOND STREET, W,1903.

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The Bulldog, devoted solely to the most barbarous and infamous purposes, the

real blackguard of his species, has no claim upon utility, humanity, or common

sense, and the total extinction of the breed is a desirable consummation.—

"BRITISH FIELD SPORTS," 1818.

TO MY FRIEND

JOHN WILLIAM ROSS.

ESQUIRE.

PALL MALL. LONDON,

I DEDICATE THIS BOOK AS A MARK OF MY ESTEEM,

TO THE F I R S T E D I T I O N .

ENCOURAGED by the reception that my previous literary

efforts on behalf of the National breed have received, I have

undertaken the production of the present work, in the hope that

its pages will be found useful for reference as an historical and practical

volume upon the English Bulldog.

It has been my endeavor to deal with the subject in such a way that

this single volume may embrace information until now scattered in many

quarters. This equally applies to the history of the Bulldog Club

Incorporated, which, until the articles written by me during my Honorary

Editorship of the Kennel Gazette appeared in that journal, had never

been published. Since these articles appeared, I have been able to

augment the information they contained in several important particulars,

and especially by the inclusion of the first report of the proceedings

of the Club, which will be of great interest to past as well as to

present members, and will supply a gap in its history, which has

existed for a quarter of a century.

The illustrations have been selected with the view of including

portraits of the more typical Bulldogs of the century, from the

days when bull-baiting was a flourishing form of sport down to this,

its closing year. I have in the chapter dealing with the illustrations

given further particulars supplementary to the information given at the

foot of each.

Preface.

In dealing with the Bulldogs themselves, I have traced their history

from the Bull-baiting and dog-fighting era down to the commencement

of the dog showing period, and from those days until now, in a way that

I hope may prove interesting to the general reader.

I have added such details, both with regard to strains and pedigrees,

and to notable owners as will make the book helpful for future

reference.

As a work upon Bulldogs without reference to Toy Bulldogs and their

recent introduction to the show bench would be incomplete, I have added

a chapter concerning these diminutive representatives of the breed.

The production of the volume has necessarily entailed considerable labour

and research, but the labour has been expended upon a breed I have been

devoted to for many years, and if the perusal of the book proves interesting

to the reader I shall consider myself amply repaid for any trouble expended

in its preparation.

In order to facilitate ready reference, separate indices have been

supplied of all the persons and dogs mentioned in the volume, in addition

to the general index and the chapter dealing with the illustrations,

which latter contains references to the page where each illustration can

be found.

I desire to express my sincere thanks to all those who have in any way

assisted by supplying me with or affording me the opportunity of obtaining

information, and especially I wish to acknowledge the aid thus given by

Mr. James "W. Berrie, Mr. Frank W. Crowther, Mr. Cyril F. W, Jackson,

Mr. Sam Woodiwiss, Mr. G. W. Richards, and Mr. Alfred George. I have

also to thank all those who have kindly lent me photographs for repro-

duction.

EDGAR FARMAN.The Kennel Club,

November, 1899.

P R E F A C E

TO THE SECOND ED IT IO N.

THE demand for copies of this work resulting in the need for a

second edition early in the year is naturally gratifying to the

Author, as evidencing that the contents of these pages have proved

of use to those interested in the national breed.

The chapters requiring additions have been brought up to date,

and I am able to publish some interesting additions to the chapter

comprising the historical sketch of the Bulldog.

I take this opportunity of sincerely thanking many friends and

other readers, personally unknown to me, and also the many

organs

of the Press who have in kindly terms expressed appreciation of my

labours.

EDGAR FARMAN.

KENNEL CLUB

DECEMBER, 1900.

P R E F A C E

TO THE T H I R D E D I T I O N .

IN publishing- the third edition of this work I have taken the

opportunity of presenting it in a modified form, confining its

chapters to the dog, and omitting the history of the Bulldog Club,

which has already appeared in the two previous editions.

I have, however, added a chapter on the " French Bulldog," with

illustrations, a breed, which has, since the second edition was published, become

established in this country through the formation of a Club to foster its

interests.

I again thank all those who have expressed their approval of my

endeavors to present a work both of use and interest to all who

regard the national breed as one which should be perpetuated, and

who do not agree with the writer in British Field Sports a century ago

who declared that " the total extinction of the breed is a desirable

consummation."

EDGAR FARMAN.

THE KENNEL CLUB,

OCTOBER, 1903.

CONTENTS.

PART I.

THE BULLDOG

PAGE

CHAPTER I.

Historical Sketch of the Bulldog—Bull and Bear Baiting 1

CHAPTER II.

The Bulldog as Dog Fighter 20

CHAPTER III.

Old Fanciers, and Old Dogs 25

CHAPTER IV.

Early Dog Shows—Bulldog Classification 30

CHAPTER V.

Modern Bulldogs—The Principal Strains 33

CHAPTER VI.

Description of a Bulldog and Scale of Points 44

CHAPTER VII.

Toy Bulldogs 51

CHAPTER VIII.

The French Bulldog 57

CHAPTER IX.

Hints to Novices—How to choose a Bull-pup 61

CHAPTER X.

The Illustrations 66

PART II.

APPENDICES.

Bulldog Clubs and Societies 83

General Index 89

Index to the Names of Persons 87

Index to the Names of Dogs 93

THE BULLDOG.

CHAPTER I.

HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE BULLDOG—BULL AND BEAR BAITING.

THE origin of the Bulldog, as is

the case with most of the

ancient breeds of dogs, has

given rise to much specula-

tion ; authorities differ entirely

upon the question, so much so

that the very definition of the

name itself is in dispute, some writers sug-

gesting that the breed derives its name, not

from its use in bull-baiting, but from the bull-

like shape of the head.*

The Bulldog is first mentioned in literature,

in the year 1500, the oldest spelling of the

word is Bonddogge** and Bolddogge*** ; while

Dr Caius (1576) uses the term Bandogge§, " so

called, " says William Harrison, in his "De-

scription of England" (Ed. 1586), "because

many of them are tied up in chains and

strong bonds in the day time for doing hurt

abroad, which is an huge dog, stubborn,

ugly, eager, burthenouse of bodie (and there-

fore of little swiftness), terrible and fearful to

behold, and oftentimes more fierce and fell

than any Archadiart or Corsican cur. Our

* New English Dictionary; article, Bulldog.** W. Wulcher (1500), Hic molossus—a Bonddogge.

*** Cocke Sorrelles (1500), " Than come one with

two Bolddogges at his tayle."

§ Dr Caius's " Treatise on the Dog."

Englishmen, to the intent that these dogs may

be more cruel and fierce, assist nature with

some art, use, and customs. For although

this kind of dog be capable of courage, violent,

valiant, stout, and bold, yet will they increase

these their stomachs by teaching them to bait

the bear, the bull, the lion, and other such like

cruell and bloudie beasts (either brought over or

kept up at home for the same purpose), with-

out any collar to defend their throats, and

oftentimes thereto they train them up in

fighting and wrestling with a man (having for

the safeguard of his life, either a pike, staff,

club, sword, or privie coat), whereby they be-

come more fierce and cruel to strangers.'

Dr Caius in his description, amongst other

characteristics, states that the Mastive or

Banddogge is "serviceable against the fox

and the badger, to drive wild and tame swine

out of meadows, pastures, glebelandes, and

places planted with fruit, to bite and take

the bull by the ears, when occasion so re-

quireth."

The Bandog is only once mentioned by

Shakespeare, the instance occurring in the

second part of King Henry VI., act 1, scene 4:

" The time when screech-owles cry and bandogshowie,

And spirits walk, and ghosts break up their

graves."

2 Historical Sketch of the Bulldog.

The first mention of the Bulldog, with an

approach to its modern spelling is found, as

far as can be traced, in a letter quoted by Jesse,

contained in the Record Office, dated 1631, or

1632, and written from St. Sebastian by Brest -

wick Eaton, to George Willingham, of St.

Swithin's Lane, London. The letter is a

familiar one, asking that several things may

be forwarded to him, amongst those enume-

rated being " a good Mastive dogge," his case

of bottles " replenished with the best lickour,"

and "pray," said he, " procure me two good

Bulldoggs, and let them be sent by ye first

ship." In another letter Eaton thanks his

correspondent for another "dog, " and asks

that a couple more may be sent. " Let them,"

he writes, " be good at the bull and cost what

they will, but let them be fair and good curs;

they are not for myself but for friends, that, I

must rely upon if occasion should offer ;" for

his part he has other employments; " therefore,

good brother, procure them at the bear-garden

—they are better esteemed, and go farther than

a greater present." These letters are specially

interesting from several points of view,

notably, that at this comparatively early date,

the Mastiff is mentioned in the same letter as

if the breed was distinct from the Bulldog ;

and further, that the British Bulldog was

appreciated by the bull-fighting dons of Spain.

The antiquity of the Bulldog has long

been a matter of keen controversy between

the rival partisans of the Mastiff and the

National breed. In 1871 a correspondence

was originated by E. W. R. (Mr E. Rock-

stro), an ardent admirer of the Mastiff, in

the columns of The Field, which led to a

warm discussion, but without producing the

slightest definite result. It is now generally

admitted that both breeds had a common

origin, in the " Alaunt" of the old writers,

the " Allan of Chaucer," a dog highly extolled

by that poet, as of great size, strength and

courage, and used in the chase of " the lion

and the bear." * The name of this long-

extinct breed was variously written Alan

Alande, Alant, Alaune, Alaunus, Alaunt, and

Allan. Cotgrave, in his French-English

Dictionary, published in 1632, mentions the

Allan de boucherie as being " like our Mastive,

and serves butchers to bring in fierce oxen,

and to keep their stalls."

Edmond de Langley, Duke of York, and

fourth of the seven sons of Edward III. was

master of the game and of the hawks to

Henry IV., and wrote a highly valuable

treatise entitled the "Mayster of Game."

The manuscript gives most interesting de-

scriptions of dogs, wild animals of the chase

and hunting. In this work Langley subdivides

the Alaunt into three classes, as follows:—

" Alaunt is a maner and natre of hounds, and

the good Alauntz ben the which men clepyn

Alauntz gentil. Other there byn that men

clepyn Alauntz ventreres. Others byn Alauntz

of the bocherie, they that be gentile shuld be

made and shape as a greyhounde, evyn of alle

thinges, sauf of the heved, the whiche should

be greet and short." Of the second class, he

says :—

" That other nature of Alauntz is clepid

ventreres, almost thei bene shapon as a grey-

hounde of full shap, thei hav grete hedes, and

greet lipes, and greet eers. And with such, men

helpeth him at the baityng of a boole, and at

huntynge of a wild boor. Thei holde faste of

here nature."

Lastly:—"The Alauntz of the bocherie,

such as ye may alle daie see in good tounes,

that byn called greet bochers houndes. Thie

* Chaucer's "Knight's Tale."

Historical Sketch of the Bulldog. 3

byn good for the baytyng of the bulle and

huntyng of the wild boore, wheder it be

with greihoundes at the tryst or with rennyng

houndes at abbay with inne the covcrte."

He particularises the Alaunt as a breed

" ye heud ye wiche should be great and short,

and thouze ther Alauntes of all hewes, ye

v'ray (true) hue of ye good Alauntz yat is

most common, should be white with a blak

spot a bout ye eerys, small eyne, and white

slondying eres.................... Any beest yat he

might come to he should hold with his sesurcs

and nought leave it, for an Alaunt of his

nature holdeth faster his biting yan should

three gree houndes."

It will be noted that in this description of

the " Alaunt " are embraced three character-

istics which distinguish the English Bulldog

of the present day. lie had a large, short

and thick head and short muzzle; he was

remarkable for his high courage, and when he

attacked an animal he hung on. It is also

proved that he was used in bull-baiting.

As I have said, it is a matter of pure

speculation whether the Bulldog or the

Mastiff, or either, can be considered as the

indigenous dog of Britain; but that the

probability, almost amounting to certainty,

is that both breeds were derived from the

Alaunt or Allan. Whatever room for doubt

exists, however, on this much-disputed point,

there can be no difference of opinion on two

points. First as to the extreme antiquity of

the Bulldog, and secondly as to its indisput-

able right to the honour of being considered

the national dog, par excellence. It belongs

purely to this country; when expatriated in

the remote past it has deteriorated surely

and rapidly, although this remark no

longer applies; and it is looked upon by

foreigners as emblematical of an English-

man—in fact, John Bull is never considered

completely represented anywhere, in either

our own or foreign comic papers, without a

Bulldog as his companion. It is quite one of

the oldest known breeds, and with various

species of dog the Bulldog has in bygone

times been crossed to give them the necessary

courage, tenacity, and determination. Towards

the close of last century, Lord Orford, an

ardent courser, bethought himself how ho

could remedy the deficiency in courage which

at that time had obtained among Greyhounds.

He selected a Bulldog for the purpose of

crossing with his greyhounds, believing this

would have the desired effect. The plan was

much ridiculed at the time, but he persevered,

and his efforts were ultimately crowned with

success. He commenced by selecting one of

the smooth rat-tailed bulldogs of the time,

crossing it with one of his Greyhound bitches.

After six or seven generations all vestige of

the Bulldog had disappeared, but the courage

and indomitable perseverance remained, much

to the benefit of the breed. It was about this

period that Hume had remarked, " The

courage of Bulldogs .... seems peculiar

to England." *

From the descriptions given by early writers,

we gather then that the Bulldog possessed

the characteristics of a short muzzle, a large

and massive head, and a broad mouth. The

necessity for these qualifications, having in

mind the work he was called to perform, is

obvious. The under jaw projects beyond

the upper, to enable the dog when running

directly to the front to grasp the bull, and,

when fixed, to give him a firmer hold. The

lower jaw being very thick and strong gives

to the mouth an appearance of curving

* Hume's Essays and Treatises, 1T77.

4 Historical Sketch of the Bulldog.

upwards across the middle of the face. The

top of the nose inclines backwards, so as to

allow free passage of the air into the nostrils

whilst " holding " on to the bull. It is evident

that did the mouth not project beyond the

nose, and had both jaws and nose been level,

the nostrils would be flat against the part to

which the dog was fixed, and the breathing

would be stopped. "When modern Bulldogs,

as is sometimes the case, have this defective

formation, they are "frog faced" as it is

termed.

Another subject which has caused much

discussion and division of opinion is the

matter of size, one side placing its faith in a

large and lumbering dog, the other advocating

the claims of a large skulled dog, but of

medium size, from forty to fifty pounds in

weight, with the short head approved by the

author of the " Mayster of Game." Here

again the original purpose for which the Bull-

dog was bred should be borne in mind. In

bull-baiting, not only could a smaller dog do

the work as well, probably much better

than a large one, but, as in attacking the

dog usually approached the bull crawling

upon his belly along the ground, the

result would be that a large dog would

be infinitely more likely to fall a victim

to the bull's horns than would a smaller one.

Of the " points " of the modern Bulldog it

is unnecessary for me to speak here; they

will be found fully dealt with in another

portion of this work. It will have been

already seen what were the chief points

looked for in the breed in the " good old

times," when the Bulldog was kept by all

classes of society, and when bull and bear

baiting were the "sports" of every grade,

the delight and diversion of the king, and

even hip loyal consort, princes, peers, country

gentlemen, merchants, and humbler citizens,

the apprentice, and the peasant.

Unfortunately we have to rely almost

entirely upon tradition and description, for

very few drawings or engravings of the Bull-

dogs of the olden time have come down to us.

One of the earliest, by Richard Pynson, of the

date 1521, appears in Berjeau's " Book of

Dogs," and represents the baiting of a bear.

It is rather difficult to identify exactly the

breed depicted, but several of the dogs are

something like Bulldogs, both in form and in

their method of attack, but there is one, as

much like a Bulldog as any of them, shown

as flying at the hindquarters of the bear, a

lache, one would imagine, of which no true

Bulldog could ever have been guilty. During

the discussion in The Field to which

reference has already been made, "F. A."

(Mr F. Adcock) sent to the editor of that

journal a copy of the picture from a painting

by A. Honduis, made in 1635, which Mr

Adcock described as "A wild boar attacked

by two Bulldogs, one a red-smut and the

other a brindle-pied." A reproduction was sub-

sequently published in "The Dogs of the

British Islands," by " Stonehenge," with the

note, " The dogs in this picture arc certainly

larger than the modern Bulldog, but there is

no proof adduced of the strain to which they

belonged, and they might be either pure

Bulldog of that day or pure Mastiff, or a cross

between the two. ' F. A.,' * who kindly lent

the original for engraving, assumes that they

were pure Bulldogs, but I certainly cannot

* " F. A." wrote " Judging from the relative sizes

of the boar and dogs in the picture, the latter musthave been at least 80 to 1001b in weight each, andthere can be no doubt that these are the kind of

dogs described by Dr. Caius in 1576, under the nameof Mastyne or Banddogge."

Historical Sketch of the Bulldog. 5

admit that point without some hesitation." *

Looking at the engraving it is certainly most

difficult to distinguish the breed absolutely.

The dogs again appear to be cross-bred, as

" Stonehenge " himself suggests.

