In 1803, at the age of fifteen, George Byron acquired a puppy – ‘Born in Newfoundland’. He called the dog Boatswain. This raises a vast number of questions – the viable answers to some of which may remain largely speculative!
- What breed of dog was Boatswain?
- Did Byron purchase the puppy? If so -
- Why did Byron choose this breed of dog?
- Was the dog a special gift? If so - from whom?
- Why did Byron pronounce the dog’s name Bo’sun?
Historical sources generally state that Byron either ‘purchased’ or ‘was given’ the puppy. My truth is that the puppy dog was ‘a gift’ rather than ‘a direct purchase’ by the lad himself.
In 1803 when the puppy was acquired, Byron was a student at Harrow School and resided chiefly in Southwell, Nottinghamshire with his mother, Catherine Byron. Boatswain spent his early years in Southwell. Newstead Abbey was rented out to Lord Grey de Ruthyn.
Background
The tribute to Boatswain engraved on the memorial above the dog’s tomb at Newstead Abbey specifically states that the dog was “Born in Newfoundland May 1803”. This suggests the puppy was a direct import from Canada and not bred in England. Neither was the dog a mutt (mongrel), descended from the Newfoundland dog brought to England by the Hon. John Byron in November 1769 and gifted to his brother William - the 5th Lord Byron, who resided at Newstead Abbey.
Breed
The 1808 painting of Boatswain at Newstead Abbey looks like a St. John’s water dog. Boatswain’s coat and athletic, medium-sized frame align with the physical characteristics of the now-extinct water dog (also known as the Lesser Newfoundland dog).
Portrait of Boatswain by Clifton Tomson (Newstead Abbey)
The painting features a thick water-resistant double coat and an ‘otter-like’ tail (thickness at the base gradually tapering toward the tip). The otter tail was a critical survival and working tool for water dogs. The semi prick ears - rather than the more usual fold down, dropped ears pictured in the late 19th and 20th centuries - was not unusual for some individual water dogs in the early 1800s. The implied size of the dog suggests that Boatswain was no larger than a black and white Labrador Retriever and just like a St John’s water dog.
St. John’s water dogs were initially imported into the UK in the 1730s as merchant ‘ship dogs’ – focused on water rescue and protection - but they soon gained wider appeal. Their increasing popularity was due to their exceptional working abilities, unique physical characteristics and gentle temperament.
Renowned as the ‘original ships dog’, their thick, oily, water-resistant coat, webbed feet and strong tails made them powerful swimmers for assisting fishermen in the frigid waters off Newfoundland and crucial companions for sailors. With their strength, webbed feet for paddling, otter-like tail for steering and a thick coat for insulation, they were able to -
- retrieve lost fishing gear and fish that had slipped off the hooks
- haul in heavy fishing nets
- swim lifelines to shore from ships in rough seas
- perform heroic water rescues of people who fell overboard
The dogs proved versatile land workers due to their strength. They were able to pull carts loaded with fish, firewood, milk etc. around ports and towns where narrow streets made horse-drawn carts less practical.
Known as ‘gentle giants’, their gentle temperament combined with a sweet, calm and loyal disposition made them highly desirable as companions and family pets – prized for their tolerance and protective instincts around children. Their reputation for loyalty and bravery led to their adoption by notable figures, boosting popularity amongst middle classes.
The Hon. Commodore John Byron’s return to England in 1769 with two large Newfoundland dogs - “almost as large as a two-year-old heifer” - was a documented high-profile acquisition by a member of the aristocracy which helped cement the breed’s status amongst British upper classes. The dogs were prestigious gifts for his elder brother William, the 5th Lord Byron and the Earl of Hillsborough - Secretary of State for the Colonies.
Ipswich Journal – Saturday 17 Feb. 1770
By the 1780s, the dogs had become fashionable pets. Nobles like the Earl of Malmesbury and the Duke of Buccleuch were instrumental in importing and breeding the dogs in Britain. The 2nd Earl of Malmesbury used the dogs for shooting sports as early as 1809. The 5th Duke of Buccleuch and his nephews imported the dogs to Scotland for use as gundogs.
