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Introduction to the History of the Beardie-like Working Collie

Beardie-like collies, as workers, existed on the British Isles for a very long time. How far back they can be traced is difficult to say. Like other kinds of utilitarian dogs from olden days, the Beardie-like dogs evolved due to several factors: the region where they resided; the climate; and the conditions of the terrain they traversed.

The type of work performed by these Beardie-like canines also assisted in their being described and/or categorized as a "sheepdog" or a "drover's dog." Where those dogs resided within Britain brought about various names to describe this type of dog. The names, to name a few, included: a Beardie or Beardy; an Old-Fashioned Collie; a Rough Coated Collie (this can be rather confusing since the modern Scottish Collie developed into two varieties, one of which is a "rough coated" type, similar to the well known "Lassie"); a Highland Collie; a "hairy-moued collie," a "stumpy," an Old Welsh Grey; a Smithfield; and a Border Collie (due to some of the dogs residing in the borderlands in an era long before the Border Collie got its breed name in the 1900s). The Beardie-like dog played heavily into the background of the Old English Sheepdog and the Smithfield.

A noted dog historian and author, Col. David Hancock, suggested caution should be used when differentiating types of dogs as "breeds." Borrowing from some of his words, "Superficial physical similarities in historic depictions are the pig-trap for every breed researcher;...." That begs the question: when does a particular dog type become known as a "breed"?

One could certainly argue that once a standard has been associated with a particular type of dog, it takes on the connotation of being known as a "breed." The first known standard for the Highland or Bearded Collie was written by D. J. Thomson Gray which appeared in his book Dogs of Scotland (1891).

But shepherds did not concern themselves with "standards." Many people have likely heard the phrase "form follows function." When dogs where used strictly for utilitarian purposes, form followed function. But once dog shows began, form became the function.

It only stands to reason that shepherds did engage in some sort of breeding goals to produce offspring that could be used to assist them in carrying out the desired work that was needed to be done. Certainly the working Beardie-like dog (in spite of the various regional names used to describe this worker) did exist, no matter the breed name used, prior to Gray's standard being written. Regarding the Beardie-like canine, shepherds point out two things commonly associated with this worker: (1) its style of work; and (2) the presence of a beard under its chin. Colour, length of tail, body shape, overall size, thickness of coat, etc. varied.

Announcement

This project was undertaken with a goal to educate the inquiring minds of Beardie-like dog enthusiasts about the breed's use and its recorded history as a working sheepdog. The full website should be ready soon. It is important that a project of this type not be rushed. To do so might compromise the integrity of the research. As the work has continued, corrected information regarding dates, authenticity of documents and images, etc. has come forth. Until the full website can be made available to the public, snippets of information is summarized here. Enjoy!

Dedication

This site is dedicated to those individuals who put forth their written recollections and recordings, and to the individuals from Britain who are using, or once used, working Beardie-like dogs to assist in their management of flocks of sheep or in the driving of cattle. Some of these individuals, from both the 20th and 21st centuries, appear in the "Shepherds" section.

Though this site has the word "shepherds" in its domain name, the name was not selected to exclude sheep farmers, stockmen, herdsmen or drovers. A Beardie-like dog working cattle is just as valued as any Beardie-like dog tending its flock. In fact, in its history, the Beardie-like shepherd's dog was highly regarded by individuals working as drovers and butchers. Dogs being used as drovers no longer exist due to the implementation of railroad cars, and/or large transport trucks (called lorries). The term "drover" is often used interchangeably for a person, or a dog, engaged in the driving of cattle, or other livestock, to market. A wonderfully illustrated map of the drove roads will be included in the full website.

A shepherd, as presented on this site, is usually employed by a landowner or farmer (referred to as a "governor," "boss," or in Scotland, a "laird," or other names depending upon geographical area). Some shepherds are self-employed and contract their services out to farmers who do not employ a full time shepherd. Under those circumstances, the individual is called a contract shepherd.

