Breed History
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Compiled by Carolyn Hensley
from various out of publication
old texts/tomes - not an original
work and attributed to named
author when known. This is presented
for educational purposes
only and is not intended for
sale.
..
HOW THE BREED WAS FORMED
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The Yorkshire Terrier had its beginnings as
a breed in the Yorkshire,
Manchester and Leeds counties in the northern
part of England. But prior
to being known as a Yorkshire Terrier it owes
it's base heritage to the
same or similar Scottish Terriers as inhabited
Scotland and the Isle of Skye.
.
Before 1750, most British people worked in
agriculture. The onset of the
Industrial Revolution brought great changes
to family life. In Yorkshire,
small communities grew up around coal mines,
textile mills and factories.
People were drawn to these areas to seek work
from as far away as Scotland.
.
It is doubful if many of the early Yorkshire
Terriers could be traced to common
ancestors, fo in an area that knew so may
terriers and toy breeds it would be
unreasonable to supose that all breeders used
the same crosses.
.
The weavers of Scotland brought their families
and dogs with them when
they left their homeland. The Industrial Revolution
had forced them out of
work. The time was the mid 19th century, 1860’s
and 1870’s. The dogs that
accompanied these families were for the most
part the sturdy Scottish Terrier.
.
Part of the Scottish Terrier bloodlines later
became the breeds today known
as the Skye, Scottish Terrier, West Highland
White Terrier and the last of
the named from their separation, the Cairn
Terrier. The Scottish Terrier was
also known to be on Argyle or the Isle of
Skye. It was of a bluish color and
was also known as a broken or smooth haired
Scots depending on the length
of coat it had. There is every possibility
that they were forerunners to the
modern day Skye Terrier. The Paisley or Clydesdale
Terrier's bloodlines
were probably also included in the bloodlines,
these two breeds were melded
into the working terriers of the day and no
longer exist.
.
The Clydesdale or Paisley Terrier must surely
play a large part in the makeup
of the Yorkshire Terrier. This extinct breed
resembled the modern Skye
Terrier in nearly all respects but was much
shorter in the back length;
according to many of the old tomes on English
breeds they averaged height
of thirteen to fourteen inches from the ground
and weight of 12 to 16 stones .
The clour of the body coat was a fine dark
blue, silky in texture and about
5 to 6 inches in length. He was known to have
a naturally erect ear.
.
The "Broken-Haired Scotch Terrier" which is
agreed by most to be the
forefather to the breed came in three average
"types": one type was a sandy
red in colour and carried a shaggy coat; another
type had a harsher hair; a
short muzzle, shortness and stout of limb
and was generally a dirty white or
wheaton shade of colour; another was a smooth,
sleek and usually black and
tan in colour. The mixtures of the black,
tan and white coat in the background
may account for the occasional white hairs
sometimes found on the chest and
paws of the Yorkshire Terrier when born that
is in the adult replaced by a
lovely golden-tan hair. This may also account
for the "opinion" of the influence
of the Maltese that many consider but that
I have come to doubt as I research
through the terrier history of other breeds
as it is credited to the Scots Terriers
many of the longcoated dogs of Scotland and
Northern England.
.
It is also recorded that some hundreds of
years ago a breed of terrier with a
rough coat lived in the highlands of Scotland
and the Hebrides. This terrier
was of the working type and from him can be
traced several different types
were evolved, probably the result of personal
preferences. For an example,
the Macdonalds of the Isle of Skye preferred
the longer coated and longer
bodied dogs which cam to be recorded as the
Skye Terrier.
.
These were all working men’s dogs, used to
keep the vermin under control in
the textile mills and coal mines. What exact
bloodlines in what measures were
used to establish the Yorkshire Terrier is
subject to much speculation, due to
the fact that the breeders of these dogs did
not write down who was bred to
whom. If they liked the spirit and looks of
the dogs, they mated them. Further,
the literacy of the day for the common working
man was poor at best, so the
matings to produce the dog as is known today,
were kept in their heads and
went to the graves with them. The matings
were chance at best, if they were
a good ratter they were mated as the betting
was heavy at the local pubs and
those dispatching a record number would be
mated in an attempt to get even
better ratters.
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It is guessed that the Yorkshire county miners
crossed the Black and Tan
English Terrier, this dog was rough-coated,
and the long-coated, blue-gray
Waterside Terrier breeds were infused in the
Scottish Terriers. The Maltese
and Skye Terrier are also possibilities. These
terriers were inevitably crossed
with other types of terrier, probably the
English Black and Tan Terrier. We
must not forget that one of the oldest terrier
breeds known in the United
Kingdom is the Welsh Terrier, an essentially
tan dog with black saddle who
traces its ancestry more direct then most
to the old English Black and Tan
terriers who are the forefathers for many
of terrier breeds known to exist
today.