St. John’s water dog in 1856 (Kiddle)
Hon. John Byron was instrumental in popularising the original Newfoundland amongst the British aristocracy. He became enamoured of the huge black water dogs used by local fishermen for handling nets and water rescue while serving as Governor of Newfoundland 1769-1771. By presenting the dogs to a high-ranking official and his own noble family, he helped transition the breed from a working animal of the North Atlantic to a status symbol and gentleman’s companion in British Society. He established a family tradition and familiarity with the breed.
By 1803, these water dogs had become a high quality and prestigious status symbol, imported by sailors, merchants and fishing boat captains as a lucrative side-line to established trade.
Pet name
Naming his dog ‘Boatswain’ was a clear recognition of his grandfather’s distinguished naval career and of the breed’s reputation as heroic sea-rescue dogs. A Boatswain was the most senior non-office member of the deck department. The name ‘Boatswain’ or ‘Bosun’ (occasionally ‘Bo’sun’), reflected the family’s naval heritage and his grandfather’s career as a famous Midshipman, Commodore and Vice-Admiral. Byron felt a strong spiritual kinship with his grandfather and was deeply influenced by his narrative of the Wager shipwreck and mutiny in 1741.
Acquisition
The cost of an imported Newfoundland in 1803 was approximately 20 guineas making it a personal indulgence or a high-status luxury gift, likely bestowed by someone with the means to purchase it. Biographical accounts agree that Boatswain was purchased as a prized puppy or given to Byron as a gift. Most would say that the dog was a gift – and a fitting choice for a young nobleman whose ancestors had such prominent ties to the dog’s place of origin.
Q. Did Byron buy the dog himself?
It is unlikely that his pocket money would have been sufficient to cover the cost. 20 guineas in 1803 were considered a considerable sum (over £200 in 2026). It is possible however that his family solicitor John Hanson might have been prepared to help out.
Q. Did his mother buy the dog? – after all, Catherine Byron managed her son’s finances, and she would have had to home the dog during his minority.
Their relationship was notoriously volatile. She wished to keep her son’s financial matters under strict control. Arguably while she may have been prepared to indulge him on this occasion, it is unlikely that she would have seen 20 guineas as a viable or appropriate use of her meagre income.
Q. Was the Newfoundland puppy gifted by an associate?
Highly likely! Perhaps a 15th birthday present? A gesture of significant esteem from a mentor, a wealthy peer or a naval connection?
Q. Who is on the short list of potential bestowers?
- Elizabeth Bridget Pigot (or the Pigot family) – wealthy neighbours and close literary soulmates. Elizabeth Pigot was ‘an older sister figure’ involved in Byron’s daily life in Southwell – and that of his dogs. While away at Harrow and Cambridge, The Pigot family cared for Boatswain and his wife Fanny (Terrier), as well as other dogs and pets including Savage (Bulldog) and Thunder (Newfoundland).
Elizabeth Pigot encouraged the eighteen-year-old to self-publish his early collections of poems – some of which were written as early as age fourteen. She immortalised Byron’s relationship with Boatswain in her light-hearted, hand-illustrated parody – The Wonderful History of Lord Byron and his Dog.
The Wonderful History of Lord Byron and his Dog. A hand-sewn 14-page manuscript booklet (March 1807)
Here we see Boatswain turned vicar after Byron visited the house of the Rev. Thomas Beecher –
He went to the Cottage to chat with Ann Beecher,
& when he came back, Found Bos’en turned Preacher.
Boatswain, as preacher, says - Repent ye wicked, resist temptation.The book was a creative tribute to their literary friendship and Byron’s close affinity with his dog. She often referred to Boatswain as ‘the Newfoundland’, ‘the favourite dog’ and ‘his canine friend’ to highlight the deep bond between the two and Boatswain’s role as Byron’s most favoured companion. ‘Bos’ was her affectionate nickname for the dog.
