Talbot (dog)
Encyclopedia
The talbot was a white hunting dog
which is now extinct
because of its lack of purpose and need for constant care, but it has been credited with being an ancestor of the modern beagle
and bloodhound
. The term talbot is used in heraldry
to refer to a good-mannered hunting dog.
The breed has been said to have originated in Normandy, perhaps to have been the white St Hubert Hound, and to have been brought to England by William the Conqueror, but this is not supported by evidence. There are no known references to the talbot as a breed of hound in Medieval French, and none have been found in English before the mid-16th century.
In Medieval times, "Talbot" was a common name for an individual hound, so used before 1400 in Chaucer's Nun's Priests Tale (l 3383), and used as an example of a hound name in a 16th-century book of hunting.
By the 17th century it clearly existed as a breed or type. Large, heavy, slow hounds were 'talbot-like', whatever their colour, though the 'milk white' was 'the true talbot'. William Somervile
in his poem "The Chase", published 1735, describes the former use of "lime-hounds" (leashed hounds) on the Scottish Borders to catch thieves, obviously referring to the bloodhound and the sleuth hound
, but adding that the (white) talbot was the "prime" example of this type of hound.
The origin of both the name and the animal is uncertain. The Earls of Shrewsbury, whose family name is Talbot, have as their family crest a white, short-legged hound. In a quotation from about 1449, the king referred to John Talbot
first Earl of Shrewsbury
as "Talbott, oure good dogge", perhaps as a play on his name, or in allusion to the family badge. In a MS in the British Libraryhttp://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/TourPopupMax.asp?TourID=136 John Talbot is shown presenting a Book of Romances to Queen Margaret
, with a white dog standing behind him, which serves, symbolically, to identify him. It is obviously a small hound, and it seems unlikely that it could have been used in this way if "Talbot" had been associated in the mind of the people of the time with a large animal.
The talbot and the greyhound were, apparently, the only hounds used in heraldry
, and it could be that the talbot originated as an emblematic or heraldic hound. References to this heraldic talbot seem to be earlier than any references to a real dog. The talbot figures in many Coats of Arms, for instance in later ones of the earls of Shrewsbury, in which two talbots appear as supporters.http://www.hereditarytitles.com/Page24.html
It is quite a plausible idea that from these beginnings the name "talbot" was extended to any large heavy white scent hound, and from there helped to establish a breed or type. It was certainly similar to the bloodhound (and "white" is given as one of the colours of the bloodhound around the 16th and 17th centuries) as regards size, and use as a leash-hound.
As earliest references to this dog are much later than those to bloodhounds it cannot convincingly be regarded as an ancestor of the bloodhound.
The talbot seems to have existed as a breed, a little distinct from the bloodhound, until the end of the 18th century, after which, like two other large breeds to which it may have been related, the Northern
and the Southern Hound
, it disappeared. Some early dog-shows apparently offered classes for talbots, but they were never entered, and so were dropped.
"The Talbot" (or "Talbot Arms") is most familiar as the name
of some English inns or public houses, and it is usually depicted on the signs as a large white hound with hanging ears, sometimes with spots. This suggests that the talbot was quite well known at one time, as part of the idea of a sign was that it helped to identify the inn for the illiterate. However, nowadays one sometimes sees inns of this name with no dog and no coat of arms depicted, suggesting that many people are unaware of a connection either with a kind of dog or with heraldry. An inn called The Talbot in Iwerne Minster
, Dorset, UK, shows as its sign a black dog, apparently the crest of the Bower family, who owned the manor from the late middle ages till 1876.
The market town of Sudbury, Suffolk
in the east of the United Kingdom
has a talbot on its town crest, which is also used for a local school and many local sports clubs. The dog is always depicted with its tongue protruding.
The Hampton Township School District
, located in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
, North of Pittsburgh, has the talbot as its mascot.
The arms of the Carter of Castle Martin family (see Carter-Campbell of Possil) include a talbot.
Hunting dog
A hunting dog refers to any dog who assists humans in hunting. There are several types of hunting dogs developed for various tasks. The major categories of hunting dogs include hounds, terriers, dachshunds, cur type dogs, and gun dogs...
which is now extinct
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
because of its lack of purpose and need for constant care, but it has been credited with being an ancestor of the modern beagle
Beagle
The Beagle is a breed of small to medium-sized dog. A member of the Hound Group, it is similar in appearance to the Foxhound, but smaller, with shorter legs and longer, softer ears. Beagles are scent hounds, developed primarily for tracking hare, rabbit, and other game...
and bloodhound
Bloodhound
The Bloodhound is a large breed of dog which, while originally bred to hunt deer and wild boar, was later bred specifically to track human beings. It is a scenthound, tracking by smell, as opposed to a sighthound, which tracks using vision. It is famed for its ability to discern human odors even...
. The term talbot is used in heraldry
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
to refer to a good-mannered hunting dog.
In Medieval times, "Talbot" was a common name for an individual hound, so used before 1400 in Chaucer's Nun's Priests Tale (l 3383), and used as an example of a hound name in a 16th-century book of hunting.
