History of the Breed

Part 1
Although the Beagle is generally regarded as a British breed, its origin, however
obscure, is almost certain to be found outside the British Isles. In the opinion of
those who have researched the subject the Beagle has evolved from small
hounds used for hunting small game in Southern Europe, as opposed to the
larger sight hound used for hunting larger and faster quarry.
Evidence to this effect comes from the Greek author Xenophon born about 433BC
who was an enthusiastic follower of hunting and wrote a Treatise on Hunting in
which he refers to the small hounds which hunt hare and rabbit on foot. The
method of hunting used then differs from that of today in that the hounds were
used to drive the game into nets laid out by the huntsmen. Illustrations on
pottery of that period show two types of hounds: the small ones with thick
muzzles & long ears, and the much longer legged hound with slim more pointed
muzzles & shorter ears.
The development of the Beagle is exclusive to Britain, starting with the Romans
who acquired the small Greek hounds and brought them to Britain for trading
and hunting. The Saxons were known to have used them for hunting hare and
exempted them from the Forest Laws drawn up by King Canute in 1016. Whether
or not there were any hare hunting hounds native to Britain at this time is not
certain, but Capt. Otho Paget, described as the dean of all Beaglers wrote:
There were, however, in England packs of hounds before the times of the
Romans and it is on record that, Pwyll, Prince of Wales, a contemporary of King
Arthur, had a special breed of white hounds of great excellence. The Normans
who were keen hunters brought over some larger hounds, probably of Harrier
size. In the 14th century Chaucer mentions in his Canterbury Tale the Small
Houndes belonging to the Prioress, and in the 15 th century the name Beagle
was used for the first time by several writers. In Tudor times, Queen Elizabeth 1 st
had a pack of Singing Beagles, a name inspired by their cry which is still used
today. These Beagles were also supposed to be small enough to fit inside a ladys
gauntlet. Another royal reference came from James 1 st who referred to his wife as
his dear little Beagle, apparently as a term of affection! Other royal patrons of
the breed were Prince William of Orange who had a pack and a century and a
quarter later George 4th who hunted with his pack over the Brighton Downs.
Prince Albert had a almost pure white strain of rabbit Beagles with which he
hunted in Windsor Park.
No names appear to have been given by the Greeks, Romans, Saxons or
Normans to their small hunting hounds. In the 11 th century the name Kennetty
was used to refer to hounds of similar size to the Beagle: Rache was also used at
about the same time but this was thought to refer to the larger hounds of Harrier
size. Hayreies and Hayrers were names given in the 15 th century, for harrying
game, those names becoming Harrier sometime during the next century. The

www. The Beagle Club.org 2010

The Beagle .E. Fitch Daglish, W& G Foyle, London, 1961.

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first recorded use of the name Beagle appears to be about 1475 in The Squire of
Low Degree .
From early illustrations it is obvious that type and size was very varied. Early
writers depicted puddingy hounds, however, Thomas Bewicks engraving of a
Beagle in his History of Quadrupeds published 1790 shows a fine stream lined
hound with well proportioned body. Stonehenges depiction , 1859, of Barmaid,
which he describes as a dwarf Beagle, height twelve and a half inches,
possessed many of the qualities valued today. Type no doubt differed in different
localities and packs and depended on the predilection of the masters, the nature
of the country over which they hunted and the requirements of the followers.
Realisation of the desirability of uniformity in shape and conformation grew
steadily during the second half of the 19th century, culminating in the formation
of the Beagle Club in 1890 and the Association of Masters of Harriers and
Beagles in 1891. The desire to stabilise general type had led to the holding of
hound shows, the Peterborough Show of 1889 being one of the first and the best
known. The Beagle Club held its first show in 1896. Up until the outbreak of
World War 1 Beagles were shown regularly at hound shows and at larger general
championship shows.
In 1900 we know from Henry Comptons writing that height varied from 12 to 23
inches. By 1910 great strides had been made in breeding to a definite type,
ranging in height from 12 to 16 inches. This steady and general improvement
was undoubtedly due to the publication by the Beagle Club of a Breed Standard
which has remained virtually unchanged to date. The breed standard was framed
with the sole object of defining the physical qualities needed to enable the hound
to hunt hare to the best advantage under all conditions. It was drawn up by some
of the most distinguished huntsmen of the era.
During World War 1 most of the principal kennels were disbanded, when dog
shows resumed in 1920, Beagles were conspicuous by their absence. A limited
foundation stock had survived but in the following 7 years only 2 names were
added to the breed register. That the breed was revived is thanks largely to the
efforts of Mrs Nina Elms owner of Reynalton Kennels, which between the wars
bred Bloodhounds, Bassets and Beagles. Reynalton Kennels were the most
successful exhibitors in the 1930s. Other winning exhibitors were Viscount
Chelmsford, Miss Willis, Mrs E Stockley and Mr E.G. Sergean. Great strides were
made and by the time of the declaration of World War 2 the future of the Beagle
breed both in type & numbers seemed secure.
Once again a World War intervened and once again Beagle breeders and
numbers dwindled though not with the same devastating effect of WW1. In 1945
only one Beagle was registered, 1946 the number rose to 18 and thereafter rose
steadily. Post war exhibitors and kennels which played a part in the revival were
Mrs Stockley, Stanhurst Kennels, Douglas Appleton & Appleline Kennels,
Tavernmews Kennels, Mrs Crowther Davies, Mrs Clayton, Barvae Kennels, Mrs

www. The Beagle Club.org 2010

The Beagle .E. Fitch Daglish, W& G Foyle, London, 1961.

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Thelma Gray & Mrs Beck who promoted smaller type Beagles. By 1959 1092
Beagles were registered.
The Beagle star has been in the ascendant since the 1960s and names from
then to the present day who have influenced the breed include three generations
of the Spavin family & the Dialynne prefix, two of the Sutton family & Rossut
prefix, Leo Pagliero and David Webster. Other kennels such as Bayard, Beacott,
Crestamere, Dufosee, Davicard, Eardley, Fallowfield, Nedlaw, Norcis, Raimex and
Serenaker amongst others, have been prominent in the breed in recent years *.

*Any omissions are unintentional and due to ignorance.

Part 2
Being a British Breed, the foundation stock of Beagles in South Africa was and is
largely drawn from the UK. The history of the breed in this country is still being
researched, but will take into account the part played by imports from Australia
and the United States, in the past thirty years, which have different height
standards, and which have resulted in different types of Beagles in South Africa.

www. The Beagle Club.org 2010

The Beagle .E. Fitch Daglish, W& G Foyle, London, 1961.

Page 3