The History of the Norfolk Terrier Until 1964

The history of the Norfolk Terrier begins in 19th-century England. Dog-dealing was not a particularly well-respected profession at the time, but Charles Lawrence from Cambridge was to go down in history with it. Around 1880, students bought small red terriers from him, which they used to compete in rat-biting sporting events.

Hunting rats had long been the main task of the small red terriers from East Anglia, England’s granary. They lived on the farms of the farmers and had to make sure that the rats did not get out of hand. Paintings from the mid-19th century already depict terriers that look surprisingly similar to today’s Norfolks and Norwichs. Charles Lawrence brought these dogs to the city and thus ensured that the right people found out about them.

There is much to suggest that small Irish terriers are also among their ancestors. Irish terriers have only been shown at shows since about 1870. In 1873, 10-inch (25 cm) miniature Irish terriers were exhibited in Dublin. Small Irish terriers had been bred since about 1860 by Captain Vaughan, Master of the Foxhounds from Ballybrick, because they were able to follow foxes into their dens. However, it is not clear whether Charles Lawrence had access to these dogs. Charles Lawrence’s dogs, which he sold on Trumpington Street near the great colleges, became known as “Cantab” or “Trumpington” terriers.

Mr. Jack Cooke, Master of the Norwich Staghounds, bought the dog Rags from Mr. Jordell Hopkins of Trumpington Street. Rags was the son of a Trumpington Terrier with long silky fur and a dark brindled Aberdeen Terrier bitch. He was a small red terrier with shaggy, rough fur and possibly docked prick ears. He quickly made a name for himself as a sire and as a working terrier. In particular, his offspring with Ninety, a smooth-haired, white, prick-eared bitch, made a name for itself. Ninety belonged to Mr. Lewis Low, a dedicated breeder from Norwich. All offspring were red and prick-eared with good coats.

Frank Jones worked for Mr. Jack Cooke. He bought some of the descendants of Rags and Ninety and started breeding with them. By crossing in Cairns, Glen of Imaal and Yorkshire Terriers, he soon achieved his breeding goal. Later, he became a trainer with the well-known horse dealer John Henry Stokes and began exporting his dogs all over the world. In America, his dogs became known as “Jones Terriers”. His dogs also had a great influence in England. For example, Mr. and Mrs. West started their “Farndon” kennel with a Jones Terrier bitch. The black-and-tan bitch Brownie, who appears in the pedigrees of many important dogs, is also considered a Jones Terrier. Mrs. Fagan started her breeding program with her in 1912.

Mr. R. J. Read, who later became the first president of the Norwich Terrier Club, also started his breeding program in 1909 with an offspring of Rags and Ninety. He tried to improve his dogs by crossbreeding with a Bedlington Terrier, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and a small Irish Terrier, but eventually went back to Mr. Cooke’s line. In 1929, he bred Horstead Mick, a red, prick-eared dog who is considered one of the most important ancestors of today’s Norwich Terriers.

Initially, the position of the dogs’ ears was not important, as it was common practice to crop the ears. After the ban on ear cropping in 1889, however, it became increasingly clear that a distinction between the two types was necessary, because crossing dogs with erect and drooping ears regularly resulted in dogs with “flapping ears”, which still occur in Norfolk terriers today. Both types had supporters, which is why it was not possible to agree on the ear position.

Although the breeders still did not agree in 1930, they tried to get the Norwich Terrier recognized as a breed. With success. When the Kennel Club recognized the Norwich Terrier as a breed in 1932, they were allowed to have prick ears and drop ears according to the standard. In the same year, the Norwich Terrier Club was founded, with R. J. Read as the first president. After the breed was granted the right to earn championship points in 1935, there were six champions of the breed by the time World War II broke out, three of them with erect ears and three with drooping ears.
The first champion was Ch. Biffin of Beaufin, born in 1932, owned by Mrs. E. Mainwaring. Even though his ears did not want to tilt properly, he had a lasting influence on the breed. Today he can be found in the pedigrees of both Norfolk and Norwich terriers. As early as the 1930s, the breed began to split, so that by the end of the 1940s there were very few Norwichs left that had ancestors with different ear carriage in their pedigrees.

In 1935, the Dalmatian breeder Miss Marion Sheila Scott Macfie joined the Norwich Terrier Club. She started her breeding program with Kinmount Pip, as well as with Mrs. Mainwarings Tiny Tim of Biffin, a son of Ch. Biffin of Beaufin and Little Jane. With her kennel “Colonsay”, she was to become the most important breeder of kippohrigen Norwichs in the following years. It is thanks to her that the breed did not die out during the Second World War. Every Norfolk terrier alive today can be traced back to her dogs.

She often and successfully showed her dogs. For example, Ch. Colonsay Orderley Dog, born in 1960, won 19 CC’s and Ch. Colonsay Banston Belinda, also born in 1960, won 12 CC’s. This was a record for a female that remained for a long time.
Other important dogs of the kennel were Colonsay We Three, a leading stud dog of his time, Ch. Colonsay Junior, grandfather of Orderley Dog and Banston Belinda, and Ch. Colonsay Dixie, Flip and his daughter Ch. Minx of Furzyhurst.

Although more tilt-eared than standing-eared Norwichs were registered in the 50s and 60s, it was the other way around when the CC’s were awarded. The quality of the tilt-eared Norwichs was poor during this time and a uniform type was hardly recognizable. By 1964, there had been a total of 56 standing-eared champions, but only 19 champions were tilt-eared. At shows, the number of entries for the lop-eared was therefore only a quarter of the prick-eared.

The need for separate registrations became increasingly clear. Nevertheless, the corresponding proposal put forward by Miss Macfie was rejected five times by the Kennel Club between 1957 and 1963. In 1964, the Kennel Club finally agreed and the lop-eared dogs were given a new name: Norfolk Terrier. In the same year, the Norfolk Terrier Club was founded with Miss Macfie as its first president.

She remained president of the Norfolk Terrier Club until her death. When she died a year later, Alice Hazeldine of the “Ickworth” kennel inherited all the Colonsay Norfolk Terriers.

Mr. Victor Page’s Waveneyvalley Norfolks were also important ancestors of today’s Norfolks.

His stud dog, Ch. Waveneyvalley Alder (left in the picture), a compact, dark red dog, was a very important sire. Through skillful line breeding on him and his father Elel Spruce, kennels such as Nanfan, Ragus, Wymbur and Gotoground achieved great success.

• Bunting, M. (1989): The First Twenty five Years: An account of the history of the show Norfolk since recognition as a separate breed in 1964, The Norfolk Terrier Club Handbook 1989.
• Hinsch, F. (2002): Ursprung der Rasse, in: Norfolk Terrier, Sonderheft “Der Terrier” 4/2002.
• Monckton, S. (1960): Early Days, The Norwich Terrier Handbook 1960
• Needham, E. A Short History of the Norfolk Terrier
• Read, J.R. (1989): The Norfolk Terrier, Livermore, Calif.
• Peper, W. (1995): Norfolk und Norwich Terrier, Paul Parey
• Taylor, J. (1960): Further light on the possible origin of the Norwich Terrier, The Norwich Terrier Handbook 1960
• Taylor, J., Matell, E. (2005): How short-term interest became life-long devotion, The Norfolk Terrier Club of Great Britain, Year Book 2003-2004
• White, G. (2005): Determined but with lovable disposition, The Norfolk Terrier Club of Great Britain, Year Book 2003-2004
• The Early History of the Norwich Terrier: compiled from information supplied by early breeders, The Norwich Terrier Club Year Book 1932