- Other affluent local gentry and aristocratic contacts in Southwell or at Newstead – namely Lord Grey de Ruthyn. Byron spent much of his 1803-1804 school holidays at Newstead Abbey - which his mother had leased to Grey. They were friends and often went on shooting expeditions - before a sudden and unexplained falling out. Byron suddenly fled Newstead and wrote to Augusta (his half-sister and confidante) later in 1804 that Grey’s conduct was “of a nature which will ever remain hidden in my own breast.” – and that he had reasons for his “detestation” - which he could not reveal. This dark secret is interpreted as unwanted and inappropriate sexual advances by Grey. Byron wrote to Hanson (family solicitor and agent) and his mother stating his absolute refusal to visit Newstead Abbey or associate with Lord Grey again - but avoided telling them about the reasons for his hatred. One might hypothesise that this raises the question as to whether Byron was being groomed by Henry Yelverton (in his early twenties), who was aware of Byron’s ancestry and love of animals in general – and dogs in particular.
- John Hanson. As family trustee whilst Byron was a ward of court, affairs were handled by their solicitor. While Hanson could have responded to a request from Byron, there is no evidence to support such action.
- Individuals within the family’s naval circle – notably Byron’s uncle Captain George Anson Byron (7th Lord Byron). A distant cousin and Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, George Anson was the second son of John Byron. The family had maintained naval connections necessary to acquire an imported Newfoundland puppy. The gift was thus intended to honour the maritime heritage of a close family member.
- The Drury family. Byron had an excellent relationship with Dr. Joseph Drury – the headmaster of Harrow school. Byron considered him a father figure and a highly positive influence.
“My preceptor, the Rev. Dr. Joseph Drury, was the best and worthiest friend I ever possessed.’’
The affection was mutual and after he left Harrow, Byron remained in contact with the Drury family.
Lifestage: 1803 – 1808
Harrow school Byron’s deep adoration of animals in general, and Boatswain in particular, arose from a need for unconditional, non-judgmental love and acceptance that he felt he lacked in human society, and which personal relationships could not resolve.
“The firmest friend who possessed all the virtues of man without his vices.”
This was particularly important while Byron was at Harrow school where he had been ridiculed and bullied as a younger boy because of his deformities. Already self-conscious about his club foot, Byron was nicknamed ‘Eighteen pence’ due to the differing size of his eyes. His classmates joked that his smaller eye was the size of a sixpence (6d) and his left eye was the size of a shilling (12d). The total equalled eighteen pence (1s 6d).
Unrequited love
At the age of fifteen Byron experienced an unrequited romantic love for his distant cousin and neighbour, Mary Ann Chaworth. They were accompanied by Byron’s ‘four-footed attendant’ as they walked through the terraced gardens of Annesley Hall and up to the ‘diadem’ of trees on the hill.
Byron’s Dream by Ford Maddox Brown (Wikimedia Commons)
While Byron later referred to “the romance of the most romantic period of his life”, Mary Chaworth’s rejection of the ‘lame, bashful, boy lord’ confirmed the impact his deformities would have on his physical and mental health throughout his life. In sharp contrast, Boatswain came to represent the ‘ever-faithful’ loyalty he craved.
Trinity College Cambridge
Byron was told that the rules forbade him to bring Boatswain to his lodgings. He famously purchased a brown bear, homed it in the turret above his lodgings and walked it in the college grounds on a chain like a dog.
“I have got a new friend, the finest in the world. When I bought him here, they asked me what I meant to do with him, and my reply was, ‘he should sit for a fellowship’.’’ (Letter to Elizabeth Pigot)
Newstead Abbey
Having completed his university studies at Trinity College Cambridge in 1808, Byron returned to Newstead Abbey. He rowed and swam in the Upper Lake with both of his guard dogs - Thunder and Boatswain. Thunder is a far less well-known dog who lived at Newstead. He comes to the fore in the context of the possible bear-baiting of Bruin and Elizabeth Piggot’s records regarding their master.