.
The old Skye Terriers resemble the Yorkshire
Terrier very closely except,
of course, for the much longer back which
was developed for hunting Badger
in their den. The Skye Terrier is also close
to 4 to 6 times the weight of a
Yorkshire Terrier. The colours of the Skye
coat are blue-grey with fawn or
cream acceptable as well.
The old English Black and Tan is also credited
as the forefather of the
Manchester Terrier, albeit the cross there
was to the Whippet to shorten
the coat and develop more speed. The Whippet
can be seen clearly in the
development of the modern Manchester.
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It is strongly considered that the Bichon
Maltese was brought back by sailors
and could have found it's way to be crossed
with these breeds to help produce
long coats. As the outline of the Bichon Maltese
resembles that of many of
today's Yorkies, this could be very likely.
Unfortunately, no records in the form
of pedigrees exist to confirm these crosses,
in part due to the level of literacy
at the time. One must not forget that this
breed was developed by the working
classes who did not have the literacy, training
or ability to record exact
bloodlines, as did the aristocracy. A great
deal is known about the type of
people who bred them, and there can be no
doubt that early breeders had a
very clear idea of the type of dogs they were
attempting to produce, a
luxurious killer of rats and small game. One
who's coat was a thing of beauty
equal to the expensive material they wove
but could not wear, yet upon whom
they could achieve amusement from and wager
in rat killing contests at the
nearby pubs. We can see in today's Yorkies
how strongly the terrier
temperament has been retained; this is no
lap of luxury canine but a steady
worker whose instincts is that of a true terrier.
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By 1765-1835 the Waterside Terrier, a small,
longish-coated dog,
occasionally grizzly (bluish-gray) in color,
was common in Yorkshire.
G.H.Wilkinson reported in “The English Stockkeeper”
in 1887: “I was
having some trouble looking up several old
fanciers, one of whom is Mr.
John Richardson of Halifax who is now in his
67th year, and very interesting
it was to hear this aged man go back to “the
good old days” of over half a
century ago. Fifty years ago, there was in
Halifax, and the immediate
neighborhood, a type of dog called at that
time (and even within these last
twenty years) a “Waterside Terrier”, a game
little dog, varying in weight
from six to twenty stones. Mostly about ten
stones weight-a dog resembling
the present Welsh and Airedale Terrier on
a small scale. At this period, these
dogs were bred for the purpose of hunting
and killing rats. They would go into
the river with a ferret, and were just in
their element when put into a rat pit.
An almost daily occurrence at that time was
to back them to kill a given
number of rats in a given time.
.
Mr. Richardson was born during the Waterloo
decade in the days of King William
the IV. And further remembers the dogs as
having silvery long combed heads.
.
It seems a pity that such a breed should have
become extinct. Mr. Richardson
himself owned a little bitch “Polly”, who
weighted six stones and she was
frequently put into a rat pit with a dozen
rats, the whole of which she would
speedily kill against time. She would also
swim the river and hunt with a ferret.
This little bitch, I am told, had four or
five inches of coat on each side of her
body, with a white or silver head.” The Waterside
Terrier had a 6 to 9 stone
weight limit.
.
In the first and second editions of Stonehenge's
authorative Dogs of the
British Isles, there is a plat in which, in
addition to the Broken-Haired
Terrier in whitish shades, is a dog which
is taken as a representative of the
Yorkshire Terrier. Stonehenge was writing
of the usual run of rough coated
terriers to be seen in and about 1868 and
says of this dog "sometimes his
coat is of a silky texture and in this case
the colours are blue-fawn or blue-tan."
A writer (not identified in the script) published
in Dogs of the British Isles
circa 1872, describes the Yorkshire Terrier
thus:
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"a silky coated terrier and with the exception
of the colouring and texture of
coat resembles the old English rough terrier,
the shape of the body and head
being exactly the same. The ears are generally
cropped, but if entire should be
fine, thin and moderately small. The coat
should be long, very silky in texture
and completely parted down the back, the beard
being exceptionally long often
two or three inches in length and entirely
of a golden tan shade. The colour is
entriely blue on the back and down to the
elbows and thighs of rich lustre and
without any mixture of tan. Legs and muzzle
are of rich golden tan, ears are
also deep golden but of a darker hue in shade.
The colour on the skull is lighter
yet approaching a fawnish tan. ON the head
the colours graduallly merging into
each other with no notice of blue or black
in the shade. The weight is generally
ten to eighteen stone"
.
