Field spaniel breed history

The Field Spaniel has survived over 100 years against the odds.  It has had a chequered history, nearly having become extinct three times.

The term "Field Spaniel" was originally applied to all land spaniels including the Cocker, Clumber, Norfolk and Sussex.  It was toward the end of the last century that it became a recognisable separate Breed.  It was a man-made Breed that came about at the same time as Dog Shows.  It was originally known as the Black Spaniel and was created from a cocktail of Sussex Spaniel, Norfolk Spaniel and Cocker Spaniel.  It has had a dash of Irish Water Spaniel, and reputedly a drop of Basset to add colour.

The beginnings of the Field Spaniel began with a liver Sussex Spaniel "Bebb", who was really the offspring of an English Water Spaniel and "Flirt", a black Cocker Spaniel.  Spaniels in the early days were registered according to their size and colour.  It was possible to have a Cocker Spaniel, Sussex Spaniel and Field Spaniel in one litter.  The Field Spaniel was a large black Spaniel, taller on the leg than the Cocker Spaniel and able to work in the field. Unfortunately, those dogs which were shorter in the leg were placed at the Shows, which led to the Field Spaniel being bred low and resembling "caterpillars".  These were far removed from the agile and able worker originally envisioned,  In 1892 the Cocker Spaniel was recognised as a separate Breed and this led to the Field Spaniel being abandoned by the general public in favour of the smaller and less hideous dog.  In order to create an interest in the Breed, several Field Spaniels were mated to Basset Hounds and a profusion of pretty colours were seen.  Some black dogs were kept. These were shorter in body and retained the beautiful Field Spaniel head. Unfortunately, the intervention of the First World War reduced these to a handful.

The shooting fraternity in the Midlands became the saviour of the Breed.  These men wanted a strong Spaniel capable of working thick cover.  The mainstay of this was Mr Gerald Mortimer-Smith who had a black bitch "Wribbenhall Whisper" mated to an English Springer Spaniel "Ch Matford Duke".  Out of this mating came two well known Champions "Wribbenhall Waiter" and "Wribbenhall Waitress".  Mr Mortimer-Smith persuaded his friends Mr R Kelland (Nobel Kennel) and Major Beaumont (Strouds Kennel) to take an interest in the Field Spaniel. These gentlemen founded the Field Spaniel Society in 1923, with the object of holding a Field Trial each year.  This heralded the golden era for the Field Spaniel with them running alongside their Springer Spaniel cousins in the Field Trials.  The black and tan Field Spaniel "FT CH Butter of Strouds" was Major Beaumont's brightest star, whilst Major Beaumont's brother also campaigned  Butter's black sister "Saxpence of Skerries" to her Field Trial Champion award.  The sad end for the Skerries kennel of Mr L G Beaumont was for them to be destroyed after the death of their owner.

With the continued use of the English Springer Spaniel, more and more of the Field Spaniels were liver or coloured.  Liver is the prevalent colour in the Field Spaniel today, though blacks are making a comeback.

With the Second World War came another dangerous period for the Field Spaniel.  Some whole kennels of Field Spaniels were put to sleep to save them suffering from the threat of invasion.  Food was scarce and, as many owners were gentlemen who were involved in fighting the war, the Field Spaniel declined.  No one had time or money for the Field Spaniel except for Mrs Barnett in Wales.  Her husband's keen interest in shooting and her own in the shows had made the Field Spaniel an ideal dog in the 1930s.  After the war she bred the outstanding liver dog "Vandyke of Pentwyn".  In 1948 Vandyke won the Gundog Group at WELKS, the only one to accomplish this at a British Show.  The dog revitalised interest in the Field Spaniel and helped to form the basis of the modern-day Field Spaniel.

Every Breed can name one dog that stands out from the rest; in Field Spaniels it was Vandyke.  As there were no Challenge Certificates available at this time, Vandyke never even got his Stud Book number.

The modern Field Spaniel is once again being trained as a working Gundog.  Field Spaniels are holding their own at Minor Breed Field Trials, and occasionally winning them.  Though it is unrealistic to expect them to be able to compete alongside the working Springers and Cockers as they did in their heyday, at least the Breed, as a dual -purpose animal, is being retained.

Credit: Shula M Shipton

Bibliography

The History and Management of the Field Spaniel - Peggy Grayton

The Field Spaniel SOciety Yearbook 1972 - Roger Hall Jones

Field Spaniel, A Complete and Reliable Handbook - Becki Jo Wolknheim

Hutchinson's Popular and Illustrated Dog Encyclopaedia