In those early days of canine portraiture,

however, the artist was rarely, if ever, a

cynophile, and had an eye rather to " artistic

effect" than to accurate portrayal. Even in

more modern times, and in such well-known

pictures as "The Baited Bull broke loose"

and the " Bull broke loose," it would tax the

knowledge of many an up-to-date expert to

express an absolute opinion as to the breed of

some of the canines therein depicted.

From everything connected with Bulldog-

dom, controversy seems almost inseparable.

The Bulldog's origin is a subject of dispute,

his weight and size have before now divided

experts into rival camps, and authorities are

not even united on the question of his

temperament and mental powers. Some

describe him as ferocious, others as stupidly

amiable. One writer says :—" He is uncertain,

fastening without visible provocation on the

master whom he has been fondling, until

excited by a sudden noise or accidental blow ; "

whilst another writer declares :—" In temper

the Bulldog will bear comparison with any

breed of dog. To his master, especially, and

those he knows he is amiable, loving, and

obedient." Stonehenge* says:—"Experience

has shown us that these dogs are not capable

of much attachment; that they are not safely

to be trusted ; that they are very rarely, if ever,

teachable ; but that, in a general way, they

are gentle and quiet in their demeanour. A

dog of this breed is not quarrelsome, he is a

capital guard or watch dog, and certainly

* Dogs of the British Islandn.

ought to be looked upon as an invaluable

animal for instilling courage and endurance

into any description of dog requiring such

properties, by direct or partial crosses. He is

pre-eminent amongst the canine race for the

following qualities :—He attacks silently ; he

bears any amount of punishment without

uttering a sound; he invariably goes at the

head of his adversary ; and he will not ' let

go ' until he is killed or made insensible by

strangulation. For these properties, especially

his forward attack and holding powers, he

was selected to bait the bear, the bull, and

occasionally the lion; for, although the half-

bred dog might almost equal the genuine

animal in courage, it was always doubtful

whether a bull terrier would seize the head or

the heel, and (as a celebrated old ' bull-

baiter' impressed upon us some years ago)

' pinning is winning' when you loose a dog

at a bull.' "

In dealing with this question of temper, it

must not be forgotten how large a place

education and environment occupy in forming

the character, not only of mankind, but of

animals. As a recent writer has remarked : *

" Like children, dogs have their mental char-

acters formed by their training and asso-

ciations, and, although different individuals

have different dispositions or temperaments

it is not to be imagined that they have

different natures. It has been truly said

' the god of the dog is man ;' if therefore

a dog is treated by man as though it were a

fiend incarnate, to be ruled with the harshest

measures, and used in the most cruel and dan-

gerous occupations, to have all the good

feelings of its nature crushed by its master,

who takes a pride in its ferocity, is it to be

* British Dogs, page 226.

6 Historical Sketch of the Bulldog.

wondered at that the poor beast, which sur-

vives the hardening process, should appear to

merit the bad character assigned to it by those

only who fear it."

The Bulldog undoubtedly suffered con-

siderably from its association with the lower

classes of the community, especially from

the time that bull-baiting ceased to be a

fashionable pastime until the close of that

still more degenerate period in the early years

of the present century, when a lower depth of

brutality than bull-baiting had been reached,

and the bloodthristy " sport" of dog fighting

was the entertainment provided for the lowest

residuum of the canine fancy. As to the tem-

perament of the Bulldog of the present day,

he is quite a docile creature.

At the close of the eighteenth and the early

years of the nineteenth century the Bulldog

was almost entirely in the hands of the

roughest classes, for the sickening scenes of

barbarous cruelty that were to be witnessed

in the baiting dens and dog pits of that era

rendered the " sport" utterly revolting to an

age beginning to pride itself upon its refine-

ment and humanity. A revulsion of taste

had set in amongst the more refined, and the

poor Bulldog, the humble minister to his

owner's brutal instincts, reaped much of the

obloquy that rightly should have fallen upon

his master alone. He was marked out as

"the blackguard of his species," and his

entire extinction was desiderated as a " con-

summation devoutly to be wished." * Current

opinion found expression in the literature of

the day, and there is scarcely an account of

the Bulldog written at that epoch which does

not bear witness to the writer's estimate of

the Bulldog's moral turpitude and intel-

* British Field Sports, by W. H. Scott, 1818.

lectual worthlessness. Writing in 1792,

Osbaldeston * describes the Bulldog as:—

" One of the most fierce and strong of the

canine race, having the nose short, and the

under jaw larger than the upper. The breed

is in a manner peculiar to England; but

ever since the savage custom of bull-baiting

has happily been on the decline it has suffered

neglect. Such is the strength and ferocity of

these animals, that four of them have been

known to master a lion, and when they are

turned loose on a bull, and have once properly

seized him, nothing short of the loss of life

or the giving way of the part can disengage

them. While that barbarous amusement

continued in vogue, various instances of

savage fortitude have occured in the feats of

this breed, which would scarcely be credited

in countries where the diversions are more

rational and elegant." Taplin, writing eleven

years later, is not any more flattering to the

subject of his pen. Incidentally he refers

to the decline in the number of Bulldogs

reared, a matter to which I shall have

again to refer later. Ho writes f:—" A

Bulldog, though inoffensive and harmless

when properly domesticated, forms to the eye

of timidity a most terrific appearance; the

doubtful and designing leer of the eye, the

tiger-like shortness of the head, the under-

hung jaw, the wideness of the forehead, the

width of the scull, the distension of the

nostrils, and the almost constant sight of the

teeth hold forth a very emphatic specimen of

* " British Sportsman, or Nobleman, Gentleman,

and Farmer's Dictionary," by William Augustus

Osbaldeston, 1792.

+ " The Sporting Dictionary and Rural Repos-

tory of General Information upon every subject,

appertaining to The Sports of the Field." By

William Taplin. 1803.

Historical Sketch of the Bulldog. 7

the power they possess when that power is

angrily brought into action. The breed is by

no means so numerous as formerly, in con-

sequence of the gradual decline of bull-

baiting and the great number taken abroad,

for many of which very great prices were

obtained. The natural ferocity, strength,

and thirst for blood in this animal rendered

them a formidable nuisance in their unre-

strained state, and they are now seldom seen

at their full liberty, either in town or coun-

try ; the owners, from a proper fear of the

law, finding it most prudent to keep them

properly confined."

A third writer of this period, in his remarks,

on the Bulldog, refers to the decline in

numbers, which must have been very marked

at this time, as every writer upon the subject

bears similar testimony. His estimate of the

animal itself is not higher than that usually

entertained by his contemporaries. His

description is as follows * :—" The Bulldog is

remarkable for the undaunted and savage

pertinacity with which he will provoke and

continue a combat with other animals, and

when once he has fixed his bite, it is not

without extreme difficulty that he can be

disengaged from his antagonist. He is often-

times fierce and cruel, and seems to possess

very little of the generosity and disposition

so remarkable and so celebrated in dog

species. He frequently makes his attack with-

out giving the least previous warning, and

often without that discrimination of persons or

animals which we observe in most other dogs.

The Bulldog, as well as the Mastiff, is almost

peculiar to England, and the breed seems to

have been chiefly encouraged for the baiting

of bulls. This ferocious practice, thanks to

* " Memoirs of British Quadrupeds," by the Rev.

W. Bingley, A.M. 1809.

the increasing humanity and civilization of

the people, is, however, now on the decline,

and consequently Bulldogs are at present much

less numerous than they were formerly."

Idstone,* in his remarks on the Bulldog, states

that in 1824 the breed was said to be degene-

rating, although in those days, and fifty

years before, specimens of a coarse though

courageous sort were in the hands of prize-

fighters and coachmen, ' Black Will," the

noted Oxford whip, being amongst the most

celebrated of the breeders. Many of these

comparatively early specimens were disfigured

by cropping, and it was not uncommon to find

them with their ears cleanly shaved off their

heads.*

About the year 1840 very few thoroughbred

examples existed. Occasionally they were to

be obtained in London and Birmingham—the

latter place and the "Black Country " gener-

ally having a kindly feeling towards such

animals. Two or three instances may be cited

which illustrate both the courage of the dogs

and the fiendish cruelty practised by their

owners at the beginning of the present cen-

tury. At a bull-baiting in the north of Eng-

land, a young man laid some trifling wager,

that he would, at separate times, cut off all the

four feet of his dog, and that after each

mutilation it would attack the bull. The

wager was accepted, and the experiment tried,

and the dog continued to seize the bull as

eagerly as it did before it had been subjected

to this inhuman barbarity. A newspaper of

the year 1310 records that a London butcher

took a Bullbitch and her puppies to a bull-

baiting, and said, "I will not say anything

about the goodness of this breed ; you shall

see." He then let the bitch at the bull, who

* Idstone—" The Dog."

8 Historical Sketch of the Bulldog.

pinned him, although she was very old, and

had now scarcely a tooth in her head. He

then cut her to pieces with a hedge-bill, and

she never quitted her hold until dead. There

was immediately a great demand for the

whelps, which were all sold before he left the

place at five guineas a-piece. Another man

then cut off his dog's legs, declaring that it

would still pin the bull. The dog at once did

so, and his master then called him off, and as

soon as he limped bleeding into his arms, cut

off his head. Certainly the more merciful

action of the two.

When we recollect, therefore, the uses to

which the Bulldog was put for so many genera-

tions, and subsequently the sort of people who

owned him, it is not surprising that his temper

suffered, and that his character was painted in

the darkest colours by those ignorant persons

who never owned, and scarcely ever saw a

specimen of the breed. A well-informed

writer observes that most " fanciers " of Bull-

dogs know more about other breeds than the

authorities on other breeds know about Bull-

dogs, and have adopted that breed only after

a long experience of the others. The fairest

way of judging of a man is to speak of him as

you find him, and who can know more about

a dog than his keeper ? But it has been

those who did not keep Bulldogs that took

upon themselves to condemn the breed. Its

chief virtues they misrepresented as unpar-

donable faults. The high courage and in-

difference to pain which enabled the Bulldog

to limp with dismembered limbs to pin the

bull at the command of his master, and like

the hero in the ballad of Chevy Chase, " who,

when his legs were smitten off, still fought

upon the stumps," also enable the dog, now its

cruel occupation is hopelessly abandoned, to

suffer patiently trials which no other breed

could so quietly endure, rendering him the

staunchest and most reliable companion, and

one most capable of being taught.

All the chief authorities testify to the good

qualities and the good temper of the Bulldog,

and as " Stonehenge " still remains one of the

greatest of these, I may summarise what he

had to say about the Bulldog in his day. If

the brain of the Bulldog is weighed against

the body of the dog, it will be found relatively

above the average. His mental qualities may

be highly cultivated, and in brute courage and

unyielding tenacity of purpose he stands

unrivalled amongst quadrupeds. From con-

finement in their kennels they frequently are

deficient in intelligence; but when treated

differently the Bulldog is a very different

animal, the brutal nature which he often

displays being mainly attributable to the

savage human beings with whom he associates;

yet this is not natural to him any more than

is stupidity or want of affection, as may

readily be proved by any one who will take

the trouble to treat him in a proper manner.

He has been described as stupidly fero-

cious, &c, and " Stonehenge " rightly asserts

that this is untrue; but I cannot agree with

his further statement that he is an excellent

watch dog, and as a guard unequalled. He also

urges with truth that he is far from quarrel-

some. If once the pure breed is allowed

to drop, the best means of infusing fresh

courage into degenerate breeds will be finally

lost, for every kind of dog possessed of very

high courage owes it to a cross with the

Bulldog, not only the most courageous dog,

but the most courageous animal in the world.

There is now no possibility that the purity

of the breed will be lost; yet that disaster

was an event of extreme probability about

sixty years ago. Bulldogs were about that

Historical Sketch of the Bulldog. 9

time very rarely to be seen, as specimens of

the breed were sparinglyjnreserved and only to

be met with occasionally in a few large

towns of England, such as Sheffield, and Bir-

mingham, and the East end of London, among

publicans and fanciers who, to a large extent,

hailed from the working classes. And to

these we really owe the preservation of our

national dog in its purity and with its long

genealogy.

Our leading Bulldogs can trace their de-

scent through very many generations, and

many of the beau monde would be proud

of such a long line of ancestry. But

now, after the manner of all things animate

and inanimate, the tide of fashion smiles on

the once disfavoured Bulldog, there is a grow-

ing appreciation of his merits, and instead of

the epithets of "hideous brute " being applied

to him, one hears him called ' quaint," and

"fine looking," and fair enthusiasts even ven-

ture to affirm that he is " beautiful."

Beauty, however, is not the strong point of

the Bulldog. As we leave human beauty to

the fair sex, and are more than contented

that the mere man shall be simply manly,

so in the Bulldog we look for higher qualities

than mere comeliness. Vero Shaw, in his ex-

cellent work, the " Book of the Dog," describes

his walk as almost indescribable in its ungain-

liness. "We ourselves," he says, "though

glorying in our admiration of the breed, can-

not but admit that its paces are the incarnation

of all that is clumsy. The short and immensely

powerful body swings between the Bulldog's

out-turned shoulders, his high hindlegs appear

to be pushing his chest out between his fore-

legs, whilst the peculiar formation of his stifles

and hocks scarcely permit him to raise his

hind feet off the ground, and the result is an

action which partakes of the elements of a

rush, a shuffle, and an amble, without fairly

representing either."

The general appearance of a Bulldog now-a-

days is that of a comparatively small animal,

very heavy for his size, of immense power, and

of great squareness of head, whether looked at

from in front or in profile, with the body grace-

fully tapering off towards the stern, so that at

first Bight one is impressed with the combina-

tion of strength and activity which the Bull-

dog possesses in a greater degree than does

any other breed of dogs.

The training of bulls, bears, horses, and

other animals for the purpose of baiting them

with dogs was certainly practised by the jug-

glers who were introduced into England by her

Norman conquerors, and the bull especially

owing to the peculiarity of its mode of combat,

caused bull-baiting to become an attractive

sport from a very early period, for which a dis-

tinct breed of dogs would be exclusively kept.

A writer upon this point says : " The Bulldog

exhibits that adaptation to the uses to which

he is rendered subservient which we see

in every race of dogs, and we have only to

suppose the peculiar character of the animal

called forth from generation to genera-

tion by selection, to be assured that a

true breed would be formed. This has been

so in a remarkable degre in the case of

the Bulldog. After the wild oxen of the

woods were destroyed, the practise was

introduced as early as the reign of King John

of baiting the domesticated bull and other

animals, and thus the breed of dogs suited to

this end was preserved, nay, cultivated, with

increased care up to our own times, centuries

after his larger and coarser brother, " Allan

Vantre," kept only to bait the bear and wild

boar, had become extinct owing to the

cessation of its employment." Strutt, in hia

2

10 Historical Sketch of the Bulldog.

" Sports and Pastimes," quotes a passage

from Fitz-Stephen, who lived in the reign of

Henry II., and whose "Description of the

City of London," was written in 1171, which

informs us that " in the forenoon of every

holiday during the winter season, the young

Londoners were amused with bears opposed

to each other in battle, or with bulla and full

grown bears baited by dogs." The accuracy

of this statement has been disputed, but from

other sources we learn that quite as early

as Henry II.'s time (1154) the baiting of

bulls and bears by dogs was a popular amuse-

ment. Norwich, in the time of Edward the

Contessor (1050), made payment to the King

and to the Earl for, among other things,

" Ursum et VI canes ad nrsum," a bear and six

bear dogs.* In the reign of John (1209) we

find from the " Survey of Stamford " that the

then Earl of Surrey, wbo was also Lord of

Stamford, introduced bull-baiting into the

latter town under the following circumstances.

The Earl, standing upon the castle walls of

Stamford, saw in an adjacent meadow two

bulls fighting for the possession of a cow, till

all the butchers' dogs of the town, great and

small, pursued one of the bulls, who, being

maddened with the noise and clamour of the

multitude, ran clean through the town. The

sight so pleased the Earl that he gave all the

meadows where the duel between the bulls

first began, afterwards known as the Castle

Meadows, for a common to the butchers of the

town, on condition that they found a mad bull

the day six weeks before Christmas day for

the continuance of that sport every year.

Shows of bull-baiting were provided for the

populace of Guildford, Surrey, under the

sanction of the corporation as early at

* Ellis's Introduction to Doomsday Book.

least as Edward III. (1327). There are

several memoranda in the Black Book, whence

it appears to have heen customary for every

person, on becoming a member of the corpor-

ation to provide a breakfast for his brethren

and ;i bull to be baited. In 1515, several per-

sons were " elected to bayt the bull" on the

Monday after the feast of St Martin's or pay

a penalty of twenty shillings each.* Hull-

running and boll-baiting were followed as an

annual custom at Tutbury, in Staffordshire,

from 1371 until 177s. The Duke of Devonshire

held the manor or priory lands by turning out

a bull for baiting by the inhabitants. Dr

Plot, in his " "Natural History of Stafford

shire, " gives an account of the later usage

concerning this tenure: On the appointed

day," he says, " the people proceeded in a body

to the church, and, the service over, dined.