There are also individuals appearing on this site who would be referred to as sheep farmers for whom sheep are the main or sole enterprise on their farms. A sheep farmer could be an individual who is tending their own flocks, employs a shepherd, or contracts some, or all, of the work out to a contract shepherd. Shepherds work long hours in all kinds of weather. The individuals presented on this site appear only by a first name and the region where they reside (unless permission was granted for a surname to be used). It may be that some individuals wish to respect their employer's privacy, and therefore, did not want last names used. A stockman is someone usually engaged in the business of raising cattle to be sold for meat. A herdsman, on the other hand, usually works with dairy cattle, though some people refer to a herdsman as someone working both kinds of cattle.

Pre-History and Development of the Dog in Britain

Archaeologists have discovered remains of dogs in Britain dating back to the last Ice Age (approximately 10,000 years ago). Such archaeological discoveries, i.e. Star Carr, etc. support the suggestion by many individuals in the field of archaeology that the dog was the first of all animals to be domesticated by humans.

The raising of livestock in Britain traces back to the Bronze Age according to several scholarly writings. During this era (~BC 2,000), Britain's population became an agricultural civilization. Raising livestock became an important part of that agricultural environment. Would not dogs have become important to farmers needing protection for their sheep and cattle from the wolves? Perhaps this era marks the beginning of some form of selective breeding in order to enhance the guarding and working abilities of dogs. It stands to reason that farmers likely began breeding dogs for certain characteristics due to their need for livestock management.

Cynologists (cynology being defined as the "study of dogs") and/or authors such as James Watson, Robert Leighton, Edward C. Ash, Clifford Hubbard and Col. David Hancock devoted many years in researching canine subject matter to formulate their historical writings throughout the 1900s until the present. Many authors borrowed the words of other writers. For that reason, caution and skepticism might be a good thing to keep in mind.

The Boke of St. Albans was published in 1486. It was the first book on hunting to be issued from England. Many authorities have stated that this book was attributed to Juliana Berners, a prioress at the Sopwell Nunnery (around 1481). Ash expressed doubts about Berners being the author of the writings because it was established that no such prioress resided at this Nunnery during that period of time nor was such a lady confirmed to be Lord Berners' sister. Ash stated the Boke of St. Albans was mainly copied from "The Master of Game" written between 1406 and 1413 by Edward, Second Duke of York. Note: According to scholars, the Duke translated, with interpolations, Gaston de Foix's "Livre de Chasse" though Ash wrote that the Duke did write five original chapters. Hubbard's view differs from Ash. In his book The Literature of British Dogs (1949), Hubbard stated his belief that the section on hunting is likely Berners' own original compilation based upon her signature at the end of the chapter. Hubbard mentioned that certain types of dogs listed in the Boke of St. Albans remain unknown; however, some were known, and of those, they were not purely native breeds. Rather they had been in the British Isles for a very long time.

Hubbard paid a high compliment to Ash when he wrote "...undoubtedly the greatest work on the dog ever printed in English is Dogs: Their History and Development (1927) by Edward C. Ash." Ash's 1927 book indicated that Conrad Gesner's writings were the first serious attempt to deal with dogs. Gesner was also known as Konrad von Gesner. Dr. Gesner (1516-1565), a Swiss physician and naturalist , wrote to Dr. Johannes Caius (pronounced like "keys to a lock"), an English physician, asking for a description of British dogs. Dr. Gesner wanted to include this information in an updated version of his earlier natural history writings. Dr. Caius (1533-1603), the physician-in-chief to Queen Elizabeth I, responded to Gesner's request by writing a letter in Latin describing different types of dogs in Britain, but that letter went unpublished.

Five years after Caius sent his first letter to Dr. Gesner, he sent a second letter which was more descriptive. Gesner used this information. This second letter was published in Britain as a small book with the title De Canibus Britannicis (shortened title) in 1570 (five years after Gesner's death). The book's significance is that it was the first book devoted entirely to the subject of dogs. Caius categorized the dogs into classifications. One classification was the "shepherd's dogge." Caius' letter was translated by his assistant, Abraham Fleming, to English, and this translation was published in 1576 under the name Of English Dogs (shortened titled).

Regarding Edward Ash's own conclusions, he wrote "It is difficult to say if the bearded collie was in the distant past indigenous to Scotland, or whether at some early age these heavily-built matted-haired dogs evolved in some northern area of Europe and spread to Scotland."

