The Golden Retriever
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Text and illustrations
by Ria Hörter
Without any doubt, the Golden Ret-riever is one of the most popular dog breeds in the world. It has been in the Top 10 AKC dog registrations every year since 1976.
The history of this breed can be found in many books and documents, but still there are different versions of its origins. For example, there’s the one in the Book of the Golden Retriever (1932) by Mrs. Winnifred M. Charlesworth. Her theory was that a Scottish nobleman, Sir Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks (1820-94), since 1880 the 1st Baron Tweedmouth, saw eight Caucasian sheepdogs performing in a circus in Brighton (East Sussex), their colors ranging from crème to light biscuit. Sir Dudley bought these eight dogs and took them to his estate Guisachan in Inverness-shire (Scotland).
The correct story, however, is that Marjoribanks and his son were walking near Brighton where they met “a handsome young yellow retriever,” owned by a local shoemaker who had acquired the dog from Obed Miles, a gamekeeper at Lord Chichester’s estate, to settle an unpaid invoice.
Most dog writers eventually came to disbelieve the story of Russian circus dogs. In 1952, Country Life published The origin of the Golden Retriever by Giles Fox Strangways, the 6th Earl of Ilchester (1874-1959). As a nephew of Sir Dudley, Strangways had been able to study the Marjoribanks stud books and papers. Only Nous, a yellow Wavy-coated Retriever born in 1864, had been purchased in Brighton. Both his parents were black Wavy-coated Retrievers; Nous was the only yellow puppy in the litter. The coat color was remarkable because yellow retrievers were almost unknown in Scotland at the time. In the Marjoribanks stud book, started in 1835, Sir Dudley wrote about Nous, “Lord Chichester’s breed. June 1864, purchased at Brighton.”Not a word about circus dogs let alone Caucasian sheepdogs.
Like typical Golden Retrievers
In 1868, Nous was mated to Belle. Sir Dudley’s studbook states, “Belle – Ladykirk breed 1863 – bred at Ladykirk. From D. Robertson.” Robertson was a nephew of Sir Dudley, and a Member of Parliament. In literature Belle is identified as a Tweed Spaniel, Tweed Water Spaniel or Ladykirk Spaniel (The River Tweed flows east across the Border region in Scotland and northern England. Ladykirk is a village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland.).
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Posted by AnthonyA
on Mar 11 2020. Filed under Current Articles, Featured.
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