Back at Newstead Abbey, Byron often rowed into the Upper Lake with Boatswain and Thunder; then jumped into the water and pretended he was drowning. The dogs faithfully rescued him and swam back to shore, showcasing their strength, loyalty and heritage. Arguably, Byron would also pit the two dogs against Bruin who was generally kept in the stables but allowed into the house. Thunder was larger than Boatswain but less courageous – and “could seldom be induced to face the bear”. Both dogs wore wide, tooth-edged brass collars to protect their throats during ‘contests.’ In her accounts, Elizabeth Pigot recorded that Byron’s penchant for the sport was down to amusement in watching his two large dogs engage in ‘scraps’ with the bear he had famously kept whilst at Cambridge. Her records suggest that Byron did not merely allow these fights but actively encouraged them, often sitting by to watch the contest as a form of entertainment for himself - and his guests.
Bear-baiting was a controversial and increasingly frowned-upon practice in the early 1800s. Both collars were sold at auction in 1903. The catalogue listing stated that both metal collars showed deep scrapes and gouges from fights -
“The marks upon the collar were made by a large bear which was kept at Newstead and with which ‘Boatswain’ had many severe contests”.
Nottingham Live: Digital content November 2017
Boatswain was bitten by a rabid dog while accompanying the postboy into the town of Mansfield. Byron nursed his beloved dog personally, despite the risk of catching the disease himself. He fed the poor dog with his bare hands and wiped away the frothing saliva from his mouth during seizures. Boatswain died in Byron’s arms in November 1808. It is debatable as to whether Byron was aware of the risks he took.
“He expired in a state of madness on the 10th, after suffering much, yet retaining all the gentleness of his nature to the last, never attempting to do the least injury to anyone near him.” (Letter to Francis Hodgson on 18th November)
The inscription on Boatswain’s memorial at Newstead Abbey immortalises his loyal and beloved dog. It praises the dog for its strength, courage and loyalty - without the flaws of mankind - and expresses the overwhelming sorrow of losing such an unconditionally loving companion. The Introduction to the epitaph, written by John Cam Hobhouse, continues to move readers with the message about loyalty, humility and the purity of a dog’s love compared to human arrogance.
Near this spot
Are deposited the Remains of one
Who possessed Beauty without Vanity
Strength without Insolence
Courage without Ferocity
And all the virtues of Man without his Vices
This praise which would be unmeaning Flattery
If inscribed over human Ashes
Is but a just tribute to the Memory of
BOATSWAIN a DOG
Who was born in Newfoundland May 1803
And died at Newstead Nov 18, 1808
When some proud son of man returns to earth,
Unknown to glory, but upheld by birth,
The sculptor’s art exhausts the pomp of woe,
And storied urns record who rests below;
When all is done, upon the tomb is seen,
Not what he was, but what he should have been;
But the poor Dog, in life the firmest friend,
The first to welcome, foremost to defend,
Whose honest heart is still his master’s own,
Who labours, fights, lives, breathes for him alone,
Unhonoured falls, unnoticed all his worth,
Denied in heaven the soul he held on earth:
While man, vain insect! hopes to be forgiven,
And claims himself a sole exclusive heaven.
Oh man! Thou feeble tenant of an hour,
Debased by slavery, or corrupt by power,
Who knows thee well must quit thee with disgust,
Degraded mass of animated dust!
Thy love is lust, thy friendship all a cheat,
Thy smiles hypocrisy, thy words deceit!
By nature vile, entailed but by name,
Each kindred brute might bid thee blush for shame.
Ye! Who perchance holds this simple urn,
Pass on – it honours none you wish to morn:
To mark a friend’s remains these stones arise;
I never knew but one, - and here he lies.
