Tudor England dog breeds: which dogs the Tudors actually kept

Part 1

What dogs looked like in Tudor England

Tudor writers described mastiffs used to guard, spaniels kept as small lap dogs for entertainment and company, and greyhounds used for hunting. Modern breeds such as the Jack Russell Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and the Cockerpoo hadn't yet been developed in the sixteenth century. Instead, Tudor writers described dogs by what they did rather than by a fixed breed standard.

Mastiffs for guarding and baiting

Mastiffs were valued for their strength, and that strength led to their use in bear-baiting and bull-baiting. This blood sport continued until it was banned in 1835. The breed nearly disappeared afterward and remains rare today.

Spaniels for companionship and hunting

At the Tudor court, small spaniels were kept as lap dogs for entertainment and company. When the Eltham Ordinances tightened rules at Henry VIII's court in 1526, small spaniels were the only dogs courtiers were allowed to bring, and only with the King's permission. Henry VIII kept spaniels alongside greyhounds and beagles, though these hunting dogs were kept outside the palace rather than indoors.

Toy dogs kept by noblewomen

You might be surprised how affectionate Tudor women were toward their toy spaniels. John Caius described a delicate kind of dog he called the Spaniel Gentle or the Comforter, writing that the smaller such a dog was, the more pleasure it gave as a companion carried in the bosom or kept in the bedchamber. Titian's Venus of Urbino, painted in 1538, shows a red and white toy spaniel of this type. Catherine Parr, Henry VIII's last wife, owned a red and white spaniel called Rig, who wore a crimson velvet collar studded with gold, and she was buried with one of his teeth.

Part 2

Dogs and the Tudor class system

Sumptuary laws at the time governed what people wore and ate, and also decreed which breeds of dog people of different classes could own. Only the nobility could legally own a Scottish Deerhound or a Greyhound.

Forest laws restricting who could keep hunting dogs

In Tudor England, a dog's size near the King's forest could decide its fate under the law. Rules going back to earlier medieval kings required that dogs near royal forest land small enough to pass through a measuring hoop were left alone, while larger dogs risked being maimed to stop them from helping their owners poach. This pressure toward smaller dogs is thought to have contributed to the breeding of smaller toy spaniels over time.

Dogs as status symbols at court

The greyhound carried particular meaning for the Tudors because it was a symbol of the Beaufort family, the line of Henry VII's mother. Henry VIII dressed his hunting hounds in velvet collars embroidered with pearls and lined with kid, and covered them in white silk cloaks. Hunting dogs were fed meat, milk and bread, while pet dogs were given only bread. The Tudor royal household even kept separate departments for dogs used in sport, called the Kennels, apart from purely domestic pets.

Working dogs kept by commoners for herding and vermin control

Dogs still had a clear place in ordinary homes, often serving as herding dogs or guard dogs alongside being loving companions. Cats were a popular choice in these homes, since they helped control the rodent population.

Part 3

Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and their dogs

If you want to know how devoted Tudor monarchs were to their dogs, the record is detailed. Henry VIII adored his greyhounds, spaniels and beagles, which wore collars marking them as the King's own. Two of his dogs, named Cut and Ball, kept getting lost, and Henry paid out large sums in rewards to anyone who found and returned them. Elizabeth I kept a pack of Pocket Beagles, small enough to fit in a lady's sleeve, and one favourite named Pericola followed her everywhere, prompting the Queen to joke that she followed Lord Robert Dudley around in the same way.

Court portraits showing lapdogs

A 1554 portrait of Queen Mary Tudor and her husband Philip of Spain shows two small dogs in the foreground resembling early toy spaniels of the King Charles type. Titian's Venus of Urbino from 1538 also depicts a toy spaniel of this kind.

Dogs mentioned in Tudor household accounts

Henry VIII's Privy Purse Accounts from 1530 record a payment to two men for finding a buck and hounds that had gone missing in Waltham Forest. The same accounts record a payment for a cow killed by greyhounds belonging to Uryen Brereton and Lady Anne. When Henry VIII died, sixty-five dog collars were reportedly found in his closet, and during his reign he sent hundreds of dogs as gifts to the Emperor and the King of France.

Part 4

Blood sports and working roles

Bear-baiting and bull-baiting with mastiffs

Their power led to their use in bear-baiting and bull-baiting, a sport banned in the UK in 1835. The lack of demand for the breed afterward nearly led to its disappearance in this country, and it remains rare today.

Everyday working roles for commoners' dogs

They served as herding dogs or guard dogs in ordinary homes, alongside being companions. Cats, not dogs, handled the rodent control that towns and homes needed.

Part 5

How we know: Tudor sources on dogs

Dr John Caius's 1570 book on English dogs

John Caius wrote De Canibus Britannicis, published in 1570. It was later translated by Abraham Fleming under the title Of Englishe Dogges. Caius divided dogs into three broad groups, which he called noble, rustic, and degenerate. Within his descriptions he singled out the Spaniel Gentle or Comforter as a small dog kept for comfort and company.

Household inventories and wills mentioning dogs

Henry VIII's Privy Purse Accounts from 1530 record payments connected to his hunting hounds and greyhounds. When Henry VIII died, sixty-five dog collars were said to have been found in his closet.

Paintings as evidence

Titian's Venus of Urbino from 1538 shows a toy spaniel as a symbol of the goddess's seductiveness and allure. A 1554 portrait of Mary I and Philip of Spain includes two small dogs resembling early King Charles-type spaniels.

Part 6

From Tudor dogs to modern breeds

Which modern breeds trace roots to Tudor types

If you are wondering whether your own dog has any link back to this period, some connections are plausible. The mastiff type used for guarding and baiting is generally linked to today's English Mastiff, a breed still considered rare.

What has changed in appearance and purpose

Quite a lot has changed since the Tudor period. Modern named breeds such as the Jack Russell Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and Cockerpoo did not exist in the sixteenth century. Elizabeth I's Pocket Beagles, once small enough to ride in a saddle bag, later declined in health under poor Victorian breeding practices and are now extinct.

Limits of connecting old names to today's breeds

It is worth being careful here before you assume a neat family tree for your own dog.