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