The below images are from a portion of a page published in a book on quadrupeds by Jan Jonston (1603-1675) (also known as Joannes Jonstonus). The image below on the right appeared at the end of Edward Ash's The Practical Dog Book, Page 330, with the words: "From a German Natural History of 1650." Ash did not discuss this image or Jonston in this book, and why it appeared on this page is unknown. Ash used at least one other engraving of a dog from Jonston's illustrations within his book.

Jonston was a Polish scholar and a physician who descended from Scottish nobility. Jonston had studied botany and medicine at the University of Cambridge. His work in Latin entitled Historiae Naturalis De Quadrupetibus (c. 1650) included a section entitled "De Quadrupedibus Domesticis." His work was translated into English in 1657. Sixteen drawings of canines appeared under several names starting with either "canis" or "canes."

An engraving entitled "Canes" set forth several dogs. This engraving, shown (in part) below, demonstrated a shaggy and long-coated type of canine similar to some of the early images of the Beardie-like dogs. Notice that the tail has hair hanging in a downward direction, and a beard is presented beneath the chin. To assist the viewer, the other dogs were lightened so that this particular dog would stand out in the foreground.

Another engraving had a caption "canis hunde." This image, below on the right, shows a head that could be described as being similar to the shape of some "Beardie-like" dogs in the 21st Century.

What is known about dogs that possessed beards?

The famous French naturalist, Georges Buffon (1707-1788) published his Histoire naturelle (shortened title) in 15 Volumes from 1749 through 1767. It was later translated to English in 1781. Buffon concluded that all varieties of domestic species descended from the shepherds' dogs; other authorities rejected this notion. Buffon included an image of Le Grand Barbet. In 1553, Jacques of Fouilloux mentioned the barbet spaniel in his treaty. "Barbet" stems from the word "barbe" (French designation for beard).

Thomas Bewick (1753-1828), the famous English engraver, included illustrations on what he called "The Shepherd's Dog" and "The Cur Dog" in his History of Quadrupeds published in 1790. The engravings were included in James Watson's book, The Dog, published in 1905-1906. Line drawings of those two engravings appeared in Ash's The Practical Dog Book, page 108. Ash identified "The Shepherd's Dog" by Bewick under the name of "The Collie." "The Cur Dog" by Bewick was called "The Bob-tailed Dog or Cur Dog" by Ash. Why Ash renamed the Cur Dog as a "Bob-tailed Dog" on page 107 of his book is unknown. Bewick engraved an image referred to as "The Large Rough Water Dog." It is shown below and is remarkably similar to that of Buffon's Le Grand Barbet above.

Taplin (c.1750-c.1830), a veterinary surgeon, published his book entitled Sportsman's Cabinet (1803). It was actually published under Taplin's pseudonym name of "A Veteran Sportsman." Included in the book was an engraving of a Reinagle painting. This picture has been included in numerous Beardie publications. Whether it was a Beardie-like canine is under debate. In one book, the painting is called "The Shepherd's Dog." In another, it is referred to as the "Shepherd's Dog." In another, it is called "The Sheepdog." In another, it is identified as "Old English Sheep Dog."

In the first edition of Edward Jesse's book entitled Anecdotes of Dogs (1846), an engraving of a Beardie-like dog was presented; he called it a "Scotch Colly." The Scotch Collie and the Highland Collie was often used to describe a collie dog based upon geographical region; it was not used exclusively to describe a Beardie-like canine.

One of the earliest written use of the words "Bearded Colley" for the Beardie-like dog seems to have been presented by Hugh Dalziel, in British Dogs (1879), when he wrote the following under his pseudonym name of Corsincon:

Chapter III. — THE BEARDED COLLEY.

In the west of Scotland there is a rough-faced and very shaggy-coated dog called the bearded colley, differing mainly from the true colley in being rough-faced, rather heavier built, altogether less elegant, and with a shaggier and harsher coat.

I think they must be a cross with a rough hound, otter hound, or deerhound—probably the former.

However, in his 2nd Volume of his three volume work, published in 1888, on page 44, note how the spelling of "colley" became "collie." He wrote:

"The bearded Collie of the South of Scotland, which I at one time thought it probable was a cross with the Deerhound or Otter-hound, may perhaps more probably be the result of a union between Collie and English Sheepdog; he certainly possesses features such a cross might account for."

As an aside: Col. Hancock's view is that any cross of a Beardie with the deerhound was to make the deerhound brainier and more responsive to training and not to alter the Beardie in any way.

