| Staghound | |||||||||||||||||
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| Other names | English Staghound | ||||||||||||||||
| Origin | England | ||||||||||||||||
| Breed status | Extinct | ||||||||||||||||
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| Dog ( domestic dog ) | |||||||||||||||||
The Staghound, sometimes referred to as the English Staghound, is an extinct breed of scent hound from England. A pack hound, the breed was used to hunt red deer and became extinct in the 19th century when the last pack was sold.
The Staghound most likely developed from Southern Hounds, which were themselves developed from Talbot Hounds and Norman Hounds introduced into England by the Normans in the 11th century after their conquest of the country. [1] [2] [3] As seen from the Norman Forest laws, in Medieval England the hunting of red deer, or stag, was the exclusive domain of the monarch and their favourites, and the Staghound was developed to hunt the stag in packs, becoming an important dog breed in England. [2] From at least the reign of Henry III (1216–1272), different hounds were maintained in England for hunting different deer species, with the Staghound kept to hunt stag, and the smaller Buckhound kept to hunt fallow deer or buck. [1] [2]
The Staghound shared many characteristics with French hound breeds; there was likely interbreeding between the hounds of France and England as the exchange of hounds as gifts was common between royal courts and noble houses. It has been claimed the Staghound most closely resembled the King's White Hounds, the hound breed of the French kings. [2] At the beginning of his reign, Louis XV of France wanted to improve the quality of his royal pack, and sought English Staghounds, procured by the Count of Toulouse, to achieve this, as English Staghounds were described as "fleeter and more vigorous and better hunters" than the hounds in the royal pack. [2]
With the gradual destruction of the forests of England and the increased cultivation of the country, the deer's habitat was reduced, and from the 17th century, the sport began to decline in popularity, being supplanted by fox hunting. [2] [3] The Staghound was one of the foundation breeds used in the development of the Foxhound. [3]
The last pack of Staghounds in England were those of the North Devon Hunt, predecessor of the Devon and Somerset Staghounds, which pursued stag in the Royal forests of Exmoor until 1825, when the pack was sold at Tattersalls. [1] [4] The pack was purchased by a Mr Charles Shard of Somborne House in Hampshire; the terrain in Hampshire consists of flintier soil than Devon, and it was found that whilst hunting this country the ground caused consistent injuries to the Staghound's paws, so the pack was sold again in 1826 after just one season. [1] [2] The majority of the pack was purchased by a German buyer who exported them to Germany; most of these animals were subsequently destroyed during a rabies outbreak. [1] [3] After this time, all hound packs kept in England for the hunting of deer are predominantly derived from Foxhounds, despite their usually being referred to as "Staghounds". [1] [3]
Prior to their 1825 sale, some of the North Devon Staghounds were acquired by enthusiasts in Devon including Parson John Froude, and it is thought that their bloodlines contributed to the development of the West Country Harrier. [1] [4] Parson Jack Russell was so upset by the impending loss of the breed to England that in 1826 he managed to purchase three bitches prior to their departure for Germany. [1] [3] Hoping to somehow resurrect the breed from these three hounds, when this proved impossible Parson Russel passed these hounds on to a friend called John Dillwyn Llewelyn of Swansea who used them to improve local Welsh Hounds, their influence is still seen in that breed. [1] [3] In 1826, some of the North Devon Staghounds were also purchased by enthusiasts who resided near the Epping Forest; the fate of these hounds is unknown. [1]
The Staghound was said to be a strong, powerfully built breed standing up to 27 inches (69 cm) at the shoulder, with significant sexual dimorphism in size, with dogs being larger than bitches. [1] [3] [4] The breed had a short coat that usually bi-coloured with yellow, lemon or badger patches on a white background, yellow and white was said to be the most common colour. [1] [4] The breed had a long head with a broad nose, they were renowned for their deep scenting abilities. [1] [4] Compared to the Foxhound, the Staghound was taller, more heavily built and slower. [1] [4] An 1826 portrait exists of two Staghounds from the North Devon hunt, a dog and bitch: "Governor" and "Famous". [1] [2]
Scent hounds are a type of hound that primarily hunts by scent rather than sight. These breeds are hunting dogs and are generally regarded as having some of the most sensitive noses among dogs. Scent hounds specialize in following scent or smells. Most of them tend to have long, drooping ears and large nasal cavities to enhance smell sensitivity. They relatively need to have high endurance to be able to keep track of scent over long distances and rough terrain. It is believed that they were originally bred by the Celts.
