We had crosses with outside strains of yellow Labradors, but never, I think, with Colonel Eustace Radclyffes breed at the Hyde, Wareham. Robin, Yellow Retriever, and Wallace, Deerhound. A mysterious dog, Sancho, April, 1868, appears at the bottom of the list for that year. Golden Retriever & horses has always had an unique bond. Certainly at first, black wavy-coats were used, and later, black Labradors. However, it is fair to add that the Guisachan dogs had generally become darker in colour in the intervening years. These animals, no doubt sheep dogs, were said to have been brought from the Region of the Caucasus and one of them, specified as Nous, was said to have been taken to Guisachan, and in due course to have become the first of the yellow breed. Many breeds are believed to be used to produce the Golden Retriever, such as the Tweed Water Spaniel (now extinct), Newfoundland, Irish Setter, wavy-coated retriever, Bloodhound, and a wide variety of water spaniels. Nevertheless, a few notes may be desirable to supplement the information given above, and to prove my case, after Sir Dudley Marjoribanks purchase of Guisachan in 1854, he never had more than four retrievers in the kennels until 1866. Black, wavy-coated retrievers, and in certain circles in the south of Scotland, black Labradors, were in great vogue. How little we then knew! I have given these names since they will be referred to again when discussing the Ladykirk breed, and also to show that the cross of a black dog with a yellow bitch almost invariably produced yellow puppies. Breeding wonderful dogs for intelligence, energy, trainability and most of all to be a fantastic family member! Consequently their subsequent spread to all parts of the country was not easily foreseen. Queensland Dog Breeder registration No is BIN0002482090917. In 1865 Nous appears in the book as having been bought in the previous year. And they are most important to the theme, for Belle, the mother of the vital litter of yellow puppies, born in 1868, was one of them. The Hon. In 1863, however, Tweed, Ladykirk breed, 1862, was given to him by David Robertson, M.P., a relative, who had changed his name in 1834 from Marjoribanks and only reverted to the name when created a Baron in 1873, a week before he died. They, without a doubt are the smartest dog breed. Tweed died in 1867, having never apparently been used for the stud and was replaced by Mr. Robertson with Belle, 1863, Ladykirk breed.. Fortunately, one unimpeachable source of information is still available. Finally, I should like to thank Lady Pentland, without whose loans this article could never have been written. Todays Field Golden Retriever is very similar in looks and character to Lord Tweedmouths original dogs, they are usually of the Dark Golden color scheme, they are generally smaller-framed dogs, with more energy, drive, and of course, hunting/retrieving instinct than todays show line Golden Retrievers. As I have shown, the studbook mentions at least three importations of the Ladykirk breed. Tweedmouth wanted an extremely athletic dog that would live to retrieve in the fields of Scotland, especially waterfowl. In June, 1868, Nous and Belle produced four yellow puppies, of which Sir Dudley kept two, Cowslip and Primrose. I am able to give two photographs, taken from pictures, of Ada, a charming-tempered bitch, but old and blind as I remember her. After about 1890, the bloodhound cross was introduced at Guisachan, largely for tracking purposes, and there is a definite mention also, on a loose sheet, of a sandy coloured bloodhound having been used. One story is that Sir Dudley purchased at Brighton about the year 1868, from a dog trainer in a traveling circus, three yellow dogs. This suggestion, however, would account for the story, agreed by keepers years later, that a Russian dog did once appear at Guisachan. Our business, however, is with retrievers. There even seems great doubt as to what a water spaniel in 1868 looked like. Lady Susan and Mr. J. Askew, of Ladykirk, for their efforts to discover something about Tweed water spaniels, and Dr. Parker, Keeper of Zoology at South Kensington, for his help. But what was that Tweed variety? If he would pay the price, one would be found for him. As a boy, brought up among my fathers dogs, and when staying at Guisachan in later years, I never remember hearing much of the Russian story. June, 1864, purchd. The sources whence they came were carefully set down, but colour was not mentioned. This strain my father proceeded to develop on lines quite different from those employed at Guisachan. So did our own breed in the First World War, when the raising of puppies was said to be detrimental to the interests of the country. It is late in the day, therefore, to try to re-assemble facts and search out the truth. Indeed, except among member of the Tweedmouth and Ilchester families and their intimate friends, yellow retrievers were little known. But the belief that a Russian dog originated the strain is not borne out by dates, for Nous is to be found in the studbook as early as 1865, where he is described as Lord Chichesters