Dash (spaniel)
Encyclopedia
Dash was a King Charles spaniel
owned by Queen Victoria. Victoria's biographer Elizabeth Longford called him "the Queen's closest childhood companion", and in the words of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, he "was the first in a long line of beloved little dogs".
He was given to Victoria's mother, the Dowager Duchess of Kent
, on 14 January 1833 by Sir John Conroy
, the Comptroller
of the Duchess's household. By the end of April 1833, he had become Victoria's companion, and by Christmas that year she was doting on him, giving him a set of rubber balls and two pieces of gingerbread as presents. In return, the dog was loyal to Victoria; on one occasion she went sailing in a yacht, and Dash leapt from the coastline into the sea and swam after her.
Victoria, who was 13 when given Dash, had few if any childhood friends as she was raised largely isolated from other children under the so called "Kensington System
", an elaborate set of rules and protocols devised by the Duchess and Conroy. The only girl of a similar age with whom she had regular contact was Conroy's youngest daughter, Victoire, but they seemed to have had only a formal acquaintanceship. In her diary, Victoria refers to Victoire as "Miss Conroy" but the dog is showered with endearments: "dear sweet little Dash" and "dear Dashy".
In November 1834, Victoria and her mother took a holiday at St Leonards-on-Sea
. They, with Dash, Lady Flora Hastings
and Baroness Louise Lehzen, were driving in a landau
drawn by two horses when the horses got caught in the traces and fell. With the horses struggling on the ground, there was a danger the carriage would overturn, injuring the women. Victoria scrambled out with Dash in her arms, and, as she recalled, "ran on with him in my arms calling Mama to follow, Lehzen and Lady Flora followed us also." While two passing gentleman cut the horses free, the ladies, and Dash, took shelter behind a wall.
Dash remained with Victoria after her accession as Queen in 1837. Following her coronation
on 28 June 1838, Victoria returned to Buckingham Palace
and ran up to her rooms to give Dash his usual bath.
Dash died at the end of 1840, and was buried at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor Home Park. A marble effigy was erected over the grave, bearing the inscription:
Here lies
DASH
The favourite spaniel of Her Majesty Queen Victoria
In his 10th year
His attachment was without selfishness
His playfulness without malice
His fidelity without deceit
READER
If you would be beloved and die regretted
Profit by the example of
DASH
King Charles Spaniel
The King Charles Spaniel is a small dog breed of the spaniel type. In 1903, the Kennel Club combined four separate toy spaniel breeds under this single title...
owned by Queen Victoria. Victoria's biographer Elizabeth Longford called him "the Queen's closest childhood companion", and in the words of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, he "was the first in a long line of beloved little dogs".
He was given to Victoria's mother, the Dowager Duchess of Kent
Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was the mother of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.-Early life:...
, on 14 January 1833 by Sir John Conroy
John Conroy
Sir John Conroy, 1st Baronet KH was a British army officer who became the chief attendant of the Duke of Kent and the Duchess of Kent who were the parents of Queen Victoria. When the Duke died, he became comptroller of the duchess' household and was rumoured to be her lover...
, the Comptroller
Comptroller
A comptroller is a management level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization.In British government, the Comptroller General or Comptroller and Auditor General is in most countries the external auditor of the budget execution of the...
of the Duchess's household. By the end of April 1833, he had become Victoria's companion, and by Christmas that year she was doting on him, giving him a set of rubber balls and two pieces of gingerbread as presents. In return, the dog was loyal to Victoria; on one occasion she went sailing in a yacht, and Dash leapt from the coastline into the sea and swam after her.
Victoria, who was 13 when given Dash, had few if any childhood friends as she was raised largely isolated from other children under the so called "Kensington System
Kensington System
The Kensington System was a strict and elaborate set of rules designed by Victoria, Duchess of Kent, along with her attendant and supposed lover, Sir John Conroy, concerning the upbringing of the Duchess's daughter, the future Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom...
", an elaborate set of rules and protocols devised by the Duchess and Conroy. The only girl of a similar age with whom she had regular contact was Conroy's youngest daughter, Victoire, but they seemed to have had only a formal acquaintanceship. In her diary, Victoria refers to Victoire as "Miss Conroy" but the dog is showered with endearments: "dear sweet little Dash" and "dear Dashy".
In November 1834, Victoria and her mother took a holiday at St Leonards-on-Sea
St Leonards-on-Sea
St Leonards-on-Sea is part of Hastings, East Sussex, England, lying immediately to the west of the centre. The original part of the settlement was laid out in the early 19th century as a new town: a place of elegant houses designed for the well-off; it also included a central public garden, a...
. They, with Dash, Lady Flora Hastings
Lady Flora Hastings
Lady Flora Elizabeth Rawdon-Hastings was a British aristocrat and lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent, whose death in 1839 caused a court scandal that gave the Queen a negative image....
and Baroness Louise Lehzen, were driving in a landau
Landau (carriage)
A landau is a coachbuilding term for a type of four-wheeled, convertible carriage. See also Landau .It is lightweight and suspended on elliptical springs. It was invented in the 18th century and was named after the German city of Landau in the Rhenish Palatinate where they were first produced...
drawn by two horses when the horses got caught in the traces and fell. With the horses struggling on the ground, there was a danger the carriage would overturn, injuring the women. Victoria scrambled out with Dash in her arms, and, as she recalled, "ran on with him in my arms calling Mama to follow, Lehzen and Lady Flora followed us also." While two passing gentleman cut the horses free, the ladies, and Dash, took shelter behind a wall.
Dash remained with Victoria after her accession as Queen in 1837. Following her coronation
Coronation of the British monarch
The coronation of the British monarch is a ceremony in which the monarch of the United Kingdom is formally crowned and invested with regalia...
on 28 June 1838, Victoria returned to Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
and ran up to her rooms to give Dash his usual bath.
Dash died at the end of 1840, and was buried at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor Home Park. A marble effigy was erected over the grave, bearing the inscription:
DASH
The favourite spaniel of Her Majesty Queen Victoria
In his 10th year
His attachment was without selfishness
His playfulness without malice
His fidelity without deceit
READER
If you would be beloved and die regretted
Profit by the example of
DASH