Vero Shaw wrote The Illustrated Book of the Dog (Assisted by the Leading Breeders of the Day). This book was published by Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co. The body of work making up this book was originally published in parts from the years 1879 to 1881. It has been stated this book "...is only the fourth general work on dogs with color illustrations to be published in the English language."

(Note: Shaw's book is sometimes referred to as Cassell's Book of the Dog. This title by Shaw can be confusing due to another book being later published entitled, Cassell's New Book of the Dog, edited by Leighton, published in 1907.)

What is important about Shaw's book regarding the Beardie is that he included an illustration based upon what Gordon James Phillips described in his letter of November 15, 1878 to the "Live Stock Journal" and, also, later published in Gray's book Dogs of Scotland (1891). The wood engraving in Shaw's book, however, was entitled "A Scotch Bob-tailed Sheepdog." Gray, in his book, stated it was unfortunate that Phillips used the words "the rough coated collie" in his letter because the type of dog that Phillips described met the description of a dog that Gray wrote had been known as the Highland or Bearded Collie. If this image was placed in Shaw's book to illustrate the dog described by Phillips, then it was mistakenly titled as a Scotch Bobtailed Sheepdog.

Much has been written about how the Bearded Collie and the Old English Sheepdog were one and the same. Shepherds often stated that their Beardie-like dogs were mistakenly called Old English Sheepdogs. It still remains true today. There will be images provided on the full website demonstrating the similarities of both breeds. The viewers can decide for themselves.

What about colour? As previously mentioned, the first Bearded Collie standard (unofficial, of course, since it was not attached to any registry; nor did the shepherds believe in standards) appeared in D. J. Thomson Gray's book, and a complete copy of the five page chapter will appear on the full website. Gray, in his standard, stated in part:

"The Eyes, moderately full, vary in colour according to the colour of the dog's coat. A wall or "china" eye is peculiar to the mirled colour, but a dark brown eye is what is generally seen. Light yellow eyes are objectionable."

Col. David Hancock pointed out (though not in his article featured on this website) that the word 'mirled' is archaic Scottish for marled, which means harlequin, and harlequin is different from merle. Harlequin dogs often have wall-eyes. It is possible that Gray may have been talking about a harlequin coat as opposed to the merle coat. Recently, two Brindles were produced in two different litters from the same dam and sire.

Gray's chapter included a lengthy quotation, taken from the previously mentioned letter by Phillips, wherein Phillips referred to a rough coated collie with a stump for a tail (approximately six to nine inches in length). As already mentioned above, it is unfortunate that Phillips used the words "rough coated collie." Today, the Scottish Collie has two types: the Rough Coated Collie and the Smooth Coated Collie. Phillips, from his written words, was not describing a dog similar to the famous Lassie.

When did Beardie-like dogs begin to trial? The first sheepdog trial was held at the Rhiwlas Estate outside of Bala, Wales, in 1873 (same year that the Kennel Club formed). Other trials followed. Because the shepherds were so busy with chores, it was likely they had precious little time to enter dog trials. But some "beardeds" did trial as far back as the late 19th Century. In 1893, the prestigious New Cummock trial began in Scotland. In 1899, a "Bearded" named Daur is listed as the winner from among 32 entries. A copy of this trial document will appear on the full website.

In 1899, dogs entered in the New Cummock trial were listed by the name of the dog's color, i.e., "Black and White" or "Black and Tan" or, in the case of Beardeds: "Black and White, Bearded"; "Black and Tan, Bearded"; "Grey, Bearded"; "Black, and White Breast, Bearded"; and "Black, Bearded." The dogs, described by color, but minus the designation of "Bearded," were likely the ancestors to the working collie breed to later be named "Border Collie."

What connection did the Beardie-like dog have with the ISDS? In the early days of the ISDS, Beardeds were registered. Maddie, a Bearded, owned by W. B. Telfer, was registered as Number Eight. James Reid, a solicitor (lawyer) from Airdrie is credited with giving the Border Collie name to that breed after the International Sheep Dog Society (ISDS) was founded in 1906.