A foxhound is a type of large hunting hound bred for strong hunting instincts, a keen sense of smell, their bark, energy, drive, and speed. In fox hunting, the foxhound's namesake, packs of foxhounds track quarry, followed—usually on horseback—by the hunters, sometimes for several miles at a stretch; moreover, foxhounds also sometimes guard sheep and houses.
The League Against Cruel Sports (LACS), formerly known as the League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports, is a UK-based animal welfare charity which campaigns to stop blood sports such as fox hunting, hare and deer stalking; game bird shooting; and animal fighting. The charity helped bring about the Hunting Act 2004 and Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002, which banned hunting with hounds in England, Wales and Scotland.
The American Foxhound is a breed of dog that is a cousin of the English Foxhound. They are scent hounds, bred to hunt foxes by scent.
The English Foxhound is one of the four foxhound breeds of dog. It is a cousin of the American Foxhound. They are scent hounds, bred to hunt foxes by scent.
The Grand Anglo-Francais Tricolore is a breed of dog used in hunting as a scenthound, usually in packs. It is one of the Anglo-French hound breeds which were created by crossing French scenthounds with English (Anglo) Foxhounds.
The Porcelaine[pɔʁsəlɛn] is a breed of dog originating from France. In 1844, this scent hound was originally called “Briquets Francs Comtois” and named after a French region bordering Switzerland.
The Southern Hound was a breed of dog that existed in Britain probably until sometime in the 19th century, now extinct. 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 North Country Beagle, Northern Hound or Northern Beagle was a breed of dog that existed in Britain probably until early in the 19th century. The exact date of its extinction is not known; it is likely that it was gradually interbred with other breeds, particularly the modern Beagle, until the genuine North Country Beagle bloodline ceased to exist.
Mordaunt Fenwick Bisset was a British Conservative Party politician and famous west-country Master of Staghounds.
The Grand Anglo-Français Blanc et Orange translated into English as the Great Anglo-French White and Orange Hound, is a breed of dog used in hunting as a scenthound, usually in packs. It is one of the Anglo-French hound breeds which were created by crossing French scenthounds with English (Anglo) foxhounds.
The Bloodhound is a large scent hound, originally bred for hunting deer, wild boar and, since the Middle Ages, for tracking people. Believed to be descended from hounds once kept at the Abbey of Saint-Hubert, Belgium, it is known to French speakers as le chien de Saint-Hubert. A more literal name in French for the bloodhound is le chien de sang.
Rache, also spelled racch, rach, and ratch, from Old English ræcc, linked to Old Norse rakkí, is an obsolete name for a type of hunting dog used in Great Britain in the Middle Ages. It was a scenthound used in a pack to run down and kill game, or bring it to bay. The word appears before the Norman Conquest. It was sometimes confused with 'brache', which is a French derived word for a female scenthound.
A limer, or lymer, was a kind of dog, a scenthound, used on a leash in medieval times to find large game before it was hunted down by the pack. It was sometimes known as a lyam hound/dog or lime-hound, from the Middle English word lyam, meaning 'leash'. The French cognate limier has sometimes been used for the dogs in English as well. The type is not to be confused with the bandog, which was also a dog controlled by a leash, typically a chain, but was a watchdog or guard dog.
The red deer of Exmoor have been hunted since Norman times, when Exmoor was declared a Royal Forest. Collyns stated the earliest actual record of a pack of Staghounds on Exmoor was 1598. In 1803, the "North Devon Staghounds" became a subscription pack. In 1824/5 30 couples of hounds, the last of the true staghounds, were sold to a baron in Germany. Today, the Devon and Somerset is one of three staghounds packs in the U.K., the others being the Quantock Staghounds and the Tiverton Staghounds. All packs hunt within Devon and Somerset. The Chairman as of 2016 is Tom Yandle, who was previously High Sheriff of Somerset in 1999.
The Poitevin, also known as the Chien de Haut-Poitou, is a breed of French scenthound from the province of Poitou, this predominantly pack hound was created in the 17th century to hunt wolves.
The Buckhound was a breed of now extinct scent hound from England; they were used to hunt fallow deer in packs.
The West Country Harrier, sometimes called Somerset Harrier, is a breed of scent hound from the south west of England that is used to hunt hare in packs. The West Country Harrier is often considered to be a variety of the more common Harrier breed, which is sometimes referred to as the Studbook Harrier.
The King's White Hound, the Chien Blanc du Roi in French, was a now extinct breed of scent hound from France. The breed was said to be the favourite of the French kings from Louis XI to Louis XIV.
The Norman Hound was a now extinct breed of scent hound from France.
Media related to Staghound at Wikimedia Commons