Rawdon B. Lee, speaking of Yorkshire Terrier
in “Modern Dogs says: “How
the name of Scotch Terrier became attached
to dog which so thoroughly had
its home in Yorkshire and Lancashire is somewhat
difficult to determine, if it
can be determined at all, but a very old breeder
of the variety told me that the
first of them came from Scotland, where they
had been accidentally produced
from a cross between the silk-coated Skye
(the Clydesdale) and the black and
tan Terrier. One could scarcely expect that
a pretty dog, partaking in a degree
of both its parents, could be produced from
a smooth-coated dog, a long-coated
bitch or vice-versa. Maybe, two or three animals
so bred had been brought by
some of the Paisley weavers in Yorkshire and
there, suitably admired, pains
were taken to perpetuate the strain.”
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At the turn of the century in the Dog Book,
Mr. James Watson stated that sixty
years was as far as anyone could trace back
the origins of the Yorkshire Terrier
in pedigrees. That is when we come to
Swift's Old Crab and Kershaw's Old
Kitty. The former was a long coated black
and tan terrier and the latter a dropped
eared Paisley or Skye type, blue in colour.
Old Kitty was known to be stolen
from Manchester and later when found
became the property of J. Kershaw of
Halifax.
.
Mr. Swift was also a Haligonian, but
went to Manchester, which is where he
purchased Old Crab after a gaming match. That
is the only direct line that can
be traced which would take us back about 1850
leaving 50 to 80 Broken Haired
Scotch or Yorkshire Terriers in the stud book
with no discernable pedigree.
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The Clydesdale was a long coated, silky haired
with a glossy sheen and had a
weight limit of 12 pounds. The Paisley Terrier
was a smaller dog and Blue
and Tan in color and weighed 6 pounds.
.
There were two Class Registrations for Toy
Terriers, Rough and Broken
Haired. In 1866 Broken Haired Scotch Terriers
were registered as not
exceeding 5 pounds. These were later registered
as Yorkshire Terriers in
1874.
.
These were first shown under 5 pound class:
Tiny won 1st place registration number 4023
Punch won 2nd place registration number 4012
Shrimp won 3rd place registration number 4018
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In 1867 not exceeding 5 pounds:
Minnie won 1st place
Natty won 2nd place
Wasp won 3rd place
.
In 1869 June 1st, 2nd and 3rd in Islington:
Broken Haired Toy Terriers under 5 pounds:
Little Kate, born 1867 (daughter of Huddersfield
Ben won 1st place).
Reg # 4001 Pink (male) won 2nd place Reg#4010
Peter won 3rd Reg #4008 (his sire was Huddersfield
Ben)
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Century Magazine in 1886 published an article
by Mr. James Watson of
Philadelphia, who wrote, "Some of our authorities
have attempted to throw a
great deal of mystery about the origin of
the Yorkshire Terrier, where none
really exists. If we consider that the mill
operatives (workers), who originated
the breed by careful selection of the best
long-coated small Terriers they
could find, were all ignorant men, unaccustomed
to imparting information for
public use, we may see some reason why reliable
facts have not been easily
attained. These early writers show but a little
knowledge of the possibilities
of selection. "
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Today's Yorkshire Terrier is very different
from the early Yorkshire Terriers
of the North of England. There are varying
accounts of the origins of this
breed and its development.
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Early Yorkshire Terriers
and Breeders
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Huddersfield Ben
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One of the most famous early Yorkies was
Huddersfield Ben, Ben who
traces his pedigree back to Old Crab and Old
Kitty bred by a Mr.
Eastwood and owned by Mr. and Mrs. M.A. Foster.
No one at the time
knew more about the origin of the breed then
Mrs. Foster of Bradford.
Huddersfield Ben was born in 1865 and died
in 1871, and can be said to be the
father of the modern Yorkie. In his
day "Ben" was a very popular stud dog
who won many prizes in the show ring, and
had tremendous influence in
setting breed type. Ben demonstrated that
he was very successful in the
rat killing contests (these were quite popular
in the 19th century), and he
won more than 70 prizes as a show dog as well.
He was much noted as a stud
dog, although lost to an accident at an early
age, this being as Ben was one of
the first to breed true to type and under
5 pounds. Ben Reg #3612 1865-1871,
was run over by a carriage in the prime of
his life but is responsible for
producing most of the foundation stock of
the Yorkshire Terrier. He was
shown in Manchester in 1869 and won 2nd place.
Again in 1870 in Manchester
he won 1st place. At the Crystal Palace in
1870 and 1871 he won 1st and 2nd.