Maureen Sale wrote a lengthy article outlining much of the Beardie's early trialing history, and her article will also appear on the full website. Sale included a picture of Maddie, next to her owner's side. This photo could easily cause one to ponder how close was Maddie to being a Beardie-like dog. Perhaps she was part Beardie. If Maddie, indeed, worked in the style of a Beardie (a style described by many shepherds in the late 1800s and throughout the 1900s, and one which can be quite different from the Border Collie's strong eye style), then Maddie was, indeed, a Beardie, particularly in the eyes of her owner. Mr. Telfer certainly considered her a Beardie.

The Dog (1905-1906) was authored by James Watson; his book included reproductions of paintings and important early prints to include Bewick's etchings mentioned above. Regarding the collie, Watson wrote: "We can say that the collie was practically unknown in London as late as 1860." Watson scoffed at the suggestion that the Gainsborough portrait of the Duke of Buccleuch, 1770, was holding a bob-tail. "Nothing of the kind; it is a large, rough Scotch terrier with all the look of a Dandie." There is some confusion about the date of the painting. A mezzotint was also rendered by John Dixon in 1771, a year after Gainsborough completed the painting. Regarding the Reinagle picture of the "Shepherd's Dog," he also stated:

"There is one thing about the Reinagle picture which does not appear to have attracted attention, and that is the Scottish scenery. The man sitting in the middle distance may not have kilts, but he has a Scotch bonnet and a crook. Of course it may have been a mere fancy of the artist to put an English sheep dog in a Scotch or Highland scene, but it might have been one of the strain from which we have the bearded collie in Scotland."

Leighton's book The New Book of the Dog (1907), according to Hubbard, was described as "...an important work for all times." This book not only described British dogs, but included varieties of dogs from the continental mainland of Europe and Asia. Many illustrations, to include some colored plates, were included.

According to Iris Combe, Herding Dogs: Their Origins and Development in Britain (1987), page 116, James Dalgliesh wrote the chapter on collies for Leighton's book. (Note: if one is looking for Leighton's book, it is actually entitled Cassell's New Book of the Dog, etc.)

Combe quoted from Leighton's book as follow:

".... Dalgliesh refers to the bearded collie as the Scottish or Highland collie, but other authorities would not go along with this."

"From careful consideration of the weight of evidence, it seems unlikely that the breed was originally a tailless one, but the modern custom undoubtedly accentuates its picturesqueness by bringing into special prominence the rounded shaggy quarters and the characteristic bear-like gait which distinguish the Old English Sheepdog."

Leighton, in his later book, Dogs and All About Them (1910) wrote in the Preface:

"In preparing the present volume, I have drawn abundantly upon the contents of my larger and more expensive New Book of The Dog, and I desire to acknowledge my obligations to the eminent experts who assisted me in the production of the earlier work and whose contributions I have further utilised in these pages."

Leighton named some of the individuals' contributions, but Dalgliesh was not among them by name in his 1910 book. His book, Dogs and All About Them , has been published online by the Project Gutenberg (eBook #10991). Leighton likely relied upon Dalgliesh's writings about the Scottish Bearded or Highland Collie, and the following appeared in the Collie section, Chapter VIII, of this 1910 book:

"This dog and the Old English Sheepdog are much alike in appearance, but that the bearded is a more racy animal, with a head resembling that of the Dandie Dinmont rather than the square head of the Bobtail."

Notice what was written about coat color.

"He is a favourite with the butcher and drover who have sometimes a herd of troublesome cattle to handle, and he is well suited to rough and rocky ground, active in movement, and as sure-footed as the wild goat. He can endure cold and wet without discomfort, and can live on the Highland hills when others less sturdy would succumb. In the standard adopted for judging the breed, many points are given for good legs and feet, bone, body and coat, while head and ears are not of great importance. Movement, size and general appearance have much weight. The colour is varied in this breed. Cream-coloured specimens are not uncommon, and snow white with orange or black marking may often be seen, but the popular colour is grizzly grey. Unfortunately the coats of many are far too soft and the undercoat is frequently absent."

In the Old English Sheepdog section, it was written:

"Throughout the nineteenth century, one finds conclusive evidence that the breed was very fairly represented in many parts of England, notably in Suffolk, Hampshire, and Dorsetshire, and also in Wales. Youatt writes of it in 1845, Richardson in 1847, and "Stonehenge" in 1859. Their descriptions vary a little, though the leading characteristics are much the same, but each writer specially notes the exceptional sagacity of the breed.