After dinner all the minstrels repair to the

Priory gate in Tutbury, without any manner

of weapons, attending the turning out of the

bull, which the bailiff of the manor is obliged

to provide, and is there to have the tips of his

horns sawed off, his ears and tail cut off, his

body smeared all over with soap, and his nose

blown full of beaten pepper. Then the

steward cause proclamation to be made,

that all manner of persons, except minstrels,

shall give way to the bull, and not come with-

in forty foot of him at their own peril, nor

hinder the minstrels in their pursuit of him,

after which proclamation the Prior's bailiff

turns out the bull among the minstrels, and if

any of them can hold him so long as to cut off

however small a portion of his hair before it

can make its way across the river into Derby-

shire, then he is the minstrels' bull, but if the

bull gets into Derbyshire sound and uncut he

* Brayley's History of Surrey.

Historical Sketch of the Bulldog. 11

is the Lord Prior's (Duke of Devonshire)

again. If the hull he taken and a piece of his

hair cut off, he is brought to the bailiff's house

in Tutbury and there collered and roped, and

so brought to the bull ring in the high street,

and there baited with dogs, the first in honour

of the King, the second in honour of the

town, and the third for the King of the

minstrels. Afterwards the minstrels have

him for their own, and may sell him or kill

and divide him as they shall think good."

At Wokingham, in Berkshire, in 1661, a

townsman named Staverton, because he was

once chased by a bull, in revenge left by will

property to buy a bull for ever for the poor of

the town to bait and eat, and the offal and

hide to be sold to procure shoes and stockings

for the poor children. Subsequently a second

hull was provided for baiting, the charge being

paid out of the poor rates. In 1802 the Rev.

Dr. Barry, in a sermon preached on the OCCa

sion, said, " Two useful animals, the bull who

propagates our food and the faithful dog who

protects our property, to be thus tormented,

and for what purpose ? Does it tend, as some

have said/ to keep alive the spirit of the Eng-

lish character? In answer to this we must

remark that the barbarous sport, if sport it can

he called, was unknown to the ancient bravery

of our ancestors, was introduced into this

country in the reign of a had king, and

earnestly do I pray to Almighty God that, in

the reign of a most pious and benevolent

prince, it may be for ever set aside! Cowards,

of all men the least unmoved, can both inflict

and witness cruelties."

His sermon appears to have been more

effectual than such discourses frequently are,

* Mr Windham in his speech in the House ofCotillions in favour of hull halting, 1801.

for bull-baiting ceased at Wokingham shortly

after this date.

A large open space in the oldest part of

Birmingham, and under the very walls of its

ancient parish church, hears the name of the

Bull Ring, and one of its main thoroughfares

is called Bull Street. Hutton, in his " History

of Birmingham," states that John Cooper,

in the reign of Henry VIII., about 15:><». for

some service rendered to the lord of the manor,

obtained, among'other privileges, the right of

baiting a bull in the bull ring whenever he

pleased and the right of burial in the porch of

St. Martin's Church. Bull-baiting was one of

the most popular sports of the inhabitants

until 1773, in which year the practice was

discontinued.

At Banbury, in Oxfordshire, bull-baiting

was carried on in what is said to have been

once a Roman amphitheatre. In Canterbury

the market place was known in Edward IV.'s

reign as the Bulstake. Formerly, in some

towns, a butcher who sold the flesh of a bull

in the market without having produced the

animal on the previous market day to he

baited was liable to a penalty, for the flesh of

a baited bull was universally considered to be

much more tender and nutritious than that of

animals slaughtered without being first sub-

mitted to the process. In 1801, at Bury St.

Edmunds, a hull's hoofs were cut off, and the

poor beast was forced to defend himself on

his mangled and bleeding stumps against

the dogs set upon him. In 1820 a bull was

baited at Lincoln, and in the mining dis-

tricts of South Staffordshire bulls, and some-

times even bears, were baited as late as 1886.

It is unnecessary to mention further the

names of more provincial towns at which the

"sport" was practised, for probably at one

time every town in England, and many

12 Historical Sketch of the bulldog.

a country village, had its bull ring, for by the

time of Henry VIII. bull and bear-baiting had

become the diversion of every grade. The

King had his own bull and beargardens, and

the wardenship of the bears and dogs had

become a lucrative and honourable office

under the Crown.

Richard III., in 1483 the first year of his

reign, appointed a royal bear-ward named

John Bronne, whom, " for his true and dili-

gent service," he constituted " master, guider,

and ruler of all the bears and apes belonging

to the Crown." In the reigns of Elizabeth,

James I., and Charles T. this office still con-

tinued ; one of the latest appointments being

that of Sir Sander Duncombe, who, by letters

patent of the latter King, in 1639. had a grant

of the sole right of exhibiting the baiting of

bulls and bears in England for fourteen years.

During part of the reign of Queen Elizabeth

and James I.. Edward Alleyn, the actor, and

founder of Dulwich College, kept the Bear

Garden on the Bankside in Southwark, in

conjunction with his father-in-law, Phillip

Henslowe. The then Bear Garden was shut

up under an order of Parliament in 1642, and

in January, 1647, the land was sold for

£1,781} 15s. After the restoration of Charles II.

it was re-opened, but it was from this period

that bull-baiting declined as a fashionable

and courtly amusement, though it continued

exceedingly popular with the middle and

lower classes for nearly another hundred

years. About the year 1686 the Bankside

Bear Garden appears to have been finally dis-

used as a royal appurtenance, and in the next

year his "Majesty's Bear Garden" was

removed to Hockley-in-the-Hole, the site of

the present Middlesex Sessions House on

Clerkenwell Green.

Hitherto I have only spoken of bull and

bear baiting by dogs, as it prevailed in the

provinces. It is now time to give attention

to the manner in which Londoners enjoyed

the pastime.

In the time of the Tudov sovereigns, the

Bankside. Southwark—the riverside district

between where London and Blackfriars

Bridges now stand—was a thinly-inhabited

district, the resort of the idle and dissipated,

who repaired to the gardens, booths, and

theatres which the locality contained, in

search of amusement. Here, later, was built

the celebrated "Globe" Theatre, Where most

of Shakespeare's plays were originally per-

formed ; and here it was that the first bull

and bear-baiting and similar amusements

were carried on. It will have been previously

noticed that these sports generally took

place in the open air. The provincial bull

rings were generally not covered buildings,

but, as the name implies, a particular spot,

usually in the market place or other open

space, where a ring was inserted, to which,

when a baiting took place, the rope securing

the bull was attached. So at the Bankside

the baitings at first were held in the open

air ; but in Aggas's " Plan of London," 1574,

and in Braun's map of about the same date,

two circular buildings for the accommodation

of spectators are engraved, marked respec-

tively "Bowlle Baytyng" and "Bear

Baytyng." In both plans the buildings

appear to be completely circular, and were

evidently intended as imitations of the

ancient Roman amphitheatres. They stood

in two adjacent fields, separated only by a

small strip of land. Stow describes these two

buildings as "two bear gardens, the old and

the new, places wherein were kept beares,

bulls, and other beasts to be bayted, as also

mastives in several kennels, now risked to

Historical Sketch of the Bulldog. 13

bayt them." " These beares and other

beasts," he adds, "are there kept in plots of

ground scaffolded about for the beholders to

stand safe." The dog kennels are clearly

marked upon the plans previously mentioned,

and the construction of the amphitheatres

themselves may be tolerably well realised,

notwithstanding the smallness of the scale

upon which the plans -are drawn. They

evidently consisted within of a lower tier of

circular seats for the spectators, at the back

of which a sort of screen ran all round, in

part open, so as to admit a view from without,

as is evident from Braun's plan, by the

figures of men who arc looking through on

the outside. The buildings are unroofed, and

in both plans they are shown during the time

of performance, indicated on Aggas's plan by

the display of streamers at the lop. The

dogs are tied up in slips near to each building

ready for the sport, and in Braun's plan the

combatants are actually engaged.

I have said that the rage for these exhibitions

prevailed amongst all classes. When Queen

Mary visited her sister, the Princess Eliza-

beth, during her detention at Hatheld House.

the next morning after mass a grand

exhibition of bear-baiting was made for their

amusement, with which, it is said, " their

highnesses were right well content.'* After

Elizabeth had ascended the throne, there are

frequent notices of her attendance at such

sports, for. as Strutt observes. " though a

woman, she possessed a masculine mind, and

preferred, or affected to prefer, the exercise of

the chase and other recreations pursued by

men rather than those usually appropriated

to her sex." On the '20th May, 1599, soon

after her accession to the throne, the Queen

* Nicholls' Progresses of Queen Elizabeth, Vol. I.

gave a splendid dinner to the French

Ambassadors, who afterwards were entertained

with the baiting of bulls and bears, " and the

Queen herself stood with the Ambassadors

looking at the pastime till six at night. The

day following the same Ambassadors went by

water from Paul's Wharf to Paris Gardens,

on the opposite shore, where they saw another

baiting of bulls and bears. Again, some

twenty years afterwards, Elizabeth received

the Danish Ambassador at Greenwich,

who was treated with the sight of a

bear and bull-baiting, " tempered " says

llolinshed, '"with other merry disports, and

for the diversion of the populace there was a

horse with an ape upon his back which highly

pleased them, so that they expressed their

inward conceived joy and delight with shrill

shouts and variety of gestures.' On Saturday

the 9th July, 1575, Elizabeth paid her

historical visit to Kenilworth. and a round of

amusements and diversions were planned for

her entertainment. On the Thursday following

she was treated to a grand bear-baiting, an

exhibition that was to have been followed on

a succeeding day by a bull-baiting; but time

did not allow, and the Queen had to leave

Kenilworth without the satisfaction of par-

ticipating in the sport upon that occasion.

Laneham, speaking of abear-baiting exhibition

before Elizabeth in this year, 1575, says :—

" It was a sport very pleasant to see the bear,

with his pink eyes tearing after his enemy's

approach, the nimbleness and nait of the dog

j to take his advantage, and the force and

experience of the bear again, to avoid his

assaults. If he were bitten in one place, how

he would pinch in another to get free ; that if

he were taken once, then with what shift, with

* Nicholls' Progresses of Queen Elizabeth.

14 Historical Sketch of the Bulldog.

biting, with clawing, with roaring, with

tossing and tumbling, he would work and

wind himself from them ; and when he was

loose, to shake his ears twice or thrice, with

the blood and the slaver hanging about his

physiognomy." The same writer tells us

that thirteen bears were provided for this

occasion, and they were baited with a great

sort of ban dogs.

The manner in which these sports were

exhibited towards the close of the sixteenth

century is thus described by Hentzner, a

German traveller, whose itinerary was printed

in 1598, and who was present at one of these

performances :—" There is still another place

built in the form of a theatre, which serves

for the baiting of bulls and hears; they are

fastened behind, and then worried by great

English Bulldogs, but not without great risk

to the dogs, from the horns of the one and the

teeth of the other, and it sometimes happens

that they are killed on the spot; but fresh

ones are immediately supplied in the places

of those that are wounded or tired. To this

entertainment there often fellows that of

whipping a blinded bear."'

Though the baiting of bulls and bears was

a diversion of daily occurrence in London ;

until the time of the Commonwealth, holidays,

and especially Sundays, were the times at

which the populace generally would be able to

be present. Precaution was taken for the

safety of the spectators, but in spite of this

accidents were by no means infrequent. A

terrible accident happened at the Bankside

Bear Gardens on Sunday, January 13, 1588,

by the fall of a scaffold that had been over-

loaded. The fanatical writers of the day

represented the disaster as a judgment

from Heaven because the exhibition took

place on a Sunday. Amongst the rest, Prynne,

in his " Histriornastix," gives the following

account of the calamity, though probably

exaggerated, for he was a rabid Puritan,

which furnishes a quaint idea of the amuse-

ment of the people three hundred years ago.

" Upon the 13th January anno 1583, being the

Lord's day, an infinite number of people, men,

women, and children, resorted unto Paris

Garden to see beare-baytyng, playes, and

other pastimes, and being altogether mounted

aloft upon these scaffolds and galleries, and

in the midst of all their jollity and pastime,

all the whole building (not one stick so much

as standing) fell down miraculously to the

ground, with much horror and confusion. In

the fall of it, five men and two women were

slam outright, and above one hundred and

fifty persons more sore wounded and bruised,

whereof many died shortly after; some of

them having their braines dashed out, some

their heads all to quash, some their leggea

broken, some their amies, some their backs,

some one hurt some another, there being

nothing heard but wofull shreekes and cryes

which did even pierce the skies; children

bewailing there the death and hurts of their

parents, parents of their children, wives of

their husbands, and husbands of their wives,

so that every way, from foure of the clock in

the afternoon till nine at night, especially

over London Bridge, many were carried in

chaires, and led betwixt their friends, and so

brought to their houses with sorrowful heavy

hearts, like lame cripples. A just, though

terrible judgement of God upon these play-

haunters and prophaners of His holy day."

The Puritans strenuously maintained that

this incident was a visitation of Providence,

and the Lord Mayor for that year wrote to

the Lord Treasurer, asking him to use his

influence to suppress the diversions. The

Historical Sketch of the Bulldog. 15

accident was however soon forgotten and the

sports went on as usual.

Indeed, that the Puritanic opinion was not

universally held is proved from an anecdote

recorded of Sir Thomas More, a further proof

of the truth of the old adage, "The better

the day the better the deed." ITe says, "At

Beverley, late, much of the people being at a

bear-baiting one Sunday, the church fell

suddenly down at evensong time, and over-'

whelmed some that then were in it. A good

fellow that after heard the tale told : ' So.'

quoth he, ' now may you see what it is to be

at evensong when you should be at the bear-

baiting.' "

An order of the Privy Council in 1591 pro-

hibited the exhibition of plays on Thursdays,

because on Thursdays bear-baitings and such-

like pastimes had been usually practised ; and

an injunction was sent to the Lord Mayor

that " in divers places the players do use to

recite their plays to the great hurt and

destruction of the game of bear-baiting and

like pastimes, which are maintained for her

Majesty's pleasure."

The elegant and varied amusements of

Queen Elizabeth are well illustrated in a

letter written by Rowland White to Sir

Robert Sidney.. The date is May 12th, 1600.

" Her Majesty is very well. This day she

appointes to see a Frenchman doe feates

upon a rope in the Conduit Court. To-

morrow she hath commanded the beares, the

bull, and the ape to be baited in the Tilt

Yard. Upon Wednesday she will have

solemn dauncing."

James I., in 1618, by his " Pook of Sports,"

prohibited bear and bull-baitings on Sundays,

yet the baitings and divine service went hand

in hand. I have shown that mass preceded

the bear baiting which Mary and her sister

Elizabeth witnessed at Hatfield, and that the

Tutbury bull-running was preceded by a

service in church ; so Carleton, writing to Sir

Thomas Edmonds, mentions that the Easter

holidays of that year " were spent at court

with accustomed solemnities. The Sunday

was well suited with two reverend preachers,

the Pishop of Bath to the household, and

Chichester before the King. The Tuesday

whereof the afternoon was spent in bear-

baiting, was as well-fitted with a chaplain, one

Dr. Smith, head of a house in Cambridge,

who so well baited all the great ones for

abusing the King's ear in preferment of suit

.... that I know not how he escaped

baiting himself."

King James was, like his predecessor, accus-

tomed to regale ambassadors and other great

foreign personages with bear or bull-baiting ;

thus, in 1628, Chamberlain wrote:—"The

Spanish Ambassador is much delighted in bear-

baiting. He was there last week, where they

showed him all the pleasure they could both

with bull. bear, and horse, besides jackanapes,

and then turned a white bear into the Thames,

where the dogs baited him swimming, which

was the best sport of all."

Charles I., like his father, was very fond of

bull and bear-baiting, and the privy purse

expenses bear witness to the frequency with

which he amused himself with such sports in

the earlier years of his reign, before the evil

days came. Thus, in 1632, Gabriel Marsh,

Marshal of the Admiralty and Master of the

Bears, received £10 for his services in baiting

them before the King and Queen at Whitsun-

tide.

Charles II. languidly patronised the sport,

and as I have already stated, it was in his

reign that the royal bears were removed

from Pankside to Hockley-in.-the-Hole. An

16 Historical Sketch of the Bulldog.

account of bear-baiting as practised in this

reign is given in " A Description of Eng-

land and Ireland," published in 1672 by a

Frenchman, Mons. Jorevin, but as it fur-

nishes no details other than those already

given, it is unnecessary that I should make

any quotations. He visited the Bear Garden

at Bankside, and on one occasion witnessed

a fencing match which appears to have been

fought a outrance, as one of the combatants

had his wrist almost cut off, while his an-

tagonist lost "a slice of his head and almost

all his ear." Jorevin strongly denounced

the inhumanity and cruelty of the spectacle.

