This brief account of the Duchess of Newcastle appeared in C. H. Lane's Dog Shows ... and Doggy People in 1902 (see bibliography for full details). The illustrations were scanned and the text formatted for our website by Jacqueline Banerjee. You may use the images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the source and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one. [Click on the images to enlarge them.]
The Duchess of Newcastle. (Frontispiece, Lane).
I AM sure all the Doggy People, and they are many and representative, who are referred to in this book will confirm my opinion that the above lady, with the single exception of Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Alexandra, who stood high in public esteem before Her Majesty ever took any marked interest in dogs, is the most popular of her sex in the ranks of Doggy People, none the less so that Her Grace has condescended on several occasions to judge both her favourites the Borzois (of which Her Grace probably owns the finest collection, at any rate out of Russia, to be seen in the possession of one owner) and Fox-terriers, facing the labours of heavy classes with courage and ability, and getting through them in a practical manner. Many of my readers will have read notices of the Clumber kennels in some of the fancier papers, and will know what an interesting and valuable collection they contain of Clumber Spaniels (taking their name from the ancestral seat), Borzois, Smooth and Wire- haired Fox-terriers, Deer-hounds, and Whippets, so that I will not attempt to give any particulars of them here, beyond expressing the hope that such a good sportswoman and popular lady as Her Grace may long be spared to give to our shows the advantage of her distinguished presence and support, and continue to hold her present high position in the ranks of Doggy People. I think the fact of her giving the writer express permission to dedicate this book to Her Grace goes to prove that the interest taken in Dog Shows and Doggy People is no passing fancy, having already existed for more than ten years, and as yet shown no abatement.
Left: The Duchess of Newcastle's Fox-terrier Christopher of Notts (Lane 192). Right: The Duchess of Newcastle's Borzoi Champion Tsaritza. By permission of Our Dogs (Lane 193).
I am able to give an excellent portrait of Her Grace as frontispiece to the present work, and portraits of three specimens from the Clumber kennels. [192-4]
Related Material
Bibliography
Lane, Charles Henry. Dog Shows ... and Doggy People. London: Hutchinson, 1902. Internet Archive, from a copy in the University of California Libraries. Web. 20 September 2020.
Created 20 September 2020