The dog was well known in Scotland, too, under the title of the Bearded Collie, for there is little doubt that this last is merely a variant of the breed. He differs, in point of fact, chiefly by reason of possessing a tail, the amputation of which is a recognised custom in England.

With regard to this custom, it is said that the drovers originated it. Their dogs, kept for working purposes, were immune from taxation, and they adopted this method of distinguishing the animals thus exempted. It has been argued, by disciples of the Darwinian theory of inherited effects from continued mutilations, that a long process of breeding from tailless animals has resulted in producing puppies naturally bob-tailed, and it is difficult, on any other hypothesis, to account for the fact that many puppies are so born. It is certainly a fact that one or two natural bob-tails are frequently found in a litter of which the remainder are duly furnished with well-developed tails."

Luke J. Pasco, in 1937, authored Heather Jean The Working Sheep Dog. He was writing about Border Collies. He stated:

"While there are no distinct types of the breed which breed true because of the constant crossing within the breed, the individuals of the breed are often classified into three different types. These types are the smooth coated, the long coated and the bearded collie."

Col. Hancock in his book The Heritage of the Dog (1990) stated:

"....Luke Pasco, the leading New England sheepdog trialler of the 1930s, relates how time and time again he was able to trace outstanding dogs to British stock, usually imported from Scotland with a load of sheep or cattle and often shrewdly included in the deal by American livestock dealers. He referred to them as Border Collies, the name of the contemporary pedigree breed, now favoured as a black and white breed with the distinctive white collar. A more accurate generic term would have been British farm collie."

The working Bearded Collie and the Border Collie breeds have much in common in their ancestral lineage. Which one precedes the other is unknown and unimportant in spite of the Bearded Collie receiving its official breed prior to the Border Collie receiving its official breed name.

In Ada Bishop's book, All about the Collie (1971) she included an entire chapter on the Bearded Collie. She supported the idea that the Beardie was one of the most ancient breeds in the U.K. versus an opposing viewpoint (see Combe below) that the breed was of more recent origin.

She wrote:

"There are two lines of evidence which support this claim—one is furnished by the dog's natural history, the other by his racial history.

Take them in turn. It is one of the most salient characteristics of the dog that he breeds 'true to type'; no matter what crosses are introduced; the typical 'Beardie' characters are predominant, and are indelibly stamped upon the offspring. This is surely not what one would expect in a recent, adventitiously manufactured breed — the result of a first cross — and one would instance it as a proof of his antiquity and concentration of strain.

As has been stated above, the Bobtail is by some regarded as a possible progenitor of the 'Beardie'.

One is firmly convinced, however, that the relationship which exists between the two breeds could be better likened to that of cousins - i.e., they are both descendants from a common stock."

In Iris Combe's book, Herding Dogs: Their Origins and Development in Britain (1987), chapter 10, entitled "The Scotch or Highland Collie," page 115, she wrote:

"The rough- and smooth-coated show collies are frequently referred to as Scotch collies, as are the beardies; I dispute the assumption and give my reasons in the chapters on the respective breeds."

In chapter 15, entitled "The Bearded Collie or Beard," page 162, Combe wrote:

"Other historians believe that he is descended from a shaggy type of herding dog brought to Britain by the Anglo-Saxon farming communities, and that possibly both the bobtail and the beardie share this same ancestry. I have mainly confined my study of his history and evolution to his role as drover's dog, in which capacity I dispute the assumption that he is related to the bobtail, for reasons I have given in chapter 4. Unfortunately, when the bearded type was being transformed into a fixed recognized breed, some bobtails were used. It is also claimed that this variety of collie is of ancient Scottish origin, but I do not accept this."

Col. David Hancock indicated it was likely that the shaggier sheepdogs were called Beards (or Hirsels) in Scotland, Haggards in Ireland, Grays in Wales and Shags in southern England, where the bigger ones were used as drovers' dogs and dubbed Bobtails. For a better understanding on how the harsh-coated sheepdog breeds developed over many centuries, you are invited to read Col. Hancock's writings for this website which will appear in the "History" section.