He was the winner of 74 prizes in his show
career. Ben was preserved after
death and kept under glass allowing many to
see this dog long after his death.
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Dr Gordon Staples, who was Veterinarian to
Mr. and Mrs. Foster, owners of
Huddersfield Ben wrote in “Ladies Dogs As
Companions" circa 1871 “Now,
of all the Yorkshire Terrier ever I saw, I
think Huddersfield Ben was the
best. Many of my readers doubtless remember
this most beautiful prince of
dogs, although it is now some few years since
he was run over on the street
and killed, he being then only in his prime.
But he did not die before he had
made his mark. Dog shows were not then quite
so numerous as they are now,
but nevertheless Ben managed to win seventy-four
prizes ere his grand career
was shortened on that unlucky 23rd of September
(1871)." “Pedigrees, few
ladies I believe care to remember, so I shall
not give Ben’s in full, but be
content with stating that he was bred by Mr.
W Eastwood, Huddersfield, and
had the blood of Old Bounce in his veins,
and his mother Lady, was a daughter
of Old Ben, a granddaughter of Old Sandy,
and great-granddaughter of Mr.
W.J. Haigh’s Teddy, and a great great granddaughter
of Mr. J.Swift’s Old
Crab. I am the very worst genealogist in the
world, so I cannot go back any
further for fear of running on shore somewhere.
Perhaps, though, Old Crab
came over with the Conqueror--from Scotland
you know.”
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Mrs. Foster said, in 1885 as recorded in Dog
Book by Dalziel, regarding the
pedigree of her dog Bradford Hero, that all
the best dogs for the past thrity five
years were included in his pedigree and they
all originated from the Scotch
Terriers until only a few years back.
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In 1883, Ted who was a grandson of Huddersfield
Ben weighed 4 1/2 pounds,
measured 9 inches from the shoulder to the
floor, 17 inches from the tip of his
nose to the set on tail. The length of his
coat across the shoulders was
18 inches and at the loin was 17 inches.
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In 1874 the first Yorkies were registered
in the British Kennel Club stud
book. They were referred to as "Broken Haired
Scottish Terriers" or
"Yorkshire Terriers", until 1886, when the
Kennel Club recognized the
Yorkshire Terrier as an individual breed.
The first Yorkshire Terrier breed
club was formed in 1898. During these early
years, one who greatly influenced
the breed was Lady Edith Wyndham-Dawson. Lady
Edith was secretary of the
Yorkshire Terrier Club for some time and did
much early work for the
improvement of the breed. Later, a Miss Palmer,
who was Lady Edith's
kennel maid, started her own Yorkie kennel
under the "Winpal" prefix.
When Lady Edith returned to Ireland at the
start of World War I, Miss Palmer
went to work for Mrs. Crookshank of the famous
Johnstounburn prefix, a
name with a long list of champions, which
is now in the care of Daphne
Hillman, who was entrusted with this prefix,
and still uses it along with
her own Yorkfold prefix.
.
Many others have worked very hard since these
early years to improve this
breed, and to these breeders much is owed.
Many of their early dogs became
the foundation stock of kennels in North America
and elsewhere.
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In 1932 only 300 Yorkies were registered with
the British Kennel Club, in
1957 the number was 2313, and in the 1970's
Yorkies were the most popular
breed in Britain. This trend continued until
1990 with a record of 25,665 Yorkies
registered. However, this figure has now begun
to drop, and in 2002 there
were 11857 registrations, with the Yorkie
being recorded as the 10th most
popular breed.
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In 1872, the Yorkshire Terrier was introduced
into the United States, and was
recognized by the AKC in 1878. The Yorkshire
Terrier is also very popular in
North America today. In 1992, Yorkies were
#14 on the AKC's list of most
popular breeds with 39,904 registrations.
In 2002, Yorkies were #6 on the
same list with 42,205 registered.
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The American Kennel Club Registry from the
early years (1872) had them in
two classes: Over 5 pounds or Not Exceeding
5 pounds. In 1877 Classes for
Toy Terriers were in classes: Not Exceeding
5 pounds or Over 5 pounds.
1878 the AKC registered them as the Yorkshire
Terrier in classes Over
5 pounds or Not Exceeding 5 pounds. In 1879
the AKC registered them as
Yorkshire Terrier Blue and Tan Class 85: Over
5 pounds or Class 86 Blue
and Tan not Exceeding 5 pounds.
.
The first year Yorkshire Terriers were shown
at Westminster was 1878. In
those years they were divided by weight see
above. There were 33 Yorkshire
Terriers entered in that Show and they were
divided into the two Classes,
by weight: Over 5 pounds had 18 entries and
the class Not Exceeding
5 pounds had an entries of 15.
