Black and Tan Terrier
Encyclopedia
The English Black and Tan Terrier is the non-Kennel Club variety of dog that was drawn into The Kennel Club
as the Welsh Terrier
and that remains extant outside of the Kennel Club as a "Fell Terrier
".
s from the rocky Lakeland Fells http://www.leaney.org/lake_district_walks_overview.php region of the UK) have always been quite variable in terms of size and shape, but have always been colored terriers (tan or black or black and tan), as opposed to the white-coated "foxing terriers" preferred in the south of England. Today, black and tan Fell Terriers are sometimes referred to as "working Lakelands" or Patterdale Terrier
s or simply as "black and tan" terriers.
With the rise of dog shows in the 1860s, a race began to give every visually distinctive type of dog a name and "improve" it through selective breeding, and terriers were at the very top of breed fancy concerns. From the colored rough-coated Fell Terriers of Cumbria
and the Scottish Borders
were developed several Kennel Club breeds, including the Lakeland Terrier
, the Welsh Terrier
, the Border Terrier
and the Manchester Terrier
.
In the rush to create and claim new breeds, competing groups of dog breeders sometimes came up with different names for the same dog, and it was very common for entirely fictional breed histories to be knitted together as well—all part of a campaign to declare a new breed and create a bit of personal distinction for a dog's originator (to say nothing of sales).
In the early 1880s, a group of English Kennel Club breeders decided to embrace a rather ponderous name and an incredible assertion for the brown and black working terriers of the North: they were, they asserted, "the root stock" of all terriers in the British Isles, and they were to be called the "Old English Broken-Haired Black and Tan."
The Welsh were outraged to have the English bring down a few of "their" dogs and claim they were an "Old English" anything. These were Welsh dogs, and the Welshmen moved quickly to establish that fact. The Welsh got organized quickly, and in 1884 they held the first dog show with classes just for Welsh Terriers in Pwllheli, North Wales with 90 dogs in attendance—a rather impressive opening shot in what was to be a brief, but furious, "terrier war." (McLennan, 1999 | Burns, 2005)
For their part, proponents of the "Old English Black and Tan" moniker could not seem to coalesce into a real club; in fact they could not even agree on a name for their supposedly "Old English" breed. Some called it the "Old English Broken-Haired Black and Tan Terrier," some the "Old English Wire Haired Black and Tan," some the "Broken-Haired Black and Tan," and some just "Black and Tan" -- a color-description that has been used about as often as "white dog" or "yellow hound".
Whatever they might have called the dogs, this new Kennel Club "breed" appears to have been a put-up job consisting of a mix of terrier types that would not breed true. In 1885 a survey of the winning dogs in the ring found that all of them were, in fact, first generation dogs, i.e. not Black and Tans out of Black and Tan sires and dams, but Black and Tans produced out of crosses with other breeds. For example, the winner of the first show in 1884 was a dog named Crib that was a cross between a blue-black rough terrier (what might be called a dark Border Terrier
today) and a famous smooth fox terrier
owned by L.P.C. Ashley called Corinthian.
In 1885, the Kennel Club took a Solomonic approach to the name and breed standard for the dog, featuring both dogs at their 1885 show. On April 5, 1887, however, because the English could not get organized, they were dropped from Kennel Club listings, and the new "Welsh Terrier" breed was born, perhaps propelled forward in popularity by the rise of David Lloyd George
, the son of a Welsh cobbler, who himself had risen from humble origins to stand should-to-shoulder with the gentry.
The notion that the "Black and Tan" terrier is now "extinct" is due almost solely to the existence of a book by Vero Shaw entitled "The Illustrated Book of the Dog." Printed in 1881, right at the beginning of the "terrier wars," this book contains about 100 chromo-lithograph plates and engravings of dog breeds that were, at the time of publication, being put forth as distinct entities. Shaw rather optimistically included the "Black and Tan" as well as another dog soon to pass into extinction (the English White Terrier
), betting that the political machinations of English Kennel Club dog breeders would prevail. (McLennan, 1999 | Burns, 2005)
He was wrong, which is how two "ancient" breeds of terriers that existed (in name only) for less than 20 years, disappeared leaving not so much as a ripple in their wake.
The Kennel Club
The Kennel Club is a kennel club based in London and Aylesbury, United Kingdom.The Kennel Club registration system divides dogs into seven breed groups. The Kennel Club Groups are: Hound, Working, Terrier, Gundog, Pastoral, Utility and Toy...
as the Welsh Terrier
Welsh Terrier
The Welsh Terrier is a British breed of dog. It was originally bred for hunting fox, rodents and badger , but during the last century it has mainly been bred for showing. Despite this, it has retained its terrier strength of character and therefore requires firm, non-aggressive handling...
and that remains extant outside of the Kennel Club as a "Fell Terrier
Fell Terrier
Fell Terrier refers to a regional type of long legged working terrier, not a specific breed of dog.- Description and purpose :Fell terriers are types of small working terriers developed in the Fell country of northern England and used as hunting dogs. They may be crossbred or purebred...
".
