The Chronology

Note : Clicking on the names of Golden Retrievers in Italique and underlined,

you will have access to their pedigree.

The veil was not lifted until 1952, with the publication by the Earl of Ilchester of the breeding records of his great uncle, which covered the period between 1835 & 1890 ?In 1865, Lord Tweedmouth obtained from a shoemaker in Brighton, the famous dog, "Nous" as payment of a debt (?)

He was the only yellow dog in an otherwise black litter of Wavy Coated Retrievers. The seaside resort of Brighton is not far from Poole, a cod fishing port and base for boats fishing around New Foundland.

Back at Guisachan House, when "Nous" came to maturity, he was introduced to "Belle", a liver coloured Tweed-Water Spaniel which Lord Tweedmouth aquired from his cousin- Mr David Robertson of Ladykirk on Tweed.

In 1868, what we would concider to be the first litter of Golden Retrievers was born. It comprised four females : Ada, Crocus, Primrose and Cowslip. The latter two were kept at the kennels and it was Cowslip who played the most important role in the development of her breed.

With the aim of conserving both the complete character and the ability to work in water, Belle was covered by another Tweed-Water Spaniel. A bitch from this litter    "Topsy", born in in 1873 was in turn covered by "Sambo", a black, Wavy-Coated Retriever and she gave birth to Zoé  in 1877 .

Cowslip was coupled in 1875 with an Irish Setter, to mark the colour and the nose. Two puppies were conserved from this litter : Jack et Gill .

Jack served as sire in an operation of pure line-breeding (great uncle of Zoé), which was necessary to fix the desired characteristics, Nous II and Gill II were part of that litter, born in 1884.

Gill II was then covered by Tracer, a black Flat-Coated Retriever and they produced a litter of ten black puppies. One female, named Queenie, after an adventure with NousII gave birth to two yellow puppies in 1889, Prim  and "Rose" .

Prim's pedigree of four generations was complete. The first time this had been possible for a Golden Retriever. ! !

We arrive at the end of the breeding records of Lord Tweedmouth, who died in 1894. From that date, records became more vague. We have followed only the principal lineage. Obviously many other marriages, both out-crossing and in-breeding took place, otherwise Prims pedigree would have been the end, rather than the beginning of, a very beautiful adventure.

In 1903 the English Kennel Club accepted the first registration of Golden Retrievers. They were classed in the same grop as the Flat Coats under the variety Golden. In 1904 a Golden was classed in a Field Trial. In 1908, Lord Harcourt, who owned a number of Goldens from the original lines, presented his dogs at a Kennel Club exposition. These dogs had already been the subjects of great success and curiosity. Culham Brass , puis Culham Copper  were the first Goldens to to win a beauty exposition. The pedigrees of these two dogs were incomplete and could only be traced back roughly, but one the fiancees of Copper, , Culham Sunrise  born in 1909, could be traced directly back, via Zoy II , with the original lines, to Guisach.

 The year of 1911 saw both the creation of the Golden Retriever Club of England and the recognition of the Golden Retriever as an entirely separate race.

In 1914, the first separate CC's at the Crufts exposition, the first winners were Noramby Sandy of Mrs Charleworth and Coquette of Mr F.W. Herbert.

The first English Dual Champion was Noramby Campfire crowned in 1920 .

In 1925, the first Golden Retriever was presented in France, at the time of the 51^st Exposition Canine de Paris by the Compte Jean de Bonvouloir, a great Retriever enthusiast and author of a book covering all aspects of them.

 Amongst the first Goldens he imported from Britain, we find  Boulon d'or and Carina

In 1934, the first Golden born in France was registered, it is highly probable

that Ibis d'Oursières was involved .

In 1960, following the appearance of Lord Tweedmouths records, that the English Kennel Club recognised the origins of the Golden Retriever as being Anglo-Saxon.