Steele may have had the Frenchman's stric-

tures in mind when writing in The Tatler

thirty-seven years afterwards (1709). He

says:—" Some French writers have repre-

sented the diversions of the common people

much to our disadvantage, and imputed it

to a natural fierceness and cruelty of temper,

as they do some other entertainments pe-

culiar to our nation. I mean those elegant

diversions of bull-baiting and prize-fighting,

with the like ingenious recreations of the

bear garden. I wish I knew how to answer

this reproach which is cast upon us, and

excuse the death of so many innocent cocks,

bulls, dogs, and bears as have been set

together by the ears or died an untimely

death only to make us sport." *

With the death of Charles II. bull and

bear-baiting altogether ceased to be fashion-

able amusements, although the sport was

still immensely popular with the ci.mmon

people. But as soon as the Court with-

drew its favour the ultimate fate of this

form of amusement, as far as the higher

classes were concerned, was practically

* Tatler, Feb. 16th, 1709.

sealed. When Anne came to the throne

she discountenanced all such amusements,

and respectability immediately voted them

low and vulgar. Bull-baiting survived for

nearly another century and a half, but de-

cent people began to shun the sport, and its

votaries were shortly to be found only among

the common people. The newspapers of

Anne's time frequently contained advertise-

ments of baitings that were to take place, but

the very form in which the announcements

were made prove that the amusement had

fallen from its high estate, and that a great

gulf existed between the sport of kings of

the beginning of the seventeenth century and

the barbarous recreation which it had become

at its close.

The following advertisements appeared in

1706 :—

"At the Bear Garden in Hockley-in-the-

Hole, near Clerkenwell Green, this present

Monday, there is a great match to be

fought by two dogs of Smithfield Bars

against two dogs of Hampstead, at the

Reading Bull, for one guinea, to be

spent, five let goes out of hand, which goes

fairest and farthest in wins all. The

famous Bull of Fireworks, which pleased the

gentry to admiration. Likewise there are

two bear dogs, to jump three jumps apiece at

the bear ; who jumps highest for ten shillings,

to be spent. Also variety of bull-baiting and

bear baiting ; it being a day of general sport

by all the old gamesters ; and a bulldog to be

drawn up with fireworks. Beginning at three

o'clock."

Another advertisement of about the same

date is as follows :—

"At William Wells'Bear Garden, in Tuttle

Fields, Westminster, this present Monday,

there will be a green bull baited ; and twenty

Historical Sketch of the Bulldog. 17

dogs to fight for a collar, the dog that runs

farthest and fairest wins the collar, with other

diversions of bull and bear baiting. Beginning

at two o'clock."

It is not quite clear as to the exact time

when bear-baiting at Bankside was altogether

discontinued, but it was probably about this

period. Strype, in his first edition of Stow,

published in 1720, speaking of Bear Alley,

on this spot, says:—" Here is a glass house,

and about the middle a new-built court, well

inhabited, called Bear Garden Square, so

called as being built in the place where the

Bear Garden formerly stood, until removed

to the other side of the water, which is

more convenient for the butchers and such-

like who are taken with such rustic sports

as the baiting of bears and bulls."

In bull-baiting the object the dog was

required to effect was that termed "pinning

and holding;" that is, to seize the bull by the

nose, and then not to leave go the hold. As

the bull's nose was his most tender part, he

was rendered helpless when seized by it. The

bull in fighting would, as a matter of

course, lower his head to use his horns, and

was sometimes provided with a hole in which

to bury his nose. He had a collar about his

neck, fastened to a thick rope some four or

five yards long, hung to a hook, and so

attached to a stake that it might turn round.

By means of this rope the bull circulated to

watch his enemy. The dog when properly

trained would " play low," that is, would keep

his own head close to the ground, or if of

arger size would creep on his belly to avoid

being above the bull's horns, his object, of

course, being, if possible, to seize the bull by

the nose. The bull, meanwhile, would

endeavour as carefully to defend it by laying

it close to the ground, the game bulls (old

veterans) frequently scraping a hole for them-

selves, when one was not provided, and with

his horns he attempted to toss the dog. On

some occasions a hull would toss a dog thirty

and even forty feet high. The men about

endeavoured to catch the falling dogs upon

their shoulders to lighten their fall. Sand,

too, was usually laid upon the ground, but a

great many dogs were killed, more had their

limbs broken, and dogs frequently held so

fast that their teeth were broken, as the bulls

swung them about. It not infrequently hap-

pened that the men were tossed as well as the

dogs, and the old writer * from whom I have

gathered these particulars quaintly adds " men,

bull, and dog seem exceedingly pleased, and as

earnest at the sport as if it were for both

their lives and livelihoods. Many great wagers

are laid on both sides, and great journeys will

men and dogs go for such a diversion." From

the commencement of the present century

bull-baiting, although, as I have shown, it was

still patronised, especially in middle and

northern England, practically became an

obsolete sport; when it was practised it was

attended only by the lowest part of the

populace, and something like a thrill of horror

was felt by the better class of the community

when it learned that such an exhibition had

taken place. A Bill to abolish bull-baiting

was, however, thrown out in the House of

Commons on its second reading, the 21th

May, 1802, chiefly through the influence of

Mr. William Windham, who, in a speech in

favour of the custom, declared that the pluck

of the English nation would certainly

decrease if the bill were allowed to pass.

Sheridan, in his speech in its favour, said :—

" What sort of moral lesson would it be to

* " John Houghton's Collection." 1694.

3

18 Historical Sketch of the Bulldog.

the wife and children of the farmer who sold

his bull for the purpose of being baited to

see the poor simple, harmless animal, which

for years they had cherished as a favourite,

and learned to look on with affection, tied to

a stake, worried by dogs, and his bleeding

tongue torn out of his mouth by the roots ?

But this cruelty was not the only cruelty

exercised on these occasions. What sort of

moral lesson, for instance, was it to the

children of the farmer who brings his aged

bull-bitch, many years the faithful sentinel

of his house and farmyard, surrounded by

her pups, to prove at the bull-ring the

staunchness of her breed? He brings her

forward; sets her at the infuriated animal.

She seizes him by the nose and pins him

to the ground. But what is the reward

from her owner amidst the applauses of

the mob to his favourite animal? He calls

for a hedging bill, and to prove her breed

hews her to pieces without quitting her

grip, while he sells her puppies at five guineas

apiece! " *

As a further proof of how hard even the

cruellest custom will die when it is rooted in

the affections of the people, it may be

remembered that the first act for the preven-

tion of cruelty to animals, known from the

name of the member of Parliament who

introduced the bill as Martin's Act, proved

ineffective for the suppression of the sport, as

the bull was not mentioned therein by

name, because the express mention of the

animal would have caused the rejection of the

Bill, and it was not until 1835, that both bull

and bear-baiting, as well as dog fighting, were

prohibited by law. Of this latter debased

form of " sport" I shall have something to

say in the next chapter.

* See Ante page 7.

Historical Sketch of the Bulldog. 19

While I was preparing for a second edition

of this work, Mr. George R. Krehl, editor of

the Stockkeeper kindly sent me a photograph of

an old bronze plaque, which' has been un-

earthed by Mr. John Proctor, of Antwerp,

and, when giving it to me with per-

mission to publish it, informed me that the,

former gentleman purchased the medallion in

Paris from Monsieur A. Provendier, a well-

known breeder of toy bulldogs, who himself

had bought it from a trainer of dogs who visits

the Sundaydog market of that City, its original

possessor being a Parisian bric-a-brac

dealer. The head has certainly the appearance

of that of a cropped bulldog. The description

above the head reads, Dogue de Burgo

Espagne. The date is 1625, and the name of

the artist, Cazalla. The appearance of the

plaque indicates its age, and everything

points to the probability of its genuineness.

Mr. Proctor took his find to a connoisseur in

such matters, who pronounced it authentic.

Burgos is the principal town in the old pro-

vince of Old Castille,in Spain, a town formerly

noted for the breeding of dogs for use in the

arena, and still a centre of the national pas-

time, bull fighting. Mr. Krehl is of opinion

that this discovery tends to support the

argument that the British Bulldog is of

Spanish origin, and that the original home of

the breed was Spain. In the earlier pages of

this chapter, I have pointed out that it is a

matter of pure speculation whether the bull-

dog or the mastiff, or indeed either, can be

considered the indigenous dog of England,

and I have at some length stated my reasons

for considering that both breeds were prob-

ably derived from the old English alaunt or

allan. The date of the medallion is, as already

stated, 1625, but I have adduced evidence

from a contemporary writer, that a dog

existed, known by the name of bulldog, or, as

it was then written, bolddogge, as early as the

reign of Richard III., while in 1631, only six

years after the date of Mr. Proctor's plaque,

the English merchant. Eaton, residing at St.

Sebastian, instructs his friend Williugham,

dwelling at St. Swithin's Lane, in the City of

London, to procure him a couple ol good

bulldogs, whieh he desired sent to him as a

present for some Spanish friends.

It is with great pleasure that I am able, by

reason of Mr. Krehl's courtesy, to publish this

interesting memento of the past, the head is

distinctly of the bulldog type, it enables us

the better to understand how the late Mr. F.

Adcock came to form the opinion that the

Spanish dogs which he brought over here

were true bulldogs, and there can be little

doubt that those animals were of the same

type of dog as the existing English Bulldog,but

I am bound to say that the latest evi-

dence in favour of Mr. Adcock's contention

is hardly sufficient to refute the evidence

which 1 have brought together in the earlier

portions of this chapter as to the origin of our

national breed. The weight of evidence is

clearly in favour of the conclusion that the

English Bulldog is of British origin, although

other countries may have produced a dog

with many similar characteristics. Mr.

Krehl who takes such an interest in the bull-

dog, has certainly added a link in the chain

of evidence as to its origin, but until more

cogent proof is adduced, the vast majority of

the Bulldogs' many and warm partisans will

continue to regard him as an undoubted

British production.

20 The Bulldog as Dog Fighter.

CHAPTER II.

THE BULLDOG AS DOG FIGHTER.

A HISTORICAL sketch of the

Bulldog would be incomplete

which contained no reference to

the vicious amusement — sport

it was not — of dog-fighting,

and this chapter is therefore

devoted to giving some account

of perhaps the most brutal of the many de-

basing pastimes to which our forefathers

were addicted. To those who live in the

humanising environment of the present

time, it appears almost incredible that well

on to the first half of the nineteenth cen-

tury "sporting noblemen " could publicly

announce their intention to match their dogs

at Westminster Pit; that Eton boys, re-

leased from severer studies, would wend their

way to Bachelors' Acre or the Brocas to

engage in dog-fighting or badger-baiting,

and that the advertising columns of /tail's

Life regularly contained announcements to

the "Fancy" that Mr So-and-so "would

match his dog Jack or Billy against any

dog breathing at 18lbs " at one or other of

the numerous " pits " which abounded in the

metropolis But perhaps undue elation at the

great change in the manners and morals of

fin de siccle society would be'premature, for,

as I shall presently show, the " sport " is not

yet wholly extinct, and there are those who

assert that a " set-to " is by no means a rare

occurrence in that portion of the Midlands

which, if the assertion be true, is well desig-

nated the " black country."

Dog-fighting was one of the amusements

afforded to our ancestors at the bear gardens

at Bankside and elsewhere, to which reference

has been made in the preceding chapter.

Burnet, in his " History of My Own Times,"

refers to dog-fighting, which he comments

upon with just reprehension ; he further in-

forms us that the ladies were great admirers

of such brutal sports, and frequenters of the

gardens at which these scenes were enacted. For

this base and degraded practice the Bulldog was

anciently very much in request. Later a cross

between a Bulldog and some other breed,

usually the terrier, superseded the pure Bull-

dog, as it was found that such a cross produced

a dog possessed of greater quickness, who con-

sequently was able to get the first hold—an

important matter where dog-fighting is con-

cerned. Still the Bulldog always had hjs

admirers amongst those who practised this

form of sport- Thus Jesse mentions Lord

Camelford's renowned Bulldog Belcher, who

fought one hundred and four battles and never

met defeat. Old volumes of the Sporting

Magazine contain frequent accounts of con-

tests between Bulldogs. One specimen will

suffice.

*"DOG FIGHTING.—The Westminster Pit

The Bulldog as Dog Fighter. 21

as crowded on Tuesday evening, January 18,

with all the dog fanciers in the metropolis to

witness a battle between the celebrated dog

Boney and a black novice called Gas, lately

introduced to the fancy by Charley, to whom

the dog belongs. The stakes were forty sove-

reigns, and everything was arranged to the

satisfaction of the amateurs. The pit was

lighted with an elegant chandelier and a pro-

fusion of wax lights. The dogs were brought

to the scratch at eight o'clock in excellent con-

immediately bled and put into a warm bath.

There were nearly three hundred persons

present."

It was a Bulldog and a Bull bitch also who

were respectively the hero and the heroine of

the combat which took place at that same

historic temple of the "Fancy," the West-

minster Pit, some six years previously, the

card of invitation to which lies before me as I

write.

The " scratch " was a chalked line in the

dition, and were seconded by their respective

masters. Boney was the favourite at 3 to 1,

and so continued till within ten minutes of the

termination of the contest—a confidence

arising solely from his known bottom, for to the

impartial spectator Gas took the lead through-

out. The battle lasted an hour and fifty minutes,

when Boney was carried out insensible. He was

* The Sporting Magazine, 1825.

centre of the pit. The dogs were " played "

at opposite corners, and each dog in turn had

to cross the "scratch" and fetch his oppo-

nent out of his corner. It is a mistake to

suppose that the dogs were set on each other.

Writers who have described these matches

state that the animals were only too anxious

to be at work, and would literally scream with

rage, or at other times utter no sound at all,

but lower their heads and watch each other

22 The Bulldog as Dog Fighter.

with bloodshot eyes, and an ominous licking

of the jaws. Once released by the seconds

they would fly straight at each other's throats

and become locked together in a life and

death struggle. Rarely growling or whim-

pering at all, they would bite and tear in grim

silence, as though anxious to rip limb from

limb. In a few minutes the sawdust became

soaked with blood, and huge gaping wounds

would appear on head, chest, and legs.

Various dogs adopted different tactics J

some would fight at the head, others at the

throat, others at the legs, which not infre-

There were other details, many of a sicken-

ing character, connected with a dog fight in

the "good old times," but these I will spare

the reader. It must not be forgotten that

not only was this amusement engaged in by

the lower, but also by the upper classes, and

that such matches were of every-day occur-

rence, and that dog dealers and breeders of

reputation were prepared to offer facilities for

the " sport " for the private delectation of their

patrons. Before me lies the " business " card

of a well known dealer of the period, which is

sufficiently interesting to be given fac simile:

quently in such cases would be broken. The

"round" ended when one of the dogs

"turned;" that is, loosened his hold to

breathe ; both dogs were then taken to their

corners and sponged. About a minute was

allowed between each " round." The duration

of a fight varied considerably; it might last

three or four hours and then end in a " draw."

Ben White some seventy years ago was a

well known figure in canine circles, and was

probably the last member of the " Fancy," in

London at least, who made dog-fighting and

kindred diversions the main business of

their lives. Old Conduit Fields at that period

was mere waste land, and sufficiently removed

from the busy haunts of men to offer a con-

The Bulldog as Dog Fighter. 23

venient locale for a "sport," which was even

then beginning to be eyed with suspicion by

the authorities. In Ben's " accommodation

pit" his patrous could at all times ensure

the amusements of dog - fighting, ratting,

badgering, or cocking, as their inclination

might tend. Ben is the central figure in the

well-known picture of "Ben White running

his Bulldog Tumbler and Lady Sandwich's

Bess at the head of Bill Gibbons's bull," prints

of which are still by no means uncommon,

where his odd figure, queer, shrewd face, and

club feet, as he cheers on a couple of Bull-

dogs to attack the bull, are likely to render

him immortal for all time. After a while he

removed from Old Conduit Fields to Kensal

New Town, where, under the respectable

aspect of a guileless and innocent vendor of

dogs, he carried on the old game until his

death, some fifty-five years ago. To him

succeeded Bill George, who, at the same place,

thenceforward to be known as " Canine

Castle," conducted a really legitimate busi-

ness,' until his decease, at the age of seventy-

nine, on June 4, 1881.

On the passing of the Act of 1835, dog-

fighting declined, as the pastime became

too hazardous for its votaries, under ordinary

circumstances, to engage in it. As late as

1871, however, a writer in a Birmingham

paper, whose article affords much information

upon the more recent history of the subject,

gives a graphic description both of the pre-

liminaries and of the actual conflict. Such

contests, he states, were at that date of fre-

quent occurrence at Walsall and its neigh-

bourhood.

"All preliminaries being settled," he says,

" the deposits paid up, the dogs duly weighed,

a referee appointed, and so forth, a day is

fixed for the encounter, and the 'office,' or

'griffin' given to the select circle of black-

guardly patrons. It is hard to say where the

rendezvous may be—an old barn, a public

house cellar, or some secluded spot. Great

are the precautions taken to evade the law :

doors are barred, windows blocked up, and

every aperture closed. No person can quit

the place under any circumstances until the

fight is over; the temperature is often quite

tropical, and men strip to the shirt, and sit

bathed in perspiration, and half fainting, for

hours together. A few rats and a terrier are

generally at hand as decoys, so that if a police

raid should take place, the canine combatants

would be stowed away somewhere, and the

officers may drop in upon a party of men

mildly engaged in killing a few rats. Before

the proceedings commence, a leader looks

round the brutal faces of the company, and

asks if ' everybody is known,' and woe betide

the unlucky stranger who has not proper cre-

dentials ; he will get remarkably full change

for his shilling entrance (or gate) money."*

I have already described what the fight it-

self was like, and it is unnecessary, therefore,

that I should recapitulate. We are frequently

reminded however that the amusement is not

yet altogether unknown. In The Licensed

Victuallers' Gazette for January 27, 1899, in

an obituary notice of a bull-bitch, the chroni-

cler says: " Some time back, when she be-

longed to a bulldog fancier who liked to try

what ' sand ' his pets had, she fought for two

hours and a quarter." "Early in the fight," the

bitch " was unlucky enough to get bitten right

through one knee, and she had consequently

to ' come ' on three legs and a swinger. A

bit later " she was again bitten " in the knee-

only it was the other knee this time—and

* Birmingham Daily Mail, Nov. 23rd, 1371.