breed. By Van der Weyde, about 1880. He claimed that his strain went back to the original Nous breed. An out-cross bitch, probably about 1895, was given to my father, I think by Lady Breadalbane. This certainly suggests a spaniel-like conformation; and some of the earlier yellow dogs had curly coats. The Natural History Museum has no record, but Dr. Parker, Keeper of Zoology, has most sent me a quotation from Ash, 1927, Dogs, Their History and Development. Lord Harcourt immediately began to exhibit his dogs on the show-bench, and was no doubt in search of a new title in order to form a new class, for neither Tweedmouth nor Ilchester breeds had ever been shown. One of my earliest recollections was of my father coming into lunch at Melbury, suffering from many wasp stings. Beagles come into the story in 1838 for a year or two; a retriever, evidently black, is mentioned in 1842 and not another till 1852. Neither can the Askews, owners of the Ladykirk, near Norham, on the Tweed, give me any information, although they have made a thorough search among their papers, photographs and pictures, Perhaps some reader could assist. Having no further reliable information on this subject, I revert to the Ilchester breed. Even the efforts of my sister and others in later years to put the original breeding into pedigree form have been lost. A photograph of him, probably taken in 1872, with a Guisachan keeper, Simon Munro, who died who died the following year, appears in Hutchinsons Dog Encyclopedia, p. 742, and shows a very definite yellow dog. Of the others, he gave Crocus to his son, Edward Marjoribanks, and Ada to my father. In 1854 he bought Guisachan; and thenceforward his kennel records were greatly increased. The Kennel Club can tell me nothing. The studbook gives us plain facts. In 1874, Brass, out of my fathers Ada, arrived, but went to an outkeeper. Up to the end of the last century they were a rarity, and I am probably the only person alive who can remember even the second generation of the yellow breed which belonged to Sir Dudley Courts Marjoribanks, of Guisachan, Inverness-shire. The first official litter of four Goldens was born in 1868 and were named Crocus, Primrose, Cowslip, and Ada. His breeding records from 1835 to 1890 were made public in 1952. At Brighton. He had no connection at all with any Russian dogs, if indeed they existed, for he had already been at Guisachan for some years. The first entry runs: So Tweed and Belle were Tweed Water Spaniels! To sum up, Nous, Sir Dudley Marjoribankss dog, from Lord Chichesters breed, Bought 1864, whatever that was, was the first of the yellow retrievers. Ada had walked into a nest, luckily on the bank of a pond, and my father had thrown her into the water to get rid of her assailants! He never appears again in the book; and he certainly never had any place at all in the future breeding of yellow retrievers. Sir Dudley, who was brother to my grandmother, the Hon. And that was quite possible, even probable. The main difference in the field lines from the the original breed from Lord Tweedmouth 150 years ago is that breeders continued focus for breeding highly intelligent and trainable dogs making them an amazing perfect dog in every way. In 1878, Sambo (H. Meuxs) out of Topsey had Zoe, and finally Sweep, bred by Ilchester. Crocus was given to Sir Dudley and produced three yellow puppies in 1881 out of Zoe. There is no explanation of the Ladykirk Breed in the studbook itself, but closely connected with it is a loose sheet of Guisachan writing paper, which Lady Pentland has also sent me, with jottings in Sir Dudleys own handwriting, dating from after 1884. I shall have more to say about these dogs in due course. Space will not allow long dissertations on the later development of the yellow retriever breed at Guisachan, but it is necessary to mention a new Tweed, given by My Robertson in 1872, for this dog was put to Cowslip in 1873, and produced Topsey. Jack and Jill, by Sampson, a red setter of Edward Marjoribanks, appear in 1875. Unfortunately no record was kept of how our crosses were arranged. And might not Sir Dudley, having already a magnificent dog, Nous (i.e., wisdom), in his kennels have decided to try a dog of similar colour from the circus? Mrs. John Fox-Strangeways, was born in 1820, was created Baron Tweedmouth in 1881, and died in 1894. But they were shy breeders, produced few puppies, and the strain died out. They were small, reddish dogs, mostly good workers. No Russian strain ever had a place in the Guisachan pedigrees, though the Ladykirk breed, which was synonymous with Tweed water spaniels, had an all-important influence upon it. Much of this talk about the Caucasus, however, was revived about 1911 by Colonel the Hon. After Robin, retriever names are only in my memory, in no set sequence, until I come to my own dogs. The photo's an example of the original working line and photo of Nessy. I must confess that I had never put much faith in the Russian myth; but there is one very significant entry in the studbook in 1868 which causes me to waiver. The name yellow retriever was the original name of