History of the English Setter

Origins

The English Setter is one of the oldest breeds of gundog, with a history that traces back to the 14th century. It  was developed over hundreds of years from the spaniel and was originally called a Setting Spaniel, used for  finding and setting birds. They would be worked on moorland, ranging out freely in front of the hunter, quartering the ground and looking for birds. When located, they would crouch (or set) and remain motionless  facing the birds, often lifting a paw to indicate the position of the quarry. The hunters would then approach and lay nets so that on a given command, the dogs would rise and drive the birds into the nets. Use of the net  continued until the late 18th century, but as use of the gun replaced the net, the term Setting Spaniel was replaced by that of Setter.

The original Setters were owned by noble families who kept them for their working abilities. There is no  evidence of where these dogs originated, but it is quite likely that some were brought back from the Continent  (Europe/Asia) following wars during those times. The Setters did not separate into the breeds we know today  until the 19th century, although there were various recognised strains of Setter, named after the aristocratic  families who kept them.

Laverack Setters

The modern English Setter owes its appearance to Mr Edward Laverack (1800-1877) who developed his own strain of the breed by careful inbreeding and selective line-breeding during the 19th century. The modern show-type of English Setter is frequently referred to as the Laverack-type. He was the author of the book entitled The Setter, published in 1872. This was considered to be the definitive book on the breed and was the basis for the creation of the English Setter Standard.

Llewellin Setters

Mr Richard Purcell Llewellin (1840-1925), based his strain upon Laverack's and concentrated on developing his ideal of the working setter by breeding a number of other strains with his own. The modern-day working setter is frequently referred to as the Llewellin-type.

Further Information

If you require more detailed information about the History of the English Setter, please refer to any of the Books reviewed on this website.