The Field Spaniel

In common with all the Spaniels the Cocker Spaniel and the Field Spaniel was the same breed only separated by weight. The Cocker Spaniel was shown under 25 pounds and the Field Spaniel was shown over 25 pounds.

The breed then took a different path, which nearly led to its destruction. The breed became a short-legged, heavy-boned dog, only 12 inches high and weighing as much as 40 pounds. In 1948, the Field Spaniel Society was reformed in Britain and breeders started eliminating the exaggerations in the breed.

The modern Field Spaniel may be divided into two classes. Indeed, we may almost say at this stage of canine history, two breeds, as for several years past there has not been very much intermingling of blood between the Blacks and those known by the awkward designation of "Any Other Variety," though, of course, all came originally from the same parent stock.

It is clear that a dog similar to the Field Spaniel has been around for a long time. C. DE Arcussia in his book on Falconry written in 1598 speaks of them and of their being used in connection with the sport of hawking.

The first strain of blacks of which we know more about belonged to Mr. F. Burdett, and was obtained from a Mr. Footman, of Lutterworth, Leicestershire, who was supposed to have owned them for some time. Mr. Burdett's Frank and Bob may be found at the head of very many of the best pedigrees including Cocker Spaniel pedigrees which further goes to illustrate the intermingling of Field and Cocker Spaniels at the outset.

Upon the death of Mr Burdett most of his Spaniels became the property of Mr. Jones, of Oscott, and Mr. Phineas Bullock, of Bilston, the latter of whom was most extraordinarily successful, and owned a kennel of Field Spaniels which was practically unbeatable between the dates of the first Birmingham Show in 1861 and the publication of the first volume of the Kennel Club's Stud Book in 1874, many, if not most, of the dogs which won for other owners having been bred by him. His Nellie and Bob, who won the chief prizes year after year at all the leading shows, were probably the two best specimens of their day.

Another most successful breeder was Mr. W. W. Boulton, of Beverley, whose kennel produced many celebrated dogs, including Beverlac, said to be the largest Field Spaniel ever exhibited, and Rolf, whose union with Belle produced four bitches who were destined, when mated with Nigger, a dog of Mr. Bullock's breeding, to form the foundation of the equally if not more famous kennel belonging to Mr. T. Jacobs, of Newton Abbot.

It was Mr. Jacobs who, by judiciously mating his Sussex sires Bachelor and Bachelor III., and others with these black-bred bitches, established the strain which in his hands and in those of his successors, Captain S. M. Thomas and Mr. Moses Woolland, carried all before it for many years, and is still easily at the top of the tree, being the most sought for and highly prized of all on account of its "quality."

The original Field Spaniels were black or liver with black being the dominant colour (as with many of the original Spaniels). The points of both black and coloured Field Spaniels are identical, bar colour, and here it must be said that black and tan, liver and tan, and liver are not considered true variety colours, though of course they have to compete in those classes.

Some of the earliest breeders of the Field Spaniel are Mr. F. E. Schofield, Dr. J. H. Spurgin, and Mr. J. W. Robinson. In the early days of breeding blacks, when the bitches were mated either with Sussex or liver and white Springer’s or Norfolk Spaniels, many parti-coloured puppies resulted however these were usually destroyed by the breeders.

The Field Spaniel is used for his ability to flush and retrieve birds from dense undergrowth.

The Field Spaniel Society was founded in 1923.