History
Working Fell Terriers (non-Kennel Club working terrierWorking terrier
A working terrier is a small type of dog which pursues its quarry into the earth. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the name dates back to at least 1440, derived from early modern French terrier - from the medieval Latin terrarius from the Latin terra .With the growth of popularity of...
s from the rocky Lakeland Fells http://www.leaney.org/lake_district_walks_overview.php region of the UK) have always been quite variable in terms of size and shape, but have always been colored terriers (tan or black or black and tan), as opposed to the white-coated "foxing terriers" preferred in the south of England. Today, black and tan Fell Terriers are sometimes referred to as "working Lakelands" or Patterdale Terrier
Patterdale Terrier
The Patterdale Terrier is a breed of working dog that originated in the Lake District of Cumbria in Northwest England. The name Patterdale refers to a small village a little south of Ullswater and a few miles east of Helvellyn....
s or simply as "black and tan" terriers.
With the rise of dog shows in the 1860s, a race began to give every visually distinctive type of dog a name and "improve" it through selective breeding, and terriers were at the very top of breed fancy concerns. From the colored rough-coated Fell Terriers of Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
and the Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
were developed several Kennel Club breeds, including the Lakeland Terrier
Lakeland Terrier
The Lakeland Terrier is a dog breed, which takes its name from its home of origin, the Lake District in England. The dog is a small to mid-size member of the Terrier family. While independent in personality, it interacts well with owners and all family members, and is mostly hypo-allergenic...
, the Welsh Terrier
Welsh Terrier
The Welsh Terrier is a British breed of dog. It was originally bred for hunting fox, rodents and badger , but during the last century it has mainly been bred for showing. Despite this, it has retained its terrier strength of character and therefore requires firm, non-aggressive handling...
, the Border Terrier
Border Terrier
The Border Terrier is a small, rough-coated breed of dog of the terrier group. Originally bred as fox and vermin hunters, Border Terriers share ancestry with Dandie Dinmont Terriers and Bedlington Terriers....
and the Manchester Terrier
Manchester Terrier
The Manchester Terrier is a breed of dog of the smooth-haired terrier type.-Appearance:Manchester Terriers are considered by most to be the oldest of all identifiable terrier breeds, finding mention in works dating from as early as the 16th century. In 1570 Dr...
.
In the rush to create and claim new breeds, competing groups of dog breeders sometimes came up with different names for the same dog, and it was very common for entirely fictional breed histories to be knitted together as well—all part of a campaign to declare a new breed and create a bit of personal distinction for a dog's originator (to say nothing of sales).
In the early 1880s, a group of English Kennel Club breeders decided to embrace a rather ponderous name and an incredible assertion for the brown and black working terriers of the North: they were, they asserted, "the root stock" of all terriers in the British Isles, and they were to be called the "Old English Broken-Haired Black and Tan."
The Welsh were outraged to have the English bring down a few of "their" dogs and claim they were an "Old English" anything. These were Welsh dogs, and the Welshmen moved quickly to establish that fact. The Welsh got organized quickly, and in 1884 they held the first dog show with classes just for Welsh Terriers in Pwllheli, North Wales with 90 dogs in attendance—a rather impressive opening shot in what was to be a brief, but furious, "terrier war." (McLennan, 1999 | Burns, 2005)
For their part, proponents of the "Old English Black and Tan" moniker could not seem to coalesce into a real club; in fact they could not even agree on a name for their supposedly "Old English" breed. Some called it the "Old English Broken-Haired Black and Tan Terrier," some the "Old English Wire Haired Black and Tan," some the "Broken-Haired Black and Tan," and some just "Black and Tan" -- a color-description that has been used about as often as "white dog" or "yellow hound".
Whatever they might have called the dogs, this new Kennel Club "breed" appears to have been a put-up job consisting of a mix of terrier types that would not breed true. In 1885 a survey of the winning dogs in the ring found that all of them were, in fact, first generation dogs, i.e. not Black and Tans out of Black and Tan sires and dams, but Black and Tans produced out of crosses with other breeds. For example, the winner of the first show in 1884 was a dog named Crib that was a cross between a blue-black rough terrier (what might be called a dark Border Terrier
Border Terrier
The Border Terrier is a small, rough-coated breed of dog of the terrier group. Originally bred as fox and vermin hunters, Border Terriers share ancestry with Dandie Dinmont Terriers and Bedlington Terriers....
today) and a famous smooth fox terrier
Fox Terrier
Fox Terrier refers primarily to two different breeds of the terrier dog type: the Smooth Fox Terrier and the Wire Fox Terrier. Both of these breeds originated in the 19th century from a handful of dogs who are descended from earlier varieties of British terriers, and are related to other modern...
owned by L.P.C. Ashley called Corinthian.
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
, the son of a Welsh cobbler, who himself had risen from humble origins to stand should-to-shoulder with the gentry.
The notion that the "Black and Tan" terrier is now "extinct" is due almost solely to the existence of a book by Vero Shaw entitled "The Illustrated Book of the Dog." Printed in 1881, right at the beginning of the "terrier wars," this book contains about 100 chromo-lithograph plates and engravings of dog breeds that were, at the time of publication, being put forth as distinct entities. Shaw rather optimistically included the "Black and Tan" as well as another dog soon to pass into extinction (the English White Terrier
English White Terrier
The English white terrier is an extinct breed of dog.The English White terrier is the failed show ring name of a pricked-ear version of the white fox-working terriers that have existed in the U.K...
), betting that the political machinations of English Kennel Club dog breeders would prevail. (McLennan, 1999 | Burns, 2005)
He was wrong, which is how two "ancient" breeds of terriers that existed (in name only) for less than 20 years, disappeared leaving not so much as a ripple in their wake.