Dossier No. 06 · Nottinghamshire, England, 18th c. ducal kennels
Clumber Spaniel
Country houses and shooting estates who appreciate a thoughtful, unhurried sporting spaniel.
- Stature
- Large
- Coat
- Dense silken white with lemon or orange markings
- Temperament
- Dignified, gentle, quietly humourous
- Origin
- Nottinghamshire, England, 18th c. ducal kennels
I
History
Given, by tradition, from the Duc de Noailles to the second Duke of Newcastle at Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire in the late 18th century, and kept as a strict ducal secret for the better part of a hundred years. Queen Victoria and Edward VII both bred them at Sandringham; the breed's early stud books read like the guest list at a shooting weekend.
II
Personality
Dignified, thoughtful, and possessed of a quiet, dry humour. They work the covert methodically rather than flamboyantly, and carry the same measured calm into the drawing room. Devoted to family without being demonstrative; polite to guests without being effusive.
III
To Live With One
Country houses, shooting estates, and households with cool floors and unhurried mornings. They are not a suburban breed. Given a job in the field and a rug by the fire they are the most contented spaniel in England — and one of the most companionable dogs in the world.
IV
Notable Companions
King Edward VII kept a famous kennel of Clumbers at Sandringham; King George V continued the tradition. The breed has long been favoured by the sporting aristocracy of the English shires and by American shooting families with English tastes — a discreet, insider's spaniel.