 A
Brief Early History of the English Springer Spaniel
by
Cheryl Sligar
The English
Springer Spaniel is the oldest sporting gun dog in the world, although it
was not known by that name officially until 1902. It is believed that the
name is derived from his action of "springing" at game and flushing it for
the net, falcon or greyhound long before guns were invented. Today, the
English Springer Spaniel (ESS) is the premier flushing gun dog, as well as
a fine retriever, and is as comfortable in water as he is on land. He is
the king of the pheasant, and is also commonly used for woodcock, grouse,
snipe, hare and duck. In the early 20th century, the ESS was a dual
purpose breed regarding his ability in the field as well as in the
conformation ring. Unfortunately, the breed's dual status has given way to
the development of two distinct types: a field type and a bench type, and
neither is competitive in the others arena. Although some show types do
have some hunting ability, it is accepted by most fanciers that the field
bred English Springer Spaniel produces the most dependable hunting and
field trial lines in the UK, Canada and the USA.
The Spaniel in
Europe: Early historians
believe that the Spaniel
originated in Spain, and the Romans brought the breed from Spain to
England, as well as other parts of Europe. As early as the late 1300's,
dog literature contains references to spaniels. Dr. Caius, who was the
first chronicler of dog breeds, divided the "spanielles" into two groups:
those that worked over water and those that worked on land. Today's ESS is
the descendant of those first land spaniels. Generally regarded as the
oldest of the spaniel breeds, it is from the springing spaniel that all
land spaniels, except the Clumber, were developed.
By 1800,
long
before the separation of the cocker and springer breeds, each could come
from the same litter. Small spaniels weighing 25-28 pounds came to be
called cocking spaniels, and any over that were considered springing
spaniels; the larger averaging about 45 pounds. From these larger spaniels came the Field Spaniel and the English Springer Spaniel.
During this time, many spaniel breeds were developed and usually named by
the counties where they were bred, or by their owners, who were usually
nobility. Two distinct types thrived and they were called the Norfolk and
the Shropshire. These two strains were predominant and are said to have
been of "true springer type", the forerunners of the English Springer
Spaniel. By the 1850's, the breed was exhibit ed
as the Norfolk Spaniel.
The
Spaniel Club of England was founded in the late 19th century. This club
wrote the standard for physical conformation used for competition in the
show ring. In 1885, the Sporting Spaniel Society was founded and organized
the testing for all spaniels for their bird hunting ability. It was then
that the breed was given its present name. In January 1899, both clubs
held the first trials together. Only a couple of years later, in 1902, the
English Springer Spaniel breed was officially recognized by the English
Kennel Club. In 1914, the first English Field Champion was crowned, FTC Rivington Sam, whose dam was a registered cocker spaniel, Rivington Riband.
Another early Champion was Ch. Velox Powder, but "Sam" was undoubtedly far
more important to the field trial lines than "Powder". Sam is considered
one of the foundation sires for the present day field lines, but both of
these dogs contributed to Int. Ch. Rufton Recorder, the sire of one of the
last American Dual Ch. Green Valley Punch.
The Spaniel in the Americas: According to G. Mourt's Journal of the Beginning of the English Plantation
at Plymouth circa 1622, the spaniel arrived in America with the first
Pilgrims. He said one of the Pilgrims had two dogs, a Mastiff and a "Spanell"
that chased deer. The "English Springer Spaniel" came to North American in
1907 and the first ESS registered in Canada was Longbranch Teal in 1914.
The first Springer registered by the American Kennel Club in 1910 was Denne Lucy, (from the old Velox lines), but the popularity of the ESS
exploded when a Canadian, Eudore Chevrier of Manitoba, imported over 850
ESS from the UK, and sold them throughout Canada and the United States.
Chevrier was enamored by the fiery enthusiasm of this handsome hunting
dog, and it wasn't long before the ESS became the ideal dog for American
hunting enthusiasts.
In September, 1922, the English Springer Spaniel Club of Canada held its
first field trial. That same year in the USA, the English Springer Spaniel
Field Trial Associatio n
was founded in Fishers Island, New York. In 1924, the first US field trial
was held. The ESSFTA was named the Parent Club of the breed in 1927 and is
still in existence today, stewarding both field and show competitions. (www.essfta.org)
Although the dual purpose of the ESS has since been lost, (none have
earned both Field and Show Championship titles since 1938), the versatility
of the breed remains. Today, the competing ESS excels in conformation,
obedience, agility, tracking, hunting tests and field trials, and a well
bred English Springer Spaniel continues to be the most versatile hunting
dog on the planet!
The ESS today:
|
UK Show Champion
Ch Fenaybrook Top Gun; Courtesy of Fenaybrook Kennels |
UK Field Trial Champion
FTCh Arlebrook Elm of Edgegrove; Photo by Paul Anderson |
American Show Champion
A/C Ch. Pride 'N Joy's Celebration; Courtesy of Pride
'N Joy Springers |
US Field Trial Champion
AFC CJ's West Wings April Promise; Photo by Cheryl
Sligar |
Bibliography:
SPANIELS, Their Breaking for Sport and
Field Trials by H.W. Carlton, 1976, 9th Edition, The Harmsworth Press,
Ltd. London, England The New and
Complete English Springer Spaniel by Julia Gasow and Edd K. Roggenkamp
III, 1994, 4th Edition, Howell Book House/Macmillan Publishing Company
The Complete English Springer Spaniel (UK) by Colin Muirhead.
1996, Ringpress Books Ltd. Lydney, Gloucestershire
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