Byron had intended to use the last lines of his poem as a prose eulogy above his verse but found Hobhouse’s comparison of dogs and humans more effective and poignant. In his 1811 will, Byron requested to be buried in the crypt beneath the monument with Boatswain. He stipulated that he should be buried – “without any burial service whatsoever, or any inscription save my name and age.” Also to have the honour of joining him was his manservant, Joe Murray. This was not to be – Byron was buried in the family vault at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Hucknall.
Boatswain’s Legacy
Love and care for all creatures – great and small
Byron was a legendary animal lover who famously kept a massive and diverse menagerie throughout his life, though his deepest affections were always reserved for his dogs. Enormous dogs (likely mastiffs) were the focus of his extensive and diverse menagerie at the Palazzo Guiccioli in Ravenna, Italy.
- 8 enormous dogs
- 5 cats, 3 monkeys
- Assortment of birds including 5 peacocks, 2 guinea hens, eagle, crow, falcon and Egyptian crane.
Byron’s menagerie in Italy (NightCafe AI)
Byron’s menagerie was famously chaotic. Percy Bysshe Shelley described his household in Ravenna as an ‘indoor jungle’ that often resounded with the animals’ ‘unarbitrated quarrels.’
“Lord B.’s establishment consists, besides servants, of ten horses, eight enormous dogs, three monkeys, five cats, an eagle, a crow, and a falcon; and all these, except the horses, walk about the house, which every now and then resounds with their unarbitrated quarrels, as if they were the masters of it.”
PS “I have just met on the grand staircase five peacocks, two Guinea hens and an Egyptian crane.” (Shelley’s Letter to Thomas Love Peacock 1821)
“His little joke”
DNA testing has revealed that Byron sent canine hair to his fans and lovers. John Murray VII, chairman of the family publishing house that famously worked with Byron, tested a collection of over 100 locks of hair sent to women Byron had seduced or corresponded with, which were stored in the Murray archives in London. While often believed to be Byron’s own hair, the DNA results showed that many of the samples were (likely) from his pet dog, Boatswain – a “little joke” played by the poet, according to Murray.
Literary works
Don Juan
While Boatswain is not mentioned by name, Byron references his preferred regard for dogs over humans in his epic satire Don Juan Canto the Seventh, famously writing -
Dogs, or men! - for I flatter you in saying
That ye are dogs – your betters far – ye may
Read or read not, what I am now essaying
To show ye what ye are in every way.
Boatswain also appears in The Dream and Darkness in 1816. In the apocalyptic poem Darkness, Byron describes a dog that remains extraordinarily loyal to its master even as the world ends. Critics often note this as a reflection of Boatswain’s real-life gentleness during his struggle with rabies.
Even dogs assail’d their masters, all save one,
And he was faithful to a corse, and kept
The birds and beasts and famish’d men at bay,
Till hunger clung them, or the dropping dead
Lur’d their lank jaws; himself sought out no food,
But with a piteous and perpetual moan,
And a quick desolate cry, licking the hand
Which answer’d not with a caress – he died.
Memoires d’un Caniche by Julie Gourand (published 1866)
The popular children’s book depicts a poodle named Bijou and his life with a master who mirrors the poet - emphasising the animal’s exceptional loyalty and intelligence. The narrative specifically recreates the famous legend of the Upper Lake at Newstead Abbey. Bijou saves his master from drowning (or participates in simulated rescue exercises), illustrating the bond and courage that defined the real-life relationship between Byron and Boatswain. During the 19th century, the book was highly popular in France and frequently given as a prize for excellence.
Hon. John Byron’s Legacy
Byron was inspired by his grandfather’s experiences, living in caves and shelters while stranded on the Chilean coast, to create the image of a shipwrecked hero washing ashore and being tended to in a coastal cave. Byron used his grandfather’s memoirs and harrowing tales recorded in The Narrative of the Hon. John Byron (1768) to add realism and imagery to his poetry. He borrowed from The Narrative to create a realistic and harrowing depiction of a shipwreck and to describe the heartbreak of being forced by starvation, to eat one’s own dog.