The Bulldog as Dog Fighter.

yet after that she kept on coming, like Wid-

drington in 'Chevy Chase.' who 'When his

legs were smitten off, still fought upon his

stumps.' "

In the same week that this obituary was

published, a dog fight took place in the neigh-

bourhood of Regent's Park, described as a

stubborn one, lasting one hour and seventeen

minutes, and was reported in the London

newspapers. Still, if dog-fighting is not yet

quite a thing of the past, it is certainly in

extremis.

It is sixty-five years since such sports were

first prohibited by law, and what immense

strides forward have we since made in the

humane and kindly treatment of our friend

the dog ! The bad old days have gone, never

to return. The dog is now firmly established

as the family pet, the attached follower, the

companion of our sports, and the guardian

of our homes; never again, in England at

least, to be put to ignoble use, or to minister

to a depraved appetite for brutalising and

debasing " sport."

Old Fanciers, and Old Dogs. 25

CHAPTER III.

OLD FANCIERS, AND OLD DOGS.

SO far I have dealt with periods prior

to dog showing days, of periods

when the Bulldog was used for

practical purposes, for work and

not for show. In the times already referred to,

the amusements of the people were sadly lack-

ing in humanity, and especially so where the

animal creation was concerned. The gross

cruelty practised was deplorable, and it is a

relief to find that with the commencement of the

Nineteenth Century also began the dawn of

more enlightened views regarding the treat-

ment of dumb animals. The more serious-

minded and humane section of the community

began to think that, after all, the prevailing

amusements, such as bull baiting with Bull-

dogs, bear baiting, dog fighting, were blots

which could very well be swept away with

advantage, both to man and beast. Perhaps

few customs have died harder than dog and

cock fighting, and even now-a-days instances

occasionally occur when the practices are

secretly carried on.

As legal sports, however, the practices of

bull and bear baiting and dog fighting ceased

with the Act of Parliament already referred

to, and the Bulldog's occupation was gone.

From that time forward the breed began to

deteriorate, and, with the era of modern dog

shows, the appearance of an up-to-date speci-

men became a caricature of the active and

plucky animal that baited the bull, and which

was a dangerous customer at any time. For

the show bench as an object lesson of what

can be done by scientific breeding for "points,"

the Bulldog is an excellent example of the

triumph of man over nature, but as an example

of what the dog originally was he can hardly

be considered a success.

The early show Bulldogs were not so cloddy

as the exaggerated specimens now are, they

were not so heavily built that their powers of

locomotion were impeded, nor were they in

temperament the soft-hearted, make-friends-

with-anybody kind of animal of the present

day ; on the contrary, they might well be des-

cribed as dare-devil intelligent brutes, game,

possessing a wonderful degree of tenacity and

stamina, and capable from their build of

putting their powers to effective test. There

being after the passing of the Act no induce-

ments for breeding, or keeping, the Bulldog,

the breed began to diminish in numbers as

well as quality, and had it not been for the

fact that the practice of dog fighting died very

hard, and the existence of some fanciers who

kept and bred specimens notwithstanding

that the "sport" had fallen upon evil days,

the breed would in all probability have be-

come extinct, an event, indeed, which was

perilously near consummation more than once

during the present century. The commence-

26 Old Fanciers, and Old Dogs.

ment of the dog show era, however, drew

marked attention towards the breed, and

created another incentive for breeding speci-

mens of the old English Bulldog.

Of the old school of fanciers, Ben White

was, as stated in the last chapter, a typical

dog breeder, dealer, and keeper of fighting

Bulldogs, but his successor, the late Mr.

William George, better known as Bill

George, stands out prominently as the most

remarkable man of his time in this particular

line.

Bill George, on the death of Ben White,

succeeded to the latter's business of a dog

dealer and, christening the premises in Kensal

Rise the Canine Castle, he carried on the

business of a dog dealer and breeder in such a

way that he became noted as an honourable

dealer at a time when dog dealing was looked

upon as an occupation whose professors were

not particularly noted for their practice of

honesty. He specialised in Bulldogs, and

bred and possessed many good specimens, and

when during the latter part of his life, dog

shows became the vogue, his kennel produced

dogs as well able to win on the show bench

and breed winners, as, formerly, specimens of

their strain had been able to hold their own

in the dog pit. Bill George's Canine Castle

obtained a remarkable reputation, and by the

kind permission of the proprietors of "Punch,"

I am able to give a reproduction from its

pages of an amusing illustration of Bill

George's kennels as they appeared according

to Mr. Punch.

This illustration of " Punch's visit to a

remarkable place," at the commencement of

this chapter, showing Bill George's Bulldogs

in barrels, is sufficient evidence of the late

fancier's reputation and unique position in the

dog world at that time. Of the show Bull-

dogs he owned, one of his best was Young

King Dick, a dog bred by Jacob Lamphier, of

Birmingham. He turned out so good that

the old Birmingham fancier got his son, Fred

Lamphier, to purchase him back again, which

he did for £40, a large sum to pay in those

days for a Bulldog. Lola Montes, a fallow

and white specimen, was another of his best.

For a long time she never bred, but on being

turned loose in the kennel, she eventually

commenced to breed, and from that time bred

regularly, doing good service as a brood bitch.

Viper and Wasp were two excellent light-

weight specimens owned by George, whilst

Dan, a heavy weight, who scaled 65 lbs., he

sold for £100. After the purchase, the young

gentleman, who gave what was in those days

a long price, took the dog to Long's Hotel,

when it performed the feat of jumping through

a pane of glass without injury to itself.

Ringer was another of the good specimens

bred by Bill George, and which was very like

the well-known Ajax, also bred by him. He

was a white and brindle dog, and did a lot of

winning for Mr. Adcock. Duchess, a bitch

under 30 lbs. and a prize winner, was also

bred by Mr. George.

There were, of course, other old-time

breeders who kept and bred Bulldogs, and

from some of these Bill George drew his sup-

plies. Jim Green, of Somers Town, was one

of these, as was also an old fellow known by

the name of " Whiskers, the Navvy." Lutey,

an old Chelsea pensioner, always kept Hull-

dogs, 40 years ago, and reared plenty fur Bill

George. Ted Burridge, of Somefs Town, and

Jim Ferriman, who lived in Macclesfield

Street, City Road, too, kept and bred Bull-

dogs, many years ago, and Mike Lee, of St.

Luke's, also owned a number of Bulldogs, as

likewise did a Ned Wilkinson. Jim Shaw,

Old Fanciers, and Old Dogs. 27

and his son, Billy Shaw, kept specimens of the

breed, both owning many creditable dogs.

Billy Shaw owned a good dog called Duke.

Charles Stockdale, Charles Aistrop, Jack

Clarke, of Marylo bone, and Harry Orme, of

Shoreditch, all London fanciers, went in for

the breed. The latter bred very small speci-

mens, as did Bill Tapper and others, alluded

to in the Chapter on Toy Bulldogs.

It was not until 1850 that dog shows, as we

now know them, were first held. Directly

these exhibitions were placed upon a firm

footing, Bulldog classes began to be pro-

vided, and, as already stated, a fresh incen-

tive to breed them was offered to the dog

fancier. As time passed, the number of

votaries of the breed increased, and for show

purposes we find that specimens were being

bred principally in three great centres,namely,

London, Birmingham, and Sheffield. There

were, of course, specimens to be found else-

where, but the majority of the successful

breeders in the earlier days of dog shows

were to be found in one or other of these

cities.

Of the London fancy in the show Bulldog

line somewhat later, two London breeders may

be mentioned as standing out conspicuously,

viz.. Mr. J. W, Berrie and the late Mr. Ve-

rinder. One of the earliest prize winners bred

by the former was " Old " King Cole,

who, however, should not be confounded with

King Cole of later years, also bred by Mr.

Berrie, and whose blood for stud purposes

gave him quite a posthumous notoriety in later

years. Mr. Berrie also bred Champion Venom,

Champion Monarch, Champion Gannster,

Britannia, Berrie, Black wall Crib (better

known as Blewitts Crib), Jess, Cervantes,

and comparatively recently Champion Black-

wall Beauty and many other specimens

might be added to these. Mr. Verinder,

who resided at Barnet, bred largely, and in

the sixties bred such prize winners as Poll and

Nosegay, and in the seventies he bred a num-

ber of successful animals, among them being

Bill Sykes and Fagin, a white and brindledog.

He also bred the celebrated Slenderman, at

first known as Gordon Murray, Young Sir

Anthony, Mona, and Rose, all successful

prise winners. Ned Clarke, of London, also

bred some good specimens. Harry Layton,

besides owning various celebrated animals,

also bred some good specimens in the

seventies, the best being that fine speci-

men, Champion Smasher. Among other

prize winners, too, bred by this old fancier,

were Billy, Kit, and Miss Smasher. Another

London breeder was the late Mr. Jack Ash-

burne, also known as " City " Jack. He prided

himself in being one of the old school, and in

latter days never lost an opportunity of expos-

tulating against the tendency to breed what

he termed cripples and monstrosities. His

chief successes were Gun, Clicquot, Warrior,

Madame Lola, and Ada, all bred by him in

the seventies, and all prize winners. Other

London supporters of the breed at the period

were Tom Ball, then of Peckham, who bred

that good dog Lord Nelson. He was also the

breeder of Othello and Bonnie Bessie, whilst

later on he put Champion Ruling Passion to

his credit. He was likewise the actual breeder

of Champions His Lordship, Cigarette, etc.

but parted with the dam before she whelped.

Messrs. Craft r, Frank Redmond, Stockdale,

Billy Page, W. Newton who bred, among

others, Peerless, and in conjunction with Mr.

P. Rust, the wonderful-headed Adrastus -

James Goode, Teddy Morgan, Robert Fulton,

G. Sandle, E. Nichols, Rivers Wilson, Jim

Ferriman. W. H. Tyzer, and Edwin

28 Old Fanciers, and Old Dogs.

Farquharson, all of London, worked hard

with success in the earlier days of dog shows.

Mr. Edwin Farquharson, too, bred in the

seventies, and put to his credit Rob Roy,

and later on Dona Sol and Maritana.

Birmingham was a hotbed of the breed in

the sixties and seventies, the principal

breeders being Messrs. Jacob Lamphier, J.

Hincks, E. Booth, Jesse Oswell, G. A.

Dawes, and Fred Reeves. Jacob Lamphier,

who was the father of Fred Lamphier, named

later on as a Sheffield breeder, was a success-

ful fancier, the principal of the produce of

his stud of dogs being King Dick, Venom,

Meg, Madge, Romanie and Adam, a fallow

smut, who is the first Bulldog registered in the

Kennel Club Stud Book. I should say, to pre-

vent confusion, that the Lamphier's Venom

and King Dick, now referred to, are not

the same dogs as Champion King Dick and

Champion Venom, the former of which he

owned.

Mr. Dawes, of Birmingham, in the

seventies, bred a number of very useful

animals, among the prize winners being

Donald, Young David, Dora, Adder, Ajax

III., Alpha, Arria, Judy and Queen. Mr.

Hincks bred Nelson, Dick and Ben, whilst

Mr. Fred Reeves bred Gambler and Punch,

and the accidental service of one of his

bitches resulted in his being the breeder of

Champion Queen Mab in later years.

Among other breeders in this city wer«

Jesse Oswell, J. Guymer, G. Underhill, E.

A. Wilkinson, and J. B. Wilkes, all of whom

bred winners.

Sheffield was the third centre where the

Bulldog was fostered in these days, and

the most notable of the many of the work-

ng class who cultivated the breed was

Jacob Lamphier's son, Fred Lamphier. He

was very successful, and dogs of his breed-

ing, which won prizes, were numerous. And

let me pause here to say that, in speaking

of prizes in this chapter and throughout

this work, I refer to prizes won at im-

portant shows, mostly under Kennel Club

Rules. Fred Lamphier bred Rush, Queen

Bess, Minnie, Gipsy Queen, Duchess, Young

King (re - named Bumble), Crack, Teddy

Clinker, Duke, the notable Champion Crib

(better known as Turton's Crib), and Thun-

der, later on known as Champion Richard

Coeur de Lion, Sir Anthony, and others.

Very old fanciers who bred in Sheffield long

before dog shows became the vogue were

the brothers Jim and Tom Gibbons, and

coming to times contemporary with those I

am dealing with, we find a curious character

in "Fakey " Joe— Joseph Taylor was his real

name—but his friends knew him as " Fakey."

Other Sheffield breeders were Tommy

Barber, George Mosley, Peter Wilson, Tom

Spencer, T. Nuttal, and a good supporter of

the breed was Mr. Thos. Turton, who

eventually became owner of Champion Crib,

in whose ownership this marvellous dog died.

Besides London, Birmingham, and Shef-

field, other towns possessed Bulldog fanciers

in the early days of dog-showing.

From Manchester hailed that ardent

fancier, Mr. J. Henshall, who bred Duke

III., Peg, Bismark (not Meagre's), and Julius

Caesar, and W. Webb, of Ipswich, bred

Meagre's Bismark, Faust and Champion

Ida. Mr. Joseph Bowman was a well-known

Ipswich breeder, and Mr. P. Rust, also of

Ipswich, bred such notable specimens as

Master Gully, Champion Sancho Panza, Lulu,

Guppy, Champion Diogenes and Draco.

Mr. J. C. Lyell, of Dundee, bred Leeb,

and later on Champion Britomartes, and

Old Fa nciers, and Old Dogs. 29

as long ago as 1807, the Duke of Hamilton

bred Champion Duke.

All those named were enthusiastic supporters

in the early dog-showing period, and there

were many others also who were aiming at

breeding better specimens than the best,

from a show point of view, yet produced. As

time advanced, so did the number of fanciers

increase, and the names of the principal

breeders and exhibitors of later days are

far too numerous to set out at length in this

work, and their names, and the names of

many I am compelled to omit, can be

found in the Kennel Club Stud Book.

30 Early Dog 5hows.

CHAPTER IV.

EARLY DOG SHOWS—BULLDOG CLASSIFICATION.

CREDIT must assuredly be given to

the working man for the part be

has taken in tbe preservation of

the national breed. Tbe aboli-

tion of bull and bear baiting and dog fighting

brought to an end all excuse for the Bulldog's

existence, and even the advent of dog shows

did not cause the breed to be preserved and

taken up by the rich. The first show ever

held, which took place in Newcastle, had

only classes for pointers and setters, and

at the first show held in Birmingham in the

same year, no class was provided for the Bull-

dog breed. We find, however, in 18(!0, one

class allotted to Bulldogs at the Birmingham

show of that year, the first prize going to

Mr. J. Hincks, the second prize not being

awarded. In 18G1, at the North of England

Exhibition, held at Leeds, at the meeting of

the Royal Agricultural Society, a class was

provided for Bulldogs, with two prizes, but

in the same year at Birmingham the entries

in the class for Bulldogs were good enough

to warrant extra first and second prizes.

Manchester's first show was held this year,

one class being provided for the National

breed, and in the following year, at the

Agricultural Hall, London, we find two classes

provided, one for large size and the other for

small-sized specimens, the winner in the

heavy weights being Jacob Lamphier's King

Dick with Bill George's Dan as runner-up

In the small size class, H. Orme won with his

Violet. In the same year Birmingham Show

provided only one class, King Dick again

being the conqueror. The next year (1863), the

First Annual Grand National Show was held

at Cremorne, Chelsea, and two classes were

provided for Bulldogs, one for specimens over

18 lbs. and the other for under 18 lbs. In the

" heavy " weight class the winner turned up

in the redoubtable King Dick, whilst the light

weight winner was W. Tupper's Floss. In

the same year was held the first great Inter-

national Dog Show held at the Agricultural

Hall, and here again Lamphier's King Dick

carried all before him in the heavy weight

class, which was now limited to dogs over 2C

lbs., and Orme's Violet took premier honours

in the class for Bulldogs under that weight.

This year Birmingham varied from its old

classification of one class, and provided one for

dogs and another for bitches. King Dick

again turned up the winner in the dogs, and

the same owner's Venom took the first prize

in bitches. In the next year (18G4) at the

second Cremorne Show, two classes were

provided for Bulldogs, King Dick again

winning in the heavy weights, and Tupper's

Brandy secured first prize in the light weights,

and the second International Dog Show at

the Agricultural Hall, in the same year with

Early Dog Shows. 31

two classes over and under 20 lbs., the all-

conquering King Dick again defeated all

coiners in the. heavy weight class, Orme's

Violet doing the same in the light weight class.