the breed, but this has been largely superseded in later years by that of golden retriever, one coined by the late Lord Harcourt, after he had bought one or more puppies from a keeper, and after he had been given a number of those dogs which remained in the Guisachan kennels by Lord Tweedmouth, when he sold the property in 1905 or 1906. But his obsession on the subject of the Russian cross, induced him to journey to the Caucasus. There he was told that the dogs were with the sheep on the high ground at that season of the year. After 1868 the omission scarcely matters, for the names of the dogs give a clue to what we want to know. This book is now in the possession of Lady Pentland, a grand-daughter of Sir Dudley, and a daughter of the late Lord and Lady Aberdeen, and she has most kindly placed at my disposal, with other important and interesting papers connected with the problem. We also found these characteristics most strongly marked in the Ilchester breed. Sancho, however, was clearly a failure; so much so that Sir Dudley never troubled even to make a note about his origin. But unless I set about it now, it may never be done and the true story will be lost forever. From these started the separate Tweedmouth-Ilchester breeds of wavy-coated yellow retrievers, carrying on side by side, but with much different planning and many varied ramifications. Sir Dudley Marjoribanks kept a studbook from 1835 onwards in which he recorded the name and breeding of his setters, his pointers, his greyhounds and his spaniels. The deerhound in the picture, which is by Van der Weyde, an early exponent of photography by electric light, also came from Guisachan, one of 12 puppies presented to my mother in 1876. The last named was the first of the Ilchester line, which will be dealt with separately later in the article. No one seems able to tell me. From the first he bred from black dogs. Everyone, I think, agrees that Nous was yellow, and that he was the first. Mary Maroribanks, daughter of Lord Tweedmouth, with "Cowslip" or "Primrose". the English water-spaniel, first depicted by Bewick, a collie-like dog, was probably a cross between the rough waterdog, or poodle, and the springer spaniel or setter. He left his money; but no dog ever appeared! But it does come back to me that water spaniels were mentioned as being connected with Sir Dudleys yellow retrievers. The above illustration is a great example of the dramatic change in appearance over the last 100 years from the original field dogs to today's show cream line Golden Retrievers, as you can see the field line golden retrievers have kept the same appearance in a very athletics dog with a dark, rich gold coat. William le Poer Trench, who owned a number of yellow dogs of Guisachan origin. We never used the bloodhound strain, but about 1900 we certainly had Guisachan crosses which showed that affinity. For some years I have been intending to put on paper my recollections of the earliest history of the yellow, wavy-coated retrievers, which have, in recent years, become so numerous and so popular in this country. !. Between Bewicks time and that of Toplin, to judge from the illustration in Toplins work, the water-spaniel had been so constantly crossed with the springer as to result in a dog of spaniel type, yet retaining the curly coat of the waterdog to some extent. From these I an able to give new facts, which clearly conflict with certain suppositions that have been circulated in recent years, and also to introduce an entirely new line of thought. He wanted a dog that was loyal and kind, with much spirit and enthusiasm. The Golden Retriever was created by Lord Tweedmouth in Britain in the 1800s. Even at the beginning of this century, there was confusion about the origin of the breed. They talked of the arrival of Nous in 1868; but as he was already there, perhaps Sancho was the dog of which they spoke. No breeding is gotten very unlike Sir Dudleys usual entries, which mention and repeat the details year after year. This gives an invaluable clue, for it deals with crosses which he had used in his retriever kennel. Mr. Montague Guests Sweep, a smooth-coat, sired more than one litter, and was probably the father of the best of our second generation, Robin, a first class worker, with a beautiful nose and mouth, and a splendid water dog. They were, I believe a separate breed altogether, said to have been initiated by the late Lord Lonsdale. As I have shown, it began in 1868 with Ada, daughter of Nous and Belle and own-sister to Cowslip and to Edward Marjoribankss Crocus. Irish spaniels are mentioned in 1843; and deerhounds supersede greyhounds for the first time in 1848. So, clearly, Russian dogs can be dismissed from the problem for good and all. The picture of him does not do him justice. But it does occur to one that this dog might have been one of the Russians (Sancho seems a good circus name!). (This article was printed in Country Life Magazine (England), July 25, 1952.). Use tab to navigate through the menu items. The cross of Nous, and Belle, a Ladykirk bitch in 1868, produced the first litter of yellow retriever puppies.