By the 17th century it clearly existed as a breed or type. Large, heavy, slow hounds were 'talbot-like', whatever their colour, though the 'milk white' was 'the true talbot'. William Somervile
William Somervile
William Somervile or Somerville was an English poet.-Ancestry:The name Somervile is derived from a town near Caen in Normandy subsequently named Somervile....
in his poem "The Chase", published 1735, describes the former use of "lime-hounds" (leashed hounds) on the Scottish Borders to catch thieves, obviously referring to the bloodhound and the sleuth hound
Sleuth hound
The sleuth hound was a breed of dog. Broadly, it was a Scottish term for what in England was called the bloodhound, although it seems that there were slight differences between them...
, but adding that the (white) talbot was the "prime" example of this type of hound.
The origin of both the name and the animal is uncertain. The Earls of Shrewsbury, whose family name is Talbot, have as their family crest a white, short-legged hound. In a quotation from about 1449, the king referred to John Talbot
John Talbot
-Nobles:*John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury , military commander in the Hundred Years' War*John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury *John Talbot, 1st Viscount Lisle *John Talbot, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury...
first Earl of Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
as "Talbott, oure good dogge", perhaps as a play on his name, or in allusion to the family badge. In a MS in the British Libraryhttp://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/TourPopupMax.asp?TourID=136 John Talbot is shown presenting a Book of Romances to Queen Margaret
Margaret of Anjou
Margaret of Anjou was the wife of King Henry VI of England. As such, she was Queen consort of England from 1445 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471; and Queen consort of France from 1445 to 1453...
, with a white dog standing behind him, which serves, symbolically, to identify him. It is obviously a small hound, and it seems unlikely that it could have been used in this way if "Talbot" had been associated in the mind of the people of the time with a large animal.
The talbot and the greyhound were, apparently, the only hounds used in heraldry
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
, and it could be that the talbot originated as an emblematic or heraldic hound. References to this heraldic talbot seem to be earlier than any references to a real dog. The talbot figures in many Coats of Arms, for instance in later ones of the earls of Shrewsbury, in which two talbots appear as supporters.http://www.hereditarytitles.com/Page24.html
It is quite a plausible idea that from these beginnings the name "talbot" was extended to any large heavy white scent hound, and from there helped to establish a breed or type. It was certainly similar to the bloodhound (and "white" is given as one of the colours of the bloodhound around the 16th and 17th centuries) as regards size, and use as a leash-hound.
As earliest references to this dog are much later than those to bloodhounds it cannot convincingly be regarded as an ancestor of the bloodhound.
The talbot seems to have existed as a breed, a little distinct from the bloodhound, until the end of the 18th century, after which, like two other large breeds to which it may have been related, the Northern
North Country Beagle
The North Country Beagle, Northern Hound or Northern Beagle was a breed of dog that existed in Britain probably until early in the 19th century...
and the Southern Hound
Southern Hound
The Southern Hound was a breed of dog that existed in Britain probably until sometime in the 19th century. The exact date of its extinction is not known; it is likely that it was gradually interbred with other breeds until the genuine Southern Hound bloodline ceased to exist.The origins of the...
, it disappeared. Some early dog-shows apparently offered classes for talbots, but they were never entered, and so were dropped.
"The Talbot" (or "Talbot Arms") is most familiar as the name
Pub names
Pub names are used to identify and differentiate each public house. As many public houses are centuries old, many of their early customers were unable to read, and pictorial signs could be readily recognised when lettering and words could not be read.Modern names are sometimes a marketing ploy or...
of some English inns or public houses, and it is usually depicted on the signs as a large white hound with hanging ears, sometimes with spots. This suggests that the talbot was quite well known at one time, as part of the idea of a sign was that it helped to identify the inn for the illiterate. However, nowadays one sometimes sees inns of this name with no dog and no coat of arms depicted, suggesting that many people are unaware of a connection either with a kind of dog or with heraldry. An inn called The Talbot in Iwerne Minster
Iwerne Minster
Iwerne Minster is a village in North Dorset, England, situated under Cranborne Chase in the Blackmore Vale just off the A350. The village has a population of 889 . A cheese shop employs 57 persons...
, Dorset, UK, shows as its sign a black dog, apparently the crest of the Bower family, who owned the manor from the late middle ages till 1876.
The market town of Sudbury, Suffolk
Sudbury, Suffolk
Sudbury is a small, ancient market town in the county of Suffolk, England, on the River Stour, from Colchester and from London.-Early history:...
in the east of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
has a talbot on its town crest, which is also used for a local school and many local sports clubs. The dog is always depicted with its tongue protruding.
The Hampton Township School District
Hampton Township School District
Hampton Township School District may mean either of* Hampton Township School District * Hampton Township School District...
, located in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, North of Pittsburgh, has the talbot as its mascot.
The arms of the Carter of Castle Martin family (see Carter-Campbell of Possil) include a talbot.
External links
- 15th-century English painting of a talbot
- Heathcoat Armory
- The only public school in the United States known to have the talbot as its mascot is the Hampton Township School District