.
.
The Modern Yorkshire Terrier
.
But it wasn’t until the 1930’s that the Yorkshire
Terrier took on its modern
look. It is important to note that the Yorkshire
Terrier up until the 1930’s
usually weighed approximately 30 pounds, not
the 3 to 7 pounds it does today.
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The first Yorkie to become an American Champion
was Bradford Harry, who
gained his title in 1889. He was the great
great grandson of Huddersfield Ben,
and was imported from England by P.H. Coombs
of Bangor, Maine. Some of
the most notable early American kennels are
Janet Bennett and Joan Gordon
(Wildweir) who imported many English and Irish
Yorkies, including lines from
Johnstounburn, Haringay and Buranthea. The
Mayfair-Barban kennels owned
by Anne Seranne and Barbara Wolferman were
also noted , along with those
of Goldie Stone.
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Ch. Blairsville Royal Seal
..
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The most famous Yorkshire Terrier of modern
times in the UK was CH
Blairsville Royal Seal. He was by CH Beechrise
Surprise and his dam was
CH Blairsville Most Royale. "Tosha" to his
friends (of whom he had many)
was bred, owned and handled by Mr. Brian Lister
and his wife, Rita. Tosha
was definitely a 'King' among dogs and no
one who saw him flowing around
the ring could ever forget him. Even a complete
novice could feel his presence,
and many say that just thinking of him brings
a lump to the throat. During his
show career Tosha won 50 Challenge Certificates,
all under different judges.
He was 12 times Best In Show at all breed
Championship shows, and 16 times
Reserve Best In Show. He took 33 Group wins,
and went Reserve Best In
Show at Cruft's in 1978, just as his dam had
done before him. Tosha was Top
Dog, all breeds, for two consecutive years.
He became the sire of many prolific
Champions and still features in the pedigree
of many of today's Yorkies.
.
..
Ch Cede Higgens
..
.
Meanwhile on this side of the pond, Tosha's
American counterpart, CH Cede
Higgens was making his mark in the USA.
Cede Higgens remains the only
Yorkie to win the American counterpart to
Crufts but going Best In Show at
Westminster Kennel Club. Bred by C.D. Lawrence,
Cede Higgens was closely
line-bred sired by Ch. Wildweir Pomp 'N Circumstance
and his dam was
Cede Bonnie
.
These two dogs were both shown during the
same era, and were inevitably,
constantly being compared. However, although
they were both outstanding
specimens of the breed, those who had seen
them both, agreed that they
were totally different in phenotype/style.
A little Australian & UK
History
In Australia a beautiful little bitch called
Ch Glen Petite Sweet Joanie did
heaps of winning over many years. I do not
know her record but she won
BOB at the Melbourne Royal Show in the mid
90s when she was 11 years
old! She had the stunning dark steel
blue and golden shaded tan that we
should all strive for. She was well put together
and moved beautifully, with
exquisite presentation. I would nominate her
as the top winning Yorkie in
Australia of all time.
In UK Ch Ozmilion Dedication holds a record
of 52 CCs. He won 48 BOB.
3 Res.Toy Groups. 10 Toy Groups. 11 BIS Club
Shows. 3 Res BIS All Breed Ch.
Shows. 2 BIS All Breed Ch Shows. Toy of the
Year 1988. Top Dog All Breeds
1987 and Crufts Toy Group winner in 1988.
Ch. Blairsville Royal Seal held 50 CCs.12
BIS (All Breed Ch.) 16 Res
BIS. Top Dog all Breeds 1976 and 1977. Res
BIS at Crufts in 1978.
Ch Ozmilion Mystification held 50 CCs.
48 BOB. 22 Toy Groups. 9 BIS
Club SHows.7 res BIS All Breeds Ch Shows.
Top Yorkie 1994. Top Toy 1995. Top
Dog All Breeds 1996. Winner Pedigree Chum
Champion Stakes Final 1996. Then
the crowning glory, Best in Show Crufts 1997.
In a recent publication the first Champion
Yorkshire Terrier dog in
UK was 'Merry Mentor' owned by Holdsworth
and Hooton, and the first Ch bitch
was 'Ashton Queen' owned by Walton and Beard.
The year was 1897. Apologies
are given for the lack of records of sire
and dam in both cases, many old
records have been lost.
She may not be the youngest Champion
(16 months) but in Australia
Ch. Danaliz Desdemona, owned by Elizabeth
Shaw, must be among the
youngest Yorkies to win a Best in Show at
an All Breed Show at the age
of 14 months. I think there were around 800
entries at that show. |
