The History Of The Yorkie

 

History of the Yorkshire Terrier

 

 

There are several opinions on how the modern Yorkshire Terrier came to be. Even though there are NO actual breeding records of the earliest relatives of the Yorkie, it's widely believed that the breed is estimated to be just over 100 or so years old. The Yorkshire Terrier is a "human-made" breed, exactly what dogs were used in its creation remains largely a matter of speculation since no breeding records were kept and the Yorkshire area contained many popular toy and terrier type dogs that could have been used for crossbreeding.

Before 1750, most British people worked in agriculture and lived in small communities which grew up around factories and mines. When the Industrial Revolution came along, many changes came to family life. People moved closer to the cities seeking work and a better way of life. These people brought with them the Paisley Terrier; who were mainly working dogs used to catch rats and other small animals to supplement their poor owner’s diet. The Paisley Terrier, also known as the Clydesdale Terrier, was then crossed with other types of Terriers, like the English Black Terrier, the Tan Toy Terrier and the Skye Terrier. It is believed by many, that the Maltese was crossed with these dogs to produce long, soft coats and a smaller stature. You can see the similarity in shape between the Maltese and today's Yorkies. There are no records about the early pedigrees to confirm these crosses, since most of these dogs masters had a low level of literacy which led to very poor record keeping. It is believed that the above dogs are the most likely types of breed crosses, used to produce the Yorkshire terrier breed.

Some of the earliest documented records of how the breed began was written by Mr. Ed. Bootman of Halifax, England. His information was furnished in an article on the origin of the Yorkshire Terrier breed, for publication in the "English Shopkeeper" in 1887. In his article he states, "Feeling the importance of all facts relating to the origin of the breed," it's published as follows: "Swift's Old Crab, a cross-bred Scotch Terrier, Kershaw's Kitty, a Skye, and an Old English Terrier bitch kept by J. Whittam, then residing in Hatter's Fold, Halifax, were in the zenith of their fame forty years ago. The owner of Old Crab was a native of Halifax, and a joiner by trade. He worked at Oldham for some time as a journeyman and then moved to Manchester, where he kept a public house. Whether he got Crab at Oldham or Manchester I have not been able to ascertain. He had him when in Manchester, and from there sent him several times to Halifax on a visit to Kitty.

Crab was a dog of about eight or nine lbs. weight with a good Terrier head and eye, but with a long body, resembling the Scotch Terrier. The legs and muzzle only were tanned, and the hair on the body would be about three or four inches in length. He has stood for years in a case in a room at the Westgate Hotel, a public house which his owner kept when he returned to his native town, where, I believe, the dog may be seen today." "Kitty was a bitch different in type from Crab. She was a drop-eared Skye, with plenty of coat of a blue shade, but destitute of tan on any part of the body. Like Crab, she had no pedigree. She was originally stolen from Manchester and sent to a man names Jackson, a saddler in Huddersfield, who, when it became known that a five pound reward was offered in Manchester for her recovery, sent her to a person names Harrison, then a waiter at the White Swan Hotel, Halifax, to escape detection, and from Harrison she passed into the hand of Mr. J. Kershaw of Beshop Blaise, a public house which once stood on the Old North Bridge, Halifax. Prior to 1851 Kitty had six litters, all of which were by Crab. In these six litters she had thirty-six puppies, twenty-eight of which were dogs, and served to stock the district with rising sires." "After 1851, when she passed into the possession of Mr. F. Jagger, she had forty-four puppies, making a total of eighty.

"Mr. Whittam's bitch, whose name I cannot get to know, was an Old English Terrier, with tanned head, ears and legs, and a sort of grizzle back. She was built on the lines of speed. Like the others, she had no pedigree. She was sent to the late Bernard Hartley of Allen Gate, Halifax by a friend residing in Scotland. When Mr. Hartley had got tired of her, he gave her to his coachman, Mason, who, in turn, gave her to his friend Whittam, and Whittam used her years for breeding purposes. Although this bitch came from Scotland, it is believed the parents were from this district."

Most of the historic information on how this breed began, was passed on by word of mouth and in many cases, they were opinions of the story tellers and writers.

By Sue White