Finding of Don Juan by Haidee by Ford Maddox Brown (Wikimedia Commons)
‘Foul-weather Jack’ Byron as a young man c.1748 by Joshua Reynolds (Newstead Abbey)
Byron was proud of his grandfather’s status as a celebrated naval hero and frequently referred to him in correspondence and journals, framing him as a kindred spirit whose life mirrored his own in its pervasive misfortune. He viewed ‘Foul-weather Jack’s constant battle with storms’ as a romantic archetype for the ‘Byronic struggle against fate’. He kept his grandfather’s book close to him throughout his life as both literary inspiration and personal identity.
Naval Identity and legacy
Byron felt a deep kinship with his grandfather, viewing their respective lives as parallel struggles against relentless misfortune. Byron observed that his life was a ‘reversed’ version of his grandfather’s struggles.
“A strange doom is thy father’s son’s… Reversed for him our grandsire’s fate of yore, He had no rest at sea, nor I on shore.” (Letter to half-sister Augusta Leigh)
In private writings Byron used his grandfather to illustrate what he believed was an inescapable family curse of restlessness and ill luck. In his epistle to Augusta Leigh 1816, he indicated a deep connection to his grandfather’s tendency to encounter storms in much the same way as he viewed his own scandalous life. John Byron died two years before George Byron was born.
The first letter Byron ever wrote was to his paternal aunt on 8th November 1798, shortly after inheriting Newstead Abbey. He informed her that he’d arrived and was beginning to settle into his new life. Augusta Byron (daughter of John Byron) was married to Vice-Admiral Christopher Parker. In writing to her, he created a personal link with his grandfather and the Naval side of the family.
Byron had planned to spend time sailing and cruising with his cousin George Bettesworth, a captain in the Royal Navy who commanded the 32-gun frigate HMS Tartar. These plans were scuppered when George Bettesworth was killed at the Battle of Alvoen in May 1808.
“I am going to sea for four or five months, with my Cousin Capt. Bettesworth,who commands the Tartar the finest frigate in the navy. I have seen most scenes,and wish to look at a naval life. - We are going probably to the Mediterranean, or to the West Indies, or to the Devil, and if there is a possibility of taking me to the Latter, Bettesworth will do it, for he has received four and twenty wounds in different places,and at the moment possess a Letter from the late Ld.Nelson, stating Bettesworth as the only officer of the navy who had more wounds than himself.” (Letter to Elizabeth Bridget Pigot; Cambridge 1807)
Instead of learning to sail a ship and cruise on the high seas, Byron ultimately embarked on his famous Grand Tour of the Mediterranean and Levant.
Byron owned different types of boats – a rowing boat at Newstead, gondolas on the Grand Canal in Venice and a fast well-equipped yacht (Bolivar). Despite calling himself a ‘land-lubber,’ Byron was deeply knowledgeable about naval history and had a clear understanding of the role of the navy during wartime. Recognising that maritime control was essential to the revolution’s success, Byron used his personal fortune in the form of a loan of £4,000 (roughly £330,000) to re-fit and activate the Greek fleet.
He also had a clear understanding of Frank Abney Hastings’s innovative naval design which advocated the use of steam-powered warships and modern naval tactics in the Greek War of Independence. Byron used his influence with the London Philhellenic Committee to secure funding and personally supported the effort. The Karteria (Greek for ‘Perseverance’) was the first steam-powered warship to engage in combat, acting as the primary catalyst for the Battle of Navarino and destruction of the Ottoman-Egyptian fleet – which ultimately led to the formal recognition of Greece as an independent state in 1832.
Newfoundland legacy
Just like his grandfather’s actions, Byron promoted the St. John’s water dog and Newfoundland dogs in general. Lyon was a Newfoundland dog, presented to Lord Byron by Edward Le Mesurier R.N. (a naval lieutenant in the Royal Navy of Genoa) just before he set off from Italy to support the Greek War of Independence in July 1823.
