A Brief History of Cheshire, Shropshire and North Wales Retriever and Spaniel Society

History of Cheshire, Shropshire and north Wales Spaniel and Retriever Society.

The Society can certainly claim to be amongst the oldest Gundog societies in the UK, with records going back as far as 1921, and with references in those records going back even further.

The earliest records of the Society officials read like a Who’s Who of the gentry of the area covered by the Society. Most of the officials held either military or civilian titles; many of the members did too. The early minutes of meetings are written in the economical style of a military author. 

Membership was strictly limited by where you lived; if you were outside the Society area you were not able to join the Society. However renting a shoot or a property over the value of £100 within the area entitled an applicant to membership! Annual subscriptions in 1922 were £1.00 and for bona fide gamekeepers 10/- . (50pence). 

Field Trials were held as far back as 1921 also. Retrievers ran in All Aged Stakes and Puppy Stakes. The dogs entered had affixes unfamiliar today and some entered only by their pet/kennel name.  The majority were Labradors, but also a few Flatcoats and some Outcrosses and Interbred, although we have no definition of the latter two types.  Some were without  breeding records.

Spaniels ran in Open Stakes and Non-Winners stakes. 

In those early days of the Society income from the Nominations and Entry fees was greater than the membership subscriptions whereas today the reverse is true. 

It is clear that balancing the books and keeping the Society going financially was difficult.  There is a record of a subscription being raised to balance the books, proposed by Lord Harlech, when 9 of the committee contributed £32 to clear the deficit at the Bank. The early accounts show only around £180 - £210 in total passing through the Bank, so their subscription was a generous one. 

Some things have changed since these early records. The Society welcomes members from all over the UK and abroad, not just from our region. Membership is around 380 compared with around 65 in 1921. 

The Society was in the early days, and is still, affiliated to the Kennel Club. Our records show that the Society was primarily about Trials in the early 20th century. Today it still runs a programme of Novice and Open Retriever and Spaniel Trials annually, and also Open and Novice Working Tests in the summer. 

If any of our Members would like to contribute to this information it would be most welcome. Please contact Morwenna at morwennahexthowe@gmail.com

The Society promotes the welfare of working dogs, and its object is to encourage the breeding of Retrievers and Spaniels and to develop and bring to perfection their natural qualities.