At the Birmingham Show of the same year two

classes were provided, one for each sex,

Lamphier's King Dick again winning in dogs,

the same owner carrying off the first prize in

bitches with Madge. This year, another show

was held in Manchester, one class again being

provided for Bulldogs, Mr. Thomas's Gambler

winning. In 1865, the third Great International

Dog Show was held at the Agricultural Hall,

Islington, two classes being provided for Bull-

dogs over and under 20 lbs., King Dick being

again to the fore in heavy weights, whilst in the

light weights the first prize was not awarded.

After this show, the classification for Bulldogs

gradually increased, and we find that at the

Birmingham Show, held in December of that

year, a Champion class for dogs only was

added as well as classes for each sex. King Dick

won the championship. It is notable that at

Manchester this year, the Bulldogs were given

two classes, the classification being for dogs

over and under 12 lbs. ! and in the following

year (1866) the classification was the same. In

18GG, Birmingham dropped its classification

to two classes, one for dogs and another for

bitches, and did the like in 18G7, Manchester

following suit in the same year, and neither

provided any better classification in 1808. In

1869, however, at the first exhibition of the

National Dog Club, held in Islington, matters

took a turn for the better, for the national

breed, and classes were provided for dogs and

bitches, and also a mixed class for specimens

under 21 lbs. Birmingham, however, stuck to

its old classification of two classes this year,

and -Manchester had the same as Birming-

ham. In 1870, the first Crystal Palace

Show was held, but only two classes were

provided for Bulldogs,- and at Birming-

ham the same year, the classification was the

same as before, as it was also at Man-

chester. In 1871 the classification was

better at the Crystal Palace, but not at Bir-

mingham. This year Manchester again sup-

plied a class for each sex. The first Edin-

burgh and Glasgow Shows were held this

year ; only one class was provided.

In 1872, a show was held at Dublin, and

two classes for Bulldogs were provided, while

Glasgow, and Edinburgh's second venture

provided only one class each. At the Crystal

Palace Show, however, the classification was

better. At the Grand National Dog Show

this year, held at Nottingham, it is in-

teresting to note that the dividing weight,

although considerably higher than 12 lbs.,

was'still low, being only 25 lbs. Two classes

were provided. Birmingham this year again

provided two classes and Manchester only

one. The year 1873 found Glasgow with

only one class, and the same may be said

of Dublin, Manchester (Free Trade Hall),

and Edinburgh. At the Crystal Palace Show

this year, the classification remained the same

as in 1872, but the dividing weight was raised

to 30 lbs. At Nottingham the same year

there were two classes, the dividing limit

being 25 lbs., but the Birmingham executive

made an advance in increasing its classifica-

tion to four classes, one each for dogs and

bitches over and under 24 lbs. Manchester

Belle Vue Show had two classes, one each for

dogs and bitches.

The foregoing particulars will afford the

necessary information as to the classification

adopted at early shows. It is unnecessary to

pursue the subject into modern days; it

suffices to say that the breed is well looked

32 Early Dog Shows.

after. Nowadays the classification of Bull-

dogs is all that can be desired; in fact,

so great is the support given to the breed

by Show Committees, and the various Special-

ists' Clubs, that it is generally one of the

best catered-for breeds at all public exhibi-

tions. It is not at all likely that there

will be any diminution in the interest

taken in the breed, for it is so well looked

after and supported by individual fanciers

and societies alike, that it may safely be

predicted that the breed will exist for all time

Modern Bulldogs. 33

CHAPTER V.

MODERN BULLDOGS.—THE PRINCIPAL STRAINS.

THE first Bulldog registered at

the Kennel Club was appro

priately named Adam. This dog

weighed about 30 lbs., and

first saw the light in 1864. He be-

longed to Mr. R. Heathfield and was

bred by Jacob Lamphier. Although

first in order in the initial volume of the

Kennel Club, he was not the earliest dog

referred to in it, for Percival's Captain,

whose name also appears in the first volume,

was born ten years earlier, that is about 1854,

and Stockdale's Gruff was whelped in 1858,

while others whose names occur in the

volume, were also whelped as early as the

"fifties." The pedigrees of many of these

early representatives of the national breed

can, unfortunately, scarcely be relied upon ;

still, the genealogical trees proving the

descent of famous contemporary Bulldogs are

often (historically) of great interest.

Many famous animals among the earlier

specimens were known by peculiar designa-

tions, and this practice applied in some cases

even to their owners. For instance, " Gentle-

man " Brown was the invariable designation

of Mr. H. Brown, of Gilling Lodge,

Hampstead. He owned a lot of Bulldogs,

was an enthusiastic patron of "the fancy,"

and liked a "scrap" as well'as anybody. The

late Mr. Jack Ashburne, too, was better

known in the fancy as "City Jack," and is

even so described in the Kennel Club Stud

Book, whilst another fancier, Mr. Robert

Fulton, is also referred to in it as " Scotch

Bob." "Fakey" Joe, of Sheffield, was

really Mr. Joseph Taylor, a publican and an

ex-butcher of that town. Although he went

in for Bulldogs in early "faking" days, he

did not gain his title through practising the

gentle art of deceiving the judge, but, some

of his friends suggested, from the quality of

his stock in trade as a purveyor of meat.

In many instances the peculiar designations

of the dogs were a matter of necessity, owing to

so many bearing a similar name ; Crib, for in-

stance, is a name which has been applied to

nearly eighty known specimens. No wonder

some of these eighty acquired other designa-

tions to distinguish them from their numerous

namesakes. J. Ford's Crib was also alias

Tom Sayers, and J. Hinck's Crib was also

known as "the cropped dog." This latter

was bred in Paris, the offspring of a Bor-

deaulais Bulldog, out of Slut I., a hare-lipped

sister to King Dick. Mr. G. Blewitt's Crib

was known as " Turk," also as Black wall

Crib, and Turton's Crib was also known as

Sheffield Crib. Some of the earlier speci-

mens acquired their peculiar names from

other causes. Baily's Dan was always known

as the "Penny Dog," not because he was

valued at this sum, but because he was taken

round the country with a caravan and exhi-

34 Modern Bulldogs.

bited, the price of admission being one penny.

The " Penny Dog " was got by Bill George's

Pan, out of Bess, an Irish bitch owned by

Mr. J. Mullins.

Another representative of the national

breed which was taken round the country on

show was Gipsy, the first specimen owned

by Mr. G. W. Richards, who on going to

America left it with " Fakey'' Joe to

dispose of. That gentleman sold it to a show-

man, and it was first exhibited at the Sheffield

Fair as the Champion Bullbitch of the

world.

"Dan the Post Worrier" was another of

the old Dans, the Penny Dog being his sire,

ex Adcock's Puss. The Post Worrier could

not stand the sight of a stick, and always

seized it. He was bought by an officer, who

kept him in the barrack yard chained to a

post, which he ultimately gnawed through,

hence his name.

There are a number of other animals whose

names raise curiosity. Percival's Toss, for

instance, was known as " the Bristol Road

Dog," Steve Kingston's Joe as " the Ken-

sington Dog," Oram's Billy as the " Cremorne

Dog," and " the German's Dog " was really

Brilliant, owned by Mr. Berdetta, whilst Mr.

W. McDonald's Lady, a winner in 18G2, owned

to "the Stratford Dog" as her sire. Then

there is a bitch recorded, whose only descrip-

tion is " the Navigator's Bitch."

Among the earlier Bulldogs there are those,

too, which have become known to posterity

for other than show reasons, such as Mr.

R. Lloyd Price's Michael the Archangel,

who, after winning a prize at the Crystal

Palace in 1870, was eaten during the siege of

Paris in the next year.

Little Dick must have been a somewhat

interesting specimen. He was born in the

sixties, and was a white dog with tulip ears

and a frog mouth. He eventually got dis-

qualified at Hanley, owing to his tulip ears

having been faked.

The first really notable Bulldog on the

show bench was Jacob Lamphier's King

Dick, and he appeared at a time when the

Bulldog, as a show dog, was but at the

beginning of his existence. In those days

there were all sorts of specimens about, of

good, bad, and indifferent quality, and of

all sizes. The small Bulldog was very much

in evidence in the fifties and sixties, so much

so that the dividing weight at the earlier

shows was generally about 20 to 25 lbs., and

even less. This fact has been quoted as an

argument in favour of the French Bulldogs

that have during the past few years

been introduced to the English show bench,

the suggestion being that they are really

English Bulldogs, and a survival of days

when light weight Bulldogs were commonly

seen at shows.

In the Midlands, at the period of which I

am now speaking, there were to be found

quite a number of black Bulldogs, with

pepper-coloured limbs; they were known as

black-backed Bulldogs, but the purity of

their blood is questionable.

In early days the term "rough haired"

was often used, but this did not imply that

they were not smooth coated animals, but

had reference only to the quality of the

coat, and implied a certain degree of coarse-

ness.

Of the winning dogs at the first shows at

which classes for Bulldogs were provided, the

most conspicuous were G. Whitehouse's Rush,

bred in 18G0, T. Spencer's Spring, bred in

185S, J. Percival's Captain, Bill George's

Dan, J. B. Pike's Lord Nelson, R. J. Llovd

Modern Bulldogs. 35

Price's Romanie and Madge, W. McDonald's

Tiny and Wasp, Mike Lee's Kit, J. Hincks

Madman and Rose, F. Adcock's Nelly, H.

Orme's Violet, J. Lamphier's Venom and

Kinj,r Dick. Of the prize winners of those

days King Dick was the first to make a gnat

name in the stud annals of Bulldogdom. This

dog, although one of the earliest specimens

exhibited on the show bench, was a first-class

animal, and as a stud dog he transmitted

his sterling qualities to his progeny and his

career may well be taken as the starting

point from which has proceeded most of the

successful strains of later day Bulldogs. The

dog has often been called " Old King Dick " to

dissociate him from other King Dicks. In

regard to this duplication of names, the

regulation of the Kennel Club preventing it

was a boon to the pedigree student, for the

number of Cribs, Dans, King Dicks, Judys,

Jessies, Joes, Bullys, Billys, Nells, Tumblers,

Duchesses and so forth, became bewildering

and threatened to become chaotic ; indeed,

the loose method of naming Bulldogs in vogue

in early days has in numerous instances

altogether obliterated their identity. Even

the same owners frequently possessed more

than one dog with identical names and even

with identical " sub-titles." Thus there were

two dogs named King Dick II., whilst one of

these also gloried in the name of "Jumbo,*'

"Young Dick/' and "Young King Dick."

Champion or "Old King Dick " was whelped

in 1858, the year previous to that in which

the first Dog Show was held, and he died in

1866. During his show career he carried

off a number of prizes and attained the status

of a champion, but this was not all, for at

stud he was equally successful and was

responsible for the good points of many a

later day specimen, and the successful prize

strains of the present day mostly trace back

to him. He got Meg, the dam of Sir

Anthony and also King Dick II., who in his

turn sired Michael the Archangel already

mentioned. The greatest of all his de-

scendants, however, was the noted Champion

Crib, often called Turton's or Sheffield Crib.

That Champion Crib was a direct descendant

of Champion King Dick on his dam's side

there is no question, but the accuracy of his

pedigree on his sire's side is a matter

that never has and probably never will

be really cleared up. Historically this is

to be regretted, although at this distance of

time it is not of the slightest moment

for breeding purposes. Champion Crib

was bred by Fred Lamphier, of Sheffield, the

son of Jacob Lamphier, of Birmingham, and

was whelped in 1871. In the Kennel Club

Stud Book it is stated that he was by Duke

II., ex Rush, and described as "over251bs."in

weight. He was, however, a dog of over GO

lbs. weight. His pedigree is disputed, as his

3ire is also said to be one of the various

Tumblers, probably the dog of that name by

King Dick II. ex Slut II., and known as

Sheffield Tumbler. Whatever may have

been his parentage on his sire's side, he was

certainly a wonderful specimen, and in the

opinion of such good judges of the breed as

Mr. J. W. Berrie, Mr. G. W. Richards and

others who knew the dog, and have kept in

touch with the breed ever since — which

greatly adds to the value of their opinion at

the present time—he was the best Bulldog

that ever graced a show bench. Crib was a

heavy weight brindle dog, short in back and

limbs, without being in any way a cripple or

monstrosity, with an immense skull- He died

an unbeaten champion whilst in the owner-

ship of the late Mr. Turton. As a show

36 Modern Bulldogs.

specimen, the dog's career was remarkable,

while his reputation as a sire was even more

so, and this descendant of Champion King

Dick became one of the most celebrated stud

dogs of the national breed.

From Champion Crib the four principal

strains of present-day Bulldogs directly

spring, and when the fact is recalled that at

the Bulldog Club Shows held at the Royal

Aquarium in 1892 and 1893 every dog of known

pedigree exhibited at those important shows

had Champion Crib's blood in its veins, the

enormous influence of this dog as a veritable

pillar of the stud book can be better realized.

This dog's blood became so fashionable that

the four great strains which sprang from

him practically over-ran the show bench.

There were, however, many other good dogs

not bred from Champion Crib (although a

number of them trace back to his ancestor King

Dick), which did good service to the breed. Of

these may be mentioned Redmond's Romany,

Fulton's Bowler and Falstaff, G. A. Payne's

Nelly, C. Layton's Billy, Clark's Daisy,

Brent's Boniface, Adcock's Ajax and Affable,

Hincks' Ben and Nell, Billy Shaw's Bill,

Ward's Captain, F. Reeves's The Cure and

Fansy, Bill George's Dan, Parsley's Dan,

Henshall's Duke and Gambler, Stockdale's

Gruff, Pike's Lord Nelson, E. Nichols's

Beauty, Else's Floss, F. Lamphier's Meg, G.

A. Dawes's Alexander, Nell, King Brum,

Maggie Lauder, and Donna, J. Lawrence's

Nettle, Harry Layton's Kit, R. Nichols's

Noble, J. Oswell's Polly, G. Paper's Prince,

and Mr. S. E. Shirley's Beeswing, all these

were prize-winners in the sixties and early

seventies.

In the later seventies, the influence of

Champion Crib began to show itself, and subse-

quently four great prize-winning strains

were established, the members of which have

practically monopolised the prizes at shows

ever since. The first of these strains is that

arising from the union of Champion Crib

with Mr. Berrie's Rose, the second from his

being mated with Mr. F. Lamphier's Meg,

the third from his union with Mr. P. Rust's

Miss Smiff, and the fourth from his union

with Mr. W. Beckett's Kit.

CRIB-ROSE STRAIN

The strain, which goes back to Champion

Crib and Berrie's Rose, commenced through

these two animals being mated by Mr. J. W.

Berrie which produced the wonderfully fine

litter which contained what were subse-

quently known to fame as Champion Monarch,

Champion Gamester, Royal George, Britannia,

and Blister. This litter was whelped on Sep-

tember 17th, 1878, and the best of the lot was

Champion Monarch. He was a heavy weight

brindle, with a white mark on brisket, and

died in 1885, surviving his brother, Gamester,

by a couple of years. He was eventually

sold to Mr. D. S. Oliver, of Clifton, who

exhibited him at Birmingham in 1880, where

he was disqualified for having his ear faked,

and this at the zenith of his fame! Mr.

Oliver's honour was never questioned, but

the matter was a disagreeable one, and

so disgusted was Mr. Oliver that he soon left

the breed. He, however, showed the dog at

the Kennel Club Alexandra Palace Show,

directly after the Birmingham Show, and won,

and yet it was not disqualified, although the

objection at Birmingham had been laid by Mr.

S. E. Shirley, the Chairman of the Kennel

Club. Champion Gamester, also a brindle,

was not the equal of his illustrious brother for

he possessed a pair of bad ears. He was,

however, greatly used at stud and his

Modern Bulldogs.

title indicates the prizes he won. Game-

ster, then in the ownership of Mr. S. J.

Smith, died of rabies after having bitten Mr.

J. W. Berrie. Mr. Berrie suffered no ill effects

from the bite, a most fortunate circum-

stance as the dog was hopelessly mad.

Royal George, who was a white and brindie,

was not by any means a "flyer." He had,

however, sterling qualities and notably a

fine under jaw, a point in which Monarch

and Gamester were both deficient. Britannia

was also a really good bitch. The perpetua-

tion of the Crib-

Rose strain in this litter

was well sustained by Monarch, Gamester,

and Royal George. Monarch got Cham-

pion British Monarch, owned by various

fanciers and ultimately by Mr. Sam Woodi-

wiss who gave £175 for it, then a record

price for a Bulldog.

Mr. Alfred Benjamin's bitch Champion

Britomartis too was sired by Champion

Monarch, and she on one occasion performed

the feat of beating all the exhibits at a Bull-

dog Club Show. She was ultimately sold to

go to America. Monarch also got Champion

Wheel of Fortune, a beautiful lemon and

white bitch, who won numerous prizes

whilst owned by Mr. J. W. Gurney, and

later by Mrs. W. H. Sprague.

Next may bo mentioned Monarch's son,

Champion Taurus, who won numerous prizes

tor her breeder, Mr. J. H. Ellis, and this dog

in its turn got Bill Richardson, whose stuffed

remains were afterwards placed over the

portal of the boxing room at the Blue Anchor,

Sfaoreditoh. Lord Yarmouth, a good brindle

and white heavy weight, was a son of Bill

Richardson. Still, dealing with Monarch,

we find he also got that fine specimen, Mr.