Newfoundland dog, Vintage illustration
Lyon was more akin to the conventional Newfoundland of the 19th century than Boatswain. Lyon - or Lion, as he was often referred to - was Byron’s constant companion throughout his time in Missolonghi, Greece. The dog had a calming influence on his master, and their interaction brought Byron a sense of contentment and happiness, offering a therapeutic escape from the difficult circumstances of the Greek War of Independence. Lyon became his ‘dearest and most affectionate friend’ – a testament to their inseparable bond.
“They were indeed very seldom separated. Riding or walking, sitting or standing, Lyon was his constant attendant. He can scarcely be said to have forsaken him even in sleep. Every evening did he go to see that his master was safe, before he lay down himself, and then he took his station close to the door, a guard.’’ (Parry)
The Last Days of Lord Byron by William Parry 1825
Meder (a mastiff) on the other hand, accompanied Byron and Pietro Gamba out horse riding in Cephalonia and Missolonghi. Byron’s insistency on riding out daily with a large dog like Meder helped maintain his identity as an English Lord. This routine provided a sense of continuity and normality as Byron transitioned from poet and active sportsman to military leader.
Tribute to Byron’s Legacy by The Author (NightCafe AI)
By the 1780s, the dogs had become fashionable pets. Nobles like the Earl of Malmesbury and the Duke of Buccleuch were instrumental in importing and breeding the dogs in Britain. The 2nd Earl of Malmesbury was using the dogs for shooting sports as early as 1809. The 5th Duke of Buccleuch and his nephews imported the dogs to Scotland for use as gundogs. In the 1880s the 3rd Earl gave the 6th Duke two male dogs, Ned and Avon, which were mated with the Duke’s females, establishing a foundation stock from which modern Labradors are descended.
Due to a combination of a heavy dog tax in Newfoundland and strict quarantine laws in the UK, the supply of pure St. John’s water dogs dwindled and the breed became extinct. The kennels maintained by these noblemen preserved the bloodline. The primary ancestor of the Labrador Retriever was formally recognised by the English Kennel Club in 1903. It is now listed within the Gundog Group (for retrievers) and the Working Group (for the modern Newfoundland). The Kennel Club also recognises the St. John’s Dogs as a foundational ancestor for several other Retriever breeds including the Flat-Coated Retriever, Golden Retriever, Curly-Coated Retriever and the modern Newfoundland. The breed standards still reflect the underlying traits, such as the water-resistant double coat and the ‘otter-like’ tail.
Just as his grandfather had in the 1770s, Byron has popularised the Newfoundland breed to this day. The Rother Valley Working Newfoundlands group visit Newstead Abbey to honour Bryon’s legacy and offer activities like cart rides, connecting the history with the modern breed.
Landseer Newfoundland - Otis is a member of Rother Valley Working Newfoundlands
Author’s note
This is perhaps the most interesting and speculative article I have prepared so far! It crosses so many boundaries and embraces other subject matter which I have already explored – or aim to soon!
Byron’s Favourite Dogs – B
Mary Ann Chaworth – Byron’s first love – BB & The Dream - B
Elizabeth Pigot and Southwell
Byron’s Deformities - B
Educating Childe Byron - BB
Trinity College Cambridge - BB
Ancestry - BB
Foulweather Jack – B & Hon. John Byron – BB
The Greek War of Independence – Byron in Missolonghi - BB
For a more detailed account of Foul-weather Jack’s naval career, I hand you over to my colleague Richard Hiscocks at morethannelson.com. It is amazing that Hon. John Byron’s biography is one of over 700 illustrious Naval Officers on the website.
To discover more about Byron’s dogs, please enjoy Geoffrey Bond’s book LORD BYRON’S Best Friends – From bulldogs to Boatswain & beyond.