Some photos from the late 1800s and early 1900s demonstrated shaggy sheepdogs not far removed from some of the late 20th Century and early 21st Century working Beardies. Among the differences between the current working Beardies vs. show Beardies are not only the long coats, but also there are still merles, tri-merles, sables and brindles among the coat colours of the shepherds' dogs.

Even back in the time of the first Bearded Collie Club being established in Scotland (1912), various individuals from the dog fancier's world were concerned about keeping the length of coat true to the breed. Also, merles do not seem to appear among the Kennel Club registered dogs; Mrs. Willison (first to register Beardies with the Kennel Club after WWII) had purchased a male named Britt, and his dam was Mootie, a merle. This was put forth in writing by Major Logan. He also stated that Britt had a younger sister, named Nell, who was also a merle. There is no known record of any merles being born in any of Mrs. Willison's breedings.

How many, if any, working Beardie-like canines existed in the North of Scotland prior to the Highland Clearances, as opposed to after, is unknown. Before and after WWI and WWII, working Beardies could be found throughout the U.K. tending large flocks of sheep, but they were seldom seen by the public as they resided in remote areas. The hardships of war likely made them scarce, but certainly not as scarce as some people once thought.

Learning the language of the shepherds can often be confusing. Dogs that worked on the lands where England and Scotland connect are sometimes referred to as "borders." The use of the term "a borders' collie" can mean something different than the breed name Border Collie. Also, there can be a Border Beardie as opposed to a Highland Beardie. To add to the confusion, articles do exist that refer to a "Border Beardie" meaning a first cross between a Border Collie and a Bearded Collie.

It is documented that working Beardies were imported to other continents as far back as the early 1900s. One such dog was written about in an AKC publication dated January 1908 by Winslow Clark. He described a dog named Bruce as a "Beardie." Mr. Clark's description of the trial held in State of Vermont, USA, made it sound as though the trial course was modeled after an ISDS trial course. This would make perfect sense since the official records of the ISDS registry, as mentioned above, demonstrate that Beardeds were registered in the early years of this organization. But where did Bruce come from? Was he imported to the U.S.? Was he imported to Canada, and visited the U.S. to participate in this trial? Lots of questions; often the answers are unknown.

After the ISDS stopped registering Beardies, Blue (owned, and handled, by Paul Turnbull), was registered with the ISDS "on merit" in 1984. This "on merit" term means Blue earned his way into the ISDS registry based upon trial performance. Four litters by Blue, out of Kennel Club registered Beardie Collie bitches, were granted registration by the Kennel Club.

Working Bearded Collie Registries

Only in the late 20th Century were there attempts to register the working Bearded Collies of the U.K. (meaning dogs not registered with the Kennel Club or any other kennel club entity) with a working registry. Many owners, however, were unwilling to register their dogs, whatever the entity, for various reasons. This website will include many shepherds' working Beardies, whether registered with some entity or not. The current shepherds' Beardies vary in appearance which seemingly matches what occurred in the breed's history from as far back as old pictures and writings exist.

Copyright Statement

In this regard, some copyrights have expired. In other cases, the doctrine of "fair use" was utilized. The copyright statement at the bottom of each website page indicates how to contact a representative for this website if any copyright appears to be violated.

Where licensing fees were paid for use of photographs, please be aware that the license allows use of such photographs on this website only. No image should be reproduced without contacting the copyright holder.

In other instances, licensing fees were not paid, but the article, photograph or other material belongs to a library, magazine, or an individual. Again, no item should be reproduced without contacting the copyright holder.

Finally

Remember the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words." Some of the pictures provided by various individuals for this site fit that description. Working dogs may not work in the same manner as a trial dog. This does not mean a worker cannot succeed as a working dog on the farm and a dog competing in trials. Certainly, Turnbull's Blue was a good example of a dog able to do both well.

If any shepherd appearing herein called his worker a Bearded Collie, no matter the appearance, then it is so. But, keep in mind, that many of the rough-coated or shaggy sheepdogs were similar in appearance. Some of the old photographs on this website will make it difficult to distinguish a Beardie from an Old English Sheepdog. Many writers describe them as being either the same, or a close relative.

Hopefully, after the full website becomes available to the public, the materials will be placed under the umbrella of a University located in the United Kingdom. Hopefully, this will ensure that the materials presented on this site will be maintained and available to be viewed by future generations.