C. E. Bartlett's Monarch III., who sired

Mr. Cyril F. W. Jackson's little bitch

Sally Scattercash, who only scaled 231bs.,

Monarch also sired Mrs. Ida Roberto's Young

Monarch, who sired the apple-headed, yet fine

specimen, Mr. T. J. Barnes's Phulax. The dog

Nap was also sired by Monarch, who, and in

his turn, sired Mr. J. H. Ellis's Champion

Pathfinder, a wonderfully turned-up jawed

dog, who sired Mr. G. R. Murrell's King Lud,

Mr. J. H. Ellis's Tom Boy and Holy Friar,

Mr. II. Peabody's Found It, and Mr. W. J.

Pegg's Wild Fang, who was the sire of

Mrs. Peabody's Eirst Attempt, and Mr. G.

R. Murrell's Ivan, who was the sire of

Mrs. C. E. C. Clarke's Mersham Charmer

Mrs. Marley's Pressmoor Eestus was also sired

by Pathfinder. He was soon lost to English

breeders, as he was exported to America, but

in his old age Mr. W. H. Eord re-imported

him, but, alas ! too late to be of any benefit

to the breed.

Before finally taking leave of Champion

Monarch, the progeny of his illustrious son,

Champion British Monarch, must be referred

to. As a stud dog British Monarch did not

shine as much as might have been expected,

still he got some good ones, notably Mr. A.

M. Hodgson's Champion Harper, Mr. S. J.

Smith's Carrie, Mr. G. W. Richard's Sheffield

Monarch, who became the sire of Mr. W.

Oliver's Save Monarch, and Mr. W. H.

Sprague's, Sprague's Rose. British Monarch

also sired Lady de Clifford's Queen

Rose,Mr. Stevens's German Monarch, and Mr.

J. G. W. James's Little Bricks. Queen Rose

was undoubtedly the best of his progeny, and

her early death was a great loss to the breed.

German Monarch was a fair specimen only,

but greatly sought after for stud purposes,

for he and his sister, the beautiful Queen

Rose, besides being sired by Champion British

Monarch, had for their dam the celebrated

38 Modern Bulldogs.

Champion Dryad, formerly known as Rosa

Belle. German Monarch was put to an

enormous number of good bitches, and in view

of tins must be considered really a failure at

stud. He, however, got Mr. W. H. Ford's

White Venn and Village Maid, and Lady de

Clifford's Orphan Lad. Mr. A. M. Hodgson's

Champion Harper sired General Roberts, who

got Mrs. Marley's Felton Chance It and Mrs.

C. B Evans's Ivel Doctor. Harper is also to

be credited with being the sire of Mr. Hodg-

son's Heathen, the sire of Mr. Guy Boothby's

Champion Monkey Brand.

The strain as perpetuated through

Champion Gamester was equally success-

ful. The following owe their existence to

Gamester : Champion Diogenes, Champion

Gladstonekoff, Bruce II., the beautiful bitch

Acme, Empress V., Bend'or, Blucher, Master

Kildare, Dona Sol and Maritana (the

two latter the foundation of the late

Mr. J. S. Pybus Sellons' successful kennel),

Susan, Alaric, Sweet Briar, Emperor, and

President Garfield. The last-named was

a large dog, and like the same owner's

Gladstonekoff won many prizes under

the late Mr. J. W. Gurney's colours, and

aired Zeus the sire of Sheffield Barry, who

sired those splendid fawns, Mr. A. J. Sewell's

Champion Queer Street, and Mrs. Fletcher's

Regent Street Prince, as well as Mr.

C. L. Roger's Bayrhum and Mr. Smaelen's

Queen Lena. Mr. McDonald's Bruce II. just

referred to, sired Mr. Frank Crowther's

excellent bitch, Enfield Tartlet, and The

Alderman, who sired that famous Champion,

Mr. A. P. Beresford Hope's Bedgebury Lion.

As a puppy, this white and brindle-marked

dog created an immense sensation when shown

for the first time at nine months old at the

Bulldog Club Show at the Central Hall,

Holborn. The Alderman also sired Mr. J. B.

Campbell's Satan II., and Bedgebury Lion

got Mr. F. Thayre'a Zohara. Bruce II.

also sired Mr. G. Ure's The Antiquary,

also known as Master Biuce,who, in his turn

sired Mr. R. D. Thomas's Stratton Billy, Mr.

Sam Woodiwiss's Boom-de-Ay, Mr. Alfred

Robinson's Bingo, and Mr. J. H. Ellis's Captain

Jack. Bruce II. also sired Mr. II. Thompson's

Shylock, who sired Mr. H. C. Brookes' Baby

Bacchus. Mr. Harry Lay ton's Bend'or also did

good service for the strain, for in the first place,

he got Mr. George Raper's Champion Rustic

King, who sired his Rustic Model, and Mr. J.

H. Ellis's Semolina. Bend'or also got Dick

II. who sired Mr. J. T. Reid's beautiful

bitch, Champion Magic and Mr. J. H. Ellis's

Champion Guido, the sire of Mr. S. E. Shir-

ley's Firemaster, Messrs. Morford and Rust's

Ripon, and Mr. W. W. Crocker's Hushmueh.

Returning again to Gamester, we find that

he was the sire of Mr. A. P. By ford's

Spartan, who got Mr. Gardiners' Brooklyn

Return, who sired Mr. G. R. Murrell's

Dunster Lad, who was responsible for Mr.

Jack Ashburne's dudley, Our Dick. Gamester

also got Mr. G. W. Mayhew's Bendigo, who

sired his Slasher, who became the sire of Mr.

A. Pemberton's Johnny Morgan.

Gamester's eon, Alaric, also did good

service in getting Pagan, for that dog sired

that marvellous - headed specimen, Mr.

Murrell's King Orry, whilst he, in his turn,

got Mr. Crabtree's Champion Boomerang (one

of the very best ever whelped), and Champion

Katerfelto, Mr. Cassell's Champion Facey

Romford, and Mr. O'Mahony's President

Carnot, the sire of Mr. R. Tidman's Duke

of Albemarle. Facey Romford sired Mr.

Eumorfopoulos' Forlorn '94. Alaric also sired

Mr. E. H. Naylor's Ashton Billy, and Mr. C.

Modern Bulldogs. 39

R. C. King's Black Prince, which latter sired

Kettering Jumbo, who in his turn got Mr. J.

W. Ross's good bitch, Salvo. Black Prinoe

also got Mr. C. E. Bartlett's Tonic, sire of

Messrs. C. F. W. and K. Jackson's Bladud

and Holy Terror. Black Prince also sired

Pair Prince, who got Mr. J. B. Gheude's

Leonidas, and Mr. J. Sandle's Lord Nelson

III., who got Mrs. \V. W. Crocker's Lady

Hamilton IT. Champion Boomerang sired

Mr. A. Mutter's Yorker and Mr. G. R.

Murrell's Katapult.

The third and last of Champion Crib's litter

which assisted to perpetuate the Crib-Rose

strain was the dog Royal George who,

though not so successful a sire as his more

illustrious brothers, it must be allowed had

never the same opportunities. He got, how-

ever, Prince George, and Mr. P. Rust's

Adrastus (a good - headed animal, but

deformed in the front leg) and the prize

winning curiosity Fisherman. Some voted

this latter a monstrosity, but the fact is he

was a little before his time, and had he

appeared at the close of the 19th century

instead of in the year 1880 lie would have been

in great demand at stud and a force to reckon

with on the Show bench. Adrastus got

Jumbo VIII. who sired Mr. J. Stichbury's

good dog .lummy. Adrastus also got Royal

Rogue the sire of Mr. C. F. W. Jackson's

The Graven Tmage.

CRIB-MEG STRAIN.

As the result of mating Champion Crib with

Mr. F. Lamphier's Meg, a bitch of less than

20 lbs. weight, a strain was established which

has among its representatives some of the best

dogs seen on the show bench. The litter

responsible for its establishment was that

containing the dog known to the Bulldog

world as Tiger, a brindle dog, and an

admittedly faked specimen. Fred Lamphier

owned the dog and put it to a bitch which

"Fakey" Joe, of Sheffield, had bought for him

for three sovereigns. The result was four

puppies, which Lamphier named Thunder,

Lightning, Storm, and Rain—three dogs and

a bitch (Rain). The litter soon got notorious

through being shown and disqualified by Mr.

.1. W. Berrie, the judge, at the Nottingham

Show of 1875, upon the ground that the whole

lot were faked. Upon Thunder being after-

wards shown at Wolverhampton he was again

disqualified and yet a third time at the Bull-

dog Club Show. The allegation was that

the dogs had been cut under the upper lips.

Thunder passed into the hands of Mr. G. Raper

who re-named him Richard Coeur-de-Lion and

under Mr. Raper's colours, notwithstanding

rebuffs in its infancy, the dog had a celebrated

career, and in the end died a Champion,

covered with show bench honours. He was

the sire of Beaconsfield, who got Mr. J. Muir

Drew's Ninepins, and Thornfield, the sire of

Mr. J. W. Baker's Aston Thornfield. The

pup, which was named Lightning, was also

a good one, and passed into the hands of Mr.

Peace, and, under the name of Duke, won

important prizes. Storm came to a sad end,

being poisoned, and history does not record

the fate of Rain.

Mr. Raper's Rosy Cross was also one of this

strain, being got by Tiger, as was his Cham-

pion Redowa and Ringleader, and Mr. Clay's

Duke, who got Byron II., who sired Mr.

Raper's Rabagas; but one of the most useful

animals belonging to this strain, and of which

Tiger was the progenitor, was the late Mr. Fred

Reeve's Crib, who worthily upheld the reputa-

tion of the strains founded by his illustrious

grand-sire, Turton's Crib. Reeve's Crib was

the sire of that beautiful bitch, the late Mr. J.

4 0 Modern Bulldogs.

S. Pybus Sellon's Champion Queen Mab, who,

on one occasion, beat all the dogs and bitches

at a Bulldog Club Show. It is a curious fact

in connection with the breeding of this bitch,

who was destined to become one of the best of

Bull bitches, that she was sired by Reeve'fl

Crib when ho was but ten months old, and

the service of her dam, Mab, was an acci-

dental one. Another notable son of Reeve's

Crib was Mr. Sam Woodiwiss's Champion

Forceps, who also won numerous prizes under

the colours of the late Dr. Bedel Benison

and sired the former's good bitch. Cham-

pion Blackberry, who, incidentally here, it

may be remarked, was the dam of Mr.

Woodiwiss's Champion Baron Sedgemere,

Champion Boas and Champion Battledora,

and Mr. George R. Sims's Barney Barnato,

but these really belong to another branch of

Champion Crib's strains. Also numbered

among his progeny were Mr. R. D. Thomas's

Orient Forceps and the Duke of Glos'ter, who

got Mr. G. E. Taylor's Bully Boy II. Forceps

also sired Mr. J. Davis's Lion Seeker, the

sire of Mr. A. E. Baker's Aston Lion, who

got Mr. J. W. Ross's Champion Blackwall

Beauty, Mr. A. E. Baker's Aston Bit of

Fashion, Mr. Sam Woodiwiss's Master John

Bull, and Mr. A. Mutter's Fresh Start.

Aston Lion also sired Mr. W. G. Smartt's

Royal Duke, who got Mr. Guy Boothby's

Black Watch and Mr. II. A. Marfleet's

Champion Bromley Crib.

Mrs. W. H. Sprague's Champion Grabber,

another celebrated son of Reeve's Crib,

who died in the ownership of Mr. J. H.

Ellis, was a celebrated prize winner, and did

good service at stud. He sired Mr. J. W.

Ross's Tomsh, Mr. J. H. Ellis's Saleni, Mr.

Edgar Farman's Champion Ruling Passion,

Mr. A. J. Smith's Bo'swain, Mr. H. Shaw's

Enfield Grabber, Mr. J. Muir Drew's Grabber

II., Mr. J. S. Pybus Sellons' Diomed, Mr. F.

Stevens's Claudian, Mr.Fred Nash's Champion

Dolores, and Mr. A. Best's Oswego—truly a

notable list. Of this bevy of specimens

Saleni, Champion Ruling Passion, Grabber

II., and Champion Dolores stand out promi-

nently. Ruling Passion, besides giving birth

to a most celebrated litter, also performed

the feat under Mr. Farman's colours of

carrying off the Kennel Club Prize

at the Bulldog Club's Show in 1894

for the best dog or bitch in the show.

Oswego, it should be noted, sired the bitch

Mischief, who Mr. J. S. Pybus Sellon

matched at £50 to £5 against Mr. Preece's

Young Dolly, and got beaten. This, how-

ever, did not alter the fact that she was a most

beautiful bitch, and at public auction directly

afterwards was purchased by Mr. Alfred

George for £80 on an American commission.

Enfield Grabber sired Mr. Pearson's Ashton

Duke, who got Messrs. Lewis and Everill's

Despot.

Of other dogs got by Reeve's Crib, Jolly

Sailor should be named as the sire of Mr. Joe

Davis's Bull Ring Nell and Bull Ring Rose.

Crib also sired Mr. W. P. Laing's Lord Mar-

mion, Dr. Bedel Benison's Sir Tristan, and

Mr. J. S. Pybus Sellon's Dandelion, who main-

tained the reputation of the Crib — Meg

Strain, by getting a lob of good stock, notably

the celebrated "little big 'un," Mr. Sam

Woodiwiss's Champion Dockleaf, bred by

Mr. Sellon. This dog had a short and brilli-

ant career, and was the bone of much conten-

tion, by some deemed to be a wonder, and by

others declared to be a monstrosity or cripple.

He was only once beaten on the show bench

(by Champions Ruling Passion and Guido),

but suffered defeat in the match with

Modern Bulldogs. 41

Mr. A. J. Smith's Champion His Lordship,

and again in the walking match against

Mr. George Murrells King Orry, events

which were fully described in my History

of the .Bulldog Club. As a stud dog he

had little chance of showing his qualities,

but there is no doubt of his excellence, for even

with the little opportunity he had he gave

evidence pf his worth by getting such excel-

lent specimens as Mr. J. S. Pybus Sellon's

Donax, Mr. Charles Hathaway's beautiful

bitch Homestead Lady Dockleaf, and Mr.

Sam Woodiwiss's Baronius. Donax in his

turn sired Mr. E. K. Austin's Delaware.

Mr. Alfred Robinson's Aurora was another

beautiful bitch got by Dandelion and Mr.

W. G. Smartt's Smartt's Punch, too, was

an excellent heavy weight got by this

dog. He also sired Mr. Sellon's Dabchick

and Dacoit (the latter being known as

Stonewall Jackson when the property of Mr.

G. W. Richards), Mr. J. L. Peacock's Great

Govan and Mr. Edgar Farman's Evil Beast

and Defendant.

Another notable son of Champion Crib be

longing to the same strain was Sir Anthony, a

white dog, who did a lot of winning for Captain

Holdsworth. This dog also got some good

stock, and sired among others Mr. W. Oliver's

Champion Rozelle, Lord Mandeville's Slen-

derman, which was originally named Gordon

Murray, and Captain Holdsworth's Doon

Brae. All these dogs did a lot of winning

and rendered good service at stud. Doon

Brae sired some good ones, and Slenderman

also established a reputation in the same

way, and got, among others, Conqueror, the

sire of that good specimen Surplice. Sir

Anthony also got Mr. W. N. Parson's

Champion Billy, who got Mr. S. G. Parker's

Baby II.

CRIB-MISS SMIFF STRAIN.

The third strain which was established

by the redoubtable Bulldog Champion Crib

was that which resulted from the litter for

which he and Mr. P. Russ's Miss Smiff

wera responsible. This union produced

Mr. S. E. Shirley's fine specimen of the

breed Champion Sancho Panza, a fawn

dog, bred by Mr. P. Rust, which won

numerous prizes under the colours of the

Chairman of the Kennel Club, dying in the

Ettington Park Kennels in 1887 at the ripe

age of nearly eleven years. It cannot for one

moment be contended that Champion Crib's

son Champion Sancho Panza was the fore-

runner of a long lineage of prize winners such

as Crib's sons Monach Gamester, Royal

George and Tiger were, still Sancho Panzo

distinctly influenced the breed in his day and

his immediate descendants were extremely

successful and his blood flows in the veins of

many a specimen who perhaps comes within

the category of other strains. And in this

respect it may be as well to say that although

a dog may belong to a particular strun it

does not thereby follow that he may not be

closely connected with another. In this work

in dealing with the strains of Champion Crib

I have adopted the Salic method and traced

down the offspring on the male side and by

following this system, for which we have the

best of precedents in the human race, I have

found it possible to indicate in a systematic

way the main strains from which the modern

Bulldog is derived.

Lord Nelson, owned by Mr. J. B. Wilkes,

was one of Sancho Panza's best progeny.

He was bred by Mr. Tom Ball. Lord

Nelson in his time got a lot of good stock,

and the very pretty and good bitch, Mr.

A. P. Byford's Lady Nelson, was by no

42 Modern Bulldogs.

means the least celebrated of his progeny.

She won a lot of prizes and was a really

beautiful light weight. Empress III. was

another good one. This bitch was destined

to become the dam of Champion Diogenes.

