Report on a Dog Show held at Bedford, 1874

The following is taken from a report in the Bedfordshire Times from July 1874. You will see that this show (incidentally nothing to do with the present Bedford & District Canine Society, which celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2005) has little in common with the shows presently held under the Kennel Club rules!

The show was held in conjunction with the Royal Agricultural Society's meeting held in the town at the time. There was an extensive list of patrons, including Earl Cowper, the Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, the Town Mayor, and a distinguished selection of the local landed gentry. Three large pavilions were provided, and the dogs were ranged on either side of low stages. Most of them were chained up, but some were in pens 'more or less ornamental, several of them having glass fronts'. Some of the dogs appeared to suffer from the excessive heat - 'several noted biters were very vicious and dangerous, but their keepers did their best to quiet them by a constant supply of water and Spratts Patent Meat Fibrine Cakes'. Mr Collier of Northampton supplied refreshments for the exhibitors 'at somewhat unreasonable charges'. (Not much has changed in that respect then)

On the Tuesday morning judging commenced at 10am, but there were few spectators until late in the afternoon, when the Northampton town band arrived.

The Setter classes were well filled, and Class 12 'Setters other than Black and Tan' was won by Mr Llewellin's 'Carlowitzy', a yearling dog from Ashby de La Zouch, the prize being a silver cup and £3 (the equivalent of £5,000 at today's prices!). The judge, the Prince de Vismes of Romsey, claimed this was the 'finest setter in England'. Second in a class of five was an Irish Setter.

The definitions of classes were also quite different. The Selling Classes were very popular. Class 47, 'for any breed of dog used in field sports', was won by a two-year-old retriever from Manchester, in a class of thirty. The ill-fated White English Terriers, soon to become extinct when ear cropping was banned, had a class of 11, and the winning exhibit was 'Pink' of Manchester. Class 46 for the best litter of puppies under three months old was won by Mr Lawrence's eight pointers, aged five weeks, who won £3 and a silver cup between them. The class 'for any known Foreign breed of dog' was won by a Siberian Greyhound, with two Red Dachshunds taking 3rd and 4th in the same class.

Exhibitors travelled a considerable distance in those days - there were Pointers from Devonport, and Curly-Coated Retrievers from Birmingham. The winning Clumber Spaniel - first in a class of 8, but 2nd was withheld - came from Brentwood. The winning Skye Terrier was from Huddersfield, and the best Fox Terrier puppy came from Darlington.

So, next time you think how badly run a dog show is, spare a thought for the exhibitors and dogs attending shows 130 years ago - perhaps things now aren't so bad!

Contributed by Hilary Jones

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