History & Heritage
English Setters are one of the oldest gundog breeds. They are descended from Setting Spaniels traceable to the fourteenth century. Smaller than today’s English Setter, these were valued for their hunting ability and unusual characteristic of dropping into a low crouch on finding birds. This was described as "SETTING".
Dogs of the colours and patterning of today’s English Setters were documented in Elizabethan times, however the modern English Setter is taller than its spaniel ancestors, hunters wanting a longer legged type that could work all day in upland country locating quail, grouse and partridge.
The breed we recognize today was largely developed during the 18th and 19th centuries by careful selection for working characteristics, soundness of limb and temperament, together with a large dose of good looks. Two notable breeders of this time to whom the modern English Setter owes much, were Edward Laverack and Purcell Llewellin. Selective breeding produced the medium sized, elegant, distinctively coated and good-natured breed we are familiar with today.
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