Lord Nelson got Sir Garnet Wolsley, the sire

of Cameron, who in his turn became the pro-

genitor of Mr. C. G. Hopton's L'Ambassador.

Captain Houldsworth's Faust was another of

this strain, being got by Sancho Panza, and

did a lot of winning, and besides getting other

stock he sired Mr. J. II. Ellis's Champion

Ida. The same owner's Champion Bellisima

too claimed Champion Sancho Panza as her

sire. She was a heavy weight brindle. Cer-

vantes was another good one of Sancho

Panza's get, and also were Farewell, Don Quix-

ote and Julius Ctesar. Julius Caesar in his

turn got Lambkin, who got Wadsley Jack.who

got Mr. R. G. S. Mann's John of the Funnel

the sire of Mr. Walter Jefferies's Rodney

Stone. This strain is noticeable as re-

sponsible for bitches producing good

progeny which following their paternal

ancestry belong to another strain.

CRIB.—KIT STRAIN.

Besides the strains already alluded to,

Champion Crib was responsible for a fourth,

established by his breeding with Mr. W.

Beckett's Kit, through their offspring Mr.

Vero Shaw's Sepoy. This dog was bred in

1S74, and won important prises, but more

interesting to later day fanciers is the fact

that he sired Mr. W. H. Hudson's dudley

nosed Sahib, who got Mr. J. W. Ross's

Don Carlos, the sire of his Don Leon, and

who in his turn got Mr. W. T. Davis's Ilford

Mikado. Sahib's best get, however, was

certainly the celebrated stud dog and prize

winner, Mr. W. H. Sprague's Don Pedro.

This latter dog, although a direct lineal

descendant of Champion Crib, had less

of that dog's blood in him than many

of his contemporaries. Don Pedro was

a London-bred one—full of old London

blood, and himself besides being, as we

have seen, the great grandson of an illustrious

great grandsire, was in his turn the sire of

some illustrious specimens. Mr. Sam Woodi-

wiss's Champion Dryad, Mr. W. H. Ford's

Champion Don Salano, Mr. Harding Cox's

Bilali, Mr. E. W. Jaquet's Ayessha, Mr.

Fred Reeve's Stockwell, Mr. J. Muir Drew's

Champion Kitty Cole, Mr. A. J. Smith's

Champion His Lordship, Mr. Tod's Stiletto,

Mr. Edgar Farman's Champion Cigarette and

Felon, and Mr. C. L. Roger's Dona Disdain,

were all sons and daughters of this noted stud

dog. Mr. Tod's Exodus was sired by Moses,

who was got by Don Pedro. Certainly Don

Pedro has left his mark most distinctly upon

the modern Bulldog, and the success of his

more remote has proved as successful as that

of his immediate descendants. Incidentally I

may say here that his daughter, Champion

Dryad, was the dam of Lady de Clifford's

Queen Rose, who would most assuredly have

been a champion had she lived. Mr. W. H.

Ford's Don Salano was a successful son of Don

Pedro, both at stud and on the show bench.

He sired amongst others that capital little

bitch, Mr. R. D. Thomas's Champion

Bicester Beauty and Bicester Daisy, Mr. S.

Longmore's Orient Don, Mr. A. S. Coxon's

Cyclops, Mr. J. B. Joel's Lord Francis

and Don Alexis, and Mr. W. H. Ford's

Ivy Leaf, Don Alexis became the sire of

Mr. E. A. Vicary's Primula, Mr. W. J. Pegg's

Don Cervantes and Woodcote Galtee More,

and Mrs. W. II. Ford's Catalina. Don Salano

also got M r. Ford's Champion Petramosse,and

Dona Venn. Another of Don Pedro offspring,

Modern Bulldogs. 43

Stockwell, although not a show specimen, was

certainly useful at stud, for this dog, on being

put to Dextrine by Mr. Sellon, the result was

Champion Dimboola. He also got Mr.

Sellon's Dairymaid, Mr. K. D. Thomas's

Balaclava, and excelled himself when he sired

the famous litter of which Blackberry was

the dam, containing Mr. Sam Woodiwiss's

Champion Baron Sedgemere, Champion Boas

and Champion Battledora and Mr. Gr. K.

Sims' Barney Barnato. Another of Stock well's

get was Mr. G. G. Tod's Housewife, his Queen

of Slieba was also got by a member of this

strain, her sire being Champion His Lordship.

His Lordship, in addition to getting Queen of

Sheba, also got Lady de Clifford's Cats Eye,

and Mrs. G. J. A. Oliphant's Chatley Nob,

Mr. Murrell's Lady Essex, and Captain C. E.

Le Poer Trench's dogs Crust and Crumbs.

Stiletto sired Mr. G. G. Tod's King Soloman.

Champion Dimboola sired Mr. Jeffenes' Dick

Swiveller, who in his turn got the typical little

bitch, Mr. E. K. Austin's True Type.

In this chapter I have endeavoured to deal

with the principal modern strains of Bulldogs

in such a manner that the reader can

at once appreciate the fact that practically

the whole of the present day show Bulldogs

trace directly back through one or other of the

strains I have dealt with to Champion Crib or

that still more ancient specimen King Dick.

Possibly there are some animals whose male

ancestry steer clear of these venerable Pillars of

the Bulldog Stud Book, and in earlier show

days a number of such naturally did exist. Old

Sixpence, otherwise known as Tramp, might

be named as a dog probably not belong-

ing to any of the foregoing strains. He

was a dog that was got by Blondin,

a dog sired by Nelson, whose pedigree

is unknown. Sixpence was the sire of

King Cole, whose blood Mr. Selon used

so much as a cross out from the Crib

strain. This dog sired King Cole Juniors

an excellent specimen. Champion Alexander

and Champion Duke, the latter bred by the

Duke of Hamilton, both deserve mention as

animals not coming within the King Dick

or Crib strains. It would,however, be unprofit-

able to enter into an enumeration of the

various dogs which twenty-five years ago then

traced their pedigrees back, along strains

different to those which have since predomin-

ated, and been built up during the last quarter

of a century, and, in concluding this chapter

I will merely remark that some excellent

specimens have from time to time cropped up

on the show bench whose pedigrees are

unknown and ever will be. One of the most

notable of these was Mr. Sam Woodiwiss's

white Champion Dog Datholite, and among

other notable specimens exhibited in more

modern days, whose parentage never will be

known, may be mentioned, Mr. H. Peabody's

The Unknown, Mr. Egg's Bully II., and Mr.

S. Woodiwiss's Romance.

44 Description of a Bulldog.

CHAPTER VI.

DESCRIPTION OF A BULLDOG AND SCALE OF POINTS.

THE standard of points of a perfectly-

formed Bulldog, drawn up by The

Bulldog Club (Incorporated) and

which will be found set out at

the conclusion of this chapter, is a carefully-

compiled description of an ideal Bulldog. If

the reader has once mastered the Bulldog

Club's description, and can also apply it, he

should be a good judge of the breed. It is

one thing, however, to read a formal descrip-

tion, and altogether another to apply it, and

those who are inexperienced in the breed can

only become experts by constant observation

of the various specimens exhibited at the

many shows now held.

A good plan for the novice to adopt is, first

to read up the description, and having obtained

such a general idea as it conveys to him, pro-

ceed to seek out an acknowledged crack, and

carefully study its formation, point by point.

The student will, by this means, get a basis in

his mind to work upon. It's no use to know

that a Bulldog should have a Well-turned-up

under-jaw, without knowing what extent of

turn-up amounts to a well-turned-up one.

Again, take the temples or frontal bones.

There should be " very prominent, broad,

square and high," but it would tax the ability

of the smartest to grasp the amount of breadth,

squareness and elevation without actual obser-

vation and comparison. And this leads me

to say that, by comparison only, can a proper

knowledge of the points of the breed be

acquired.

The best possible plan by which to acquire

knowledge of the points of the breed, and

which I have adopted myself when desiring to

describe a Bulldog's points to others, is to

place a good specimen and a rank bad one

side by side, and go through all the points one

by one, comparing those possessed by the good

dog with those of the bad one. By following

this course, the various points can be easily

and readily grasped, and what should and

what should not be, quickly fixed in the

mind.

The standard description of points of the

old English Bulldog was drawn up by the

Bulldog Club in 1875, after most careful

enquiries amongst the most prominent

breeders, and the comparison of one or two

descriptions then existing and formulated by

enthusiastic owners in the very early days of

the breed's existence as a show dog.

The institution of dog shows and the con-

sequent xhibition of dogs for competition on

the show point principle necessitated, as in all

other breeds, the establishment of an accepted

code of points whereby the breeder could have

a guide, and the judge a standard to place in

their proper positions the dogs paraded before

him. Probably the earliest of these descrip-

Description of a Bulldog, 45

tions was that drafted by that very old time

fancier, Jacob Lamphier, of Birmingham.

The description, however, which the Bull-

dog Club found of the greatest service, and a

great portion of which it adopted, was that

drafted by Mr. Samuel Wickens, and known as

the Philo-Kuon standard, it being issued under

that nom de plume in the year 1864, and pub-

lished in February of the following year. The

cause of the drafting of this particular standard

of points was the establishment about that time

by Mr. Rockstro and his friends of a club

called The Bulldog Club, whose career was

very short and whose only work was the

drafting of this description. If the Club did

nothing else, it carried out a most important

piece of work in thus recording the views of

those most capable in those days of giving an

opinion upon the points and properties of the

national breed.

I am enabled to give an exact reproduction,

from an original copy in the possession of Mr.

J. W. Berne, of this extremely interesting

document, interesting not only on account of

its antiquity in bench competition annals, but

also by reason of the peculiarity of some of

the views expressed in it.

The reader will observe the general " get-

up " of this record of what the national dog

should be, its quaint wording and the general

idea running through the whole description

that of a dog, powerful, yet active and

courageous in the extreme, and never beaten

until life is extinct. Such is the train of

thought which must pass through the minds

of all those who peruse the lines which con-

stitute the Thilo-Kuon description.

"The British Bulldog is a majestic.ancient

animal, very scarce, much maligned, and, as

a rule, very little understood," is the open-

ing statement in the descriptive head note,

which, by the way, discloses the fact that

the word Bulldog was then a hyphenated

word. The description further records

that "if treated with kindness, often noticed,

and frequently with his master, he is a quiet

and tractable dog." Doubtless this was a

very fair description of the breed in those

days, so far as temperament went. Many

will draw a long breath on reading that he

was an extraordinary water dog, but, as a

matter of fact, there were plenty of specimens

years ago who would readily take to the water

Mr. J. W. Ross, Borne years ago, possessed speci-

mens which were wonderful water dogs. These

would spring into the water from a height

of fifteen feet, and bring ashore heavy

planks and even anchor buoys, and other

instances might be quoted to prove that

Rhilo-Kuon's statement was quite correct,

whatever may be the objection to water

often displayed by present day specimens.

It is further stated that " He is the boldest

and most resolute of animals," and "there

is nothing a good Bulldog will not attack,

and ever brave and unappalled, with match-

less courage he will give up only with life

itself." Altogether the opening statements

are descriptive of an animal the embodi-

ment of pluck, tenacity and British char-

acter, and it concludes with the remarkable

statement that this noble dog becomes " de-

generate abroad," and the reminder that the

Bulldog is in truth "a national animal, and is

perfectly identified with old England, and he

is a dog of which Englishmen may be proud."

Up-to-date breeders, pause and think : Is

this the sort of animal you are breeding to-

day ?

Such is the description which, in the

year 1864, well-known breeders accepted,

and, in formal manner, adopted as correct,

46 Description of a Bulldog.

and although a little high flown, there is no

doubt that it fitted Bulldogs of that time a

great deal better than it does those of present-

day specimens. In fact, to pause a moment

before a pampered champion nowadays, and

endeavour to imagine the heart and ability of

his ancestors inside him, will produce a

feeding of sadness in the observer at the

painful results of inbreeding for points.

From one extreme breeders have gone to the

other, and the national dog in many in-

stances is not possessed of those characteristics

of which he always figures as tin; emblem

Excellent as an example of distorting

nature by patient imbreeding, the average

Bulldog is a harmless, good-natured, un-

wieldy specimen of caninity, able to get

along very fairly by himself. Friendly with

all, he is a manufactured article—a mass of

show points.

A comparison of the standard of the Bull-

dog Club with that of Philo-Kuon reveals the

fact that the two are, in a general way,

identical. In certain particulars they differ,

but as a whole, both aim at describing the

same beau ideal. The contents of both docu-

ments disclose that their authors had the

same ideas in view, and that the perfect

dog in the minds of the authors of the one

was the same perfect dog which was in the

minds of the authors of the other, a thick-

set, powerful, moderately cloddy big-skulled,

short-faced, heavy-boned animal.

In some of its details, the descriptions

differ, as, for instance, in connection with

ears. Philo-Kuon's standard specifically

allows tulip ears, as well as button and

rose, and no distinction whatever is made in

their value from a show point of view.

The standard description of the Bulldog Club

whilst not expressly denouncing these tulip

and button ears does not mention either, and

simply says the shape termed rose ear is the

most correct. No doubt the number of tulip

and button-eared specimens about in Philo-

Kuon's day was answerable for the inclusion

of these types of ears in his standard.

Again in tails, the references materially

differ, Philo-Kuon's standard mentioning a

formation of the caudal appendage which

does not appear in the Bulldog Club standard ;

the tail, by the way, seems to be the very

last point breeders take the smallest trouble

about, so long as the animal does not get it

over its back, and it is not coarse. Speaking

of tails, doubtless the attempts to get heavier

bone all through has caused them to become

thicker, a whip tail did once exist but only

on light-boned dogs.

In connection with the various points of a

Bulldog, it is curious to note how great a part

the fashion of the hour plays in the breeding

of Bulldogs and their respective positions in

the judging ring. As surely as fashion pre-

vails and changes among the fair sex, so surely

does fashion prevail and change in connection

with the various points of a Bulldog in theeyes

of the fancy. How long the cycle of time lasts

before the old long-sought-for and bred-to-

point again becomesthe point above all things

to breed to, I do not pretend to say, but it is

an incontrovertible fact that certain points

come, go and return again in estimation and

value. For instance, dog breeders are at

one time all for size of skull and head, and

weedy animals with good heads are often in the

running, whilst in another period bodies are all

the rage, and a good headed dog, with a moder-

ate body, may at times think himself lucky

to get into the money, when a plainer-faced

good-bodied specimen is about. At one time

the great essential is a mass of wrinkles, whilst

Description of a Bulldog. 47

at another this is not so requisite as a well out

at shoulder front. No doubt the cause of

these fashions is that so soon as breeders have

succeeded in attaining their object in one

direction they turn their attention to another.

The prevailing fashion of the past ten years

has been to breed Bulldogs extremely cloddy,

short-backed, and low to the ground, and

therefore necessarily not so active as in

times gone by.

Inbreeding has been going on to an

alarming extent with the result that whilst

the dog has been reduced to the required

shape, his temperament and activity have been

seriously impaired. In fact, so much so that

an important deletion was made a few

years ago in the standard description so

as to make it the better fit the dog. This

deletion was the statement in the standard

that " the outline of Rosa in the picture

of Crib and Rosa is considered to nearly

approach perfection in shape, make, and size

of the ideal type of the Bulldog." Rosa

after having been held up by Philo-Kuon

in his standard as possessing a perfect

shape ; after having run the gauntlet of adop-

tion by the first Bulldog Club; after having,

ten years later, been adopted by the present

Club and after having retained the honourable

position in its standard for nearly a quarter of

a century, the committee of the Bulldog

Club in the year 1894 ruthlessly dragged

her from her high estate and cast her away

because, forsooth, the present day animals

will not fit her beautiful outline. Tempora

mutantur.

By the old school this act on the part of the

Bulldog Club was considered little short of

vandalism. Whether the Club was right or

wrong is not for me to decide. Certain it is that

fashion has decreed for the moment that

the English Bulldog should not be what Rosa

was, and her retention became a farce in con-

sequence of the continued disregard to her

model by the judges one and all.

So much for the past, but for practical pur-

poses, the present must be dealt with, and the

student of the Bulldog must turn to the stan-

dard for information for present-day practical

use. The description of the English Bulldog

accepted all the world over is that of the

Bulldog Club (Incorporated.) It was drawn

up by the Bulldog Club in 1875, after careful

consideration, and after ascertaining the

views of old breeders upon the subject, and

is as follows :—

The Bulldog.

Standard Description of the Correct Appear-

ance and the several points in Detail of a

Perfectly-formed Bulldog.

In forming a judgment on any specimen of

the breed, the general appearance—which is

the first impression the clog makes as a whole

on the eye of the judge—should be first con-

sidered.

Secondly, should be noticed its size, shape,

and make, or rather its proportions in the

relation they bear to each other.

(No point should be so much in excess of

the others as to destroy the general sym-

metry, or make the dog appear deformed, or

interfere with its powers of motion, &c.)

Thirdly, his style, carriage, gait, temper,

and his several points should be considered

separately in detail, as follows, due allow-

ance being made for the bitch, which is not

so grand or as well developed as a dog :—

1. The general appearance of the Bulldog

is that of a smooth-coated thick-set dog,

rather low in stature, but broad, powerful,

and compact. Its head strikingly massive,

and large in proportion to the dog's size. Its