Painting by Thomas Earl　

Some people say it is an obsession; I like to say it is a passion of mine; I would hate to admit to anything as an obsession, but Clumbers have become a large part of my life.

Seventeen years ago when my father was diagnosed with cancer, I bought him a copy of the country life magazine, with an article by David Tomlinson, featuring James Darley with his working Clumbers, Duncan and Beryl. My father said "when I get better, that’s my next dog, had it with Springer's, only get one or two good years out of mine and that’s between 10 and 12 years of age. Too hot for me" he said. "I am going to have a nice steady rough shooting dog!!" Unfortunately he died, that day never came for him, so I kept the article, rang James, and asked to see the dogs working. Explained the type of shooting my husband John and I do mainly rough and the odd days picking up. That I had been brought up with Springer’s all my life and that John had always had Labradors. We were invited to watch Venaticus Duncan working at an any variety field trial in East Sussex. Judged by the late Keith Erlandson. Little did we know then, we were watching what was considered the best Clumber in the country at the time. We were suitably impressed when he received a reserve in this field trial, after a run off against Springer’s, at the time we didn’t understand this major achievement and hurdle that Duncan and James had just gone through. This was a top award for a Clumber in an AV field trial for more than 6o years. No wonder our request to James was to find us a Clumber, thought he worked very nicely, just what we where looking for. We of course in our ignorance thought all Clumber were like this, we were soon to have a rude awakening!　

We got the phone call from James, saying there were two litters available, one in Cornwall , one in Derbyshire. He was buying a bitch in Cornwall, suggested we went for a dog in Derbyshire. We promptly phoned the breeder in Derbyshire, asked about the litter, only two pups still for sale. We drove straight up from Surrey, very keen to secure our first Clumber. Lovely litter, well looked after, robust, lively pups, with a very gentle good looking mother. We choose Bertie, collected him when 8 weeks of age, thrilled, socialised him well, new place, smells, people other dogs. Got him keen on retrieving different things, happy to come back to us, everything was going well, and then at 16 weeks of age he growled!! No surely we didn’t hear this right, oh yes he was quite serious, my husband John promptly picked him up gave him a shake and growled back, but Bertie did not back down. John put him back in the yard, thought this can’t be serious!! Few minutes later carried on as if nothing had happened. This was the first time Bertie showed his true colours, John took over the training it needed a male to dominate this dog, they had a love hate relationship for 8 years, but in that time, John managed to train that dog to hunt for him as a good rough shooting dog, go picking up for him and even managed to work him in a minor breed field trial and get a C.O.M award. But it was an uphill struggle sometimes, very different to the dogs either one of us had been use to in the past. We had learnt that confrontational measure with this dog did not work; we had to diffuse the situation, and find the pleasure that both gained working as a team. Poor old Bert had a screw lose, skin problems, dry eye and hip score of 57, the breed average being 43 at the time. We soon learnt what we didn’t want in a Clumber. We would never breed from this dog. Even though both parents were lovely , sweet natured , the throw back had come through in this litter taking us back to too much show blood from a certain line, where they had been breed for looks only and to hell with the rest.

We were soon to discover the difference between dogs bred purely as a working dog, or a dog for the show bench. We joined the Working Clumber spaniel Society and with help, we found the right line of Clumber to be able to breed a litter which was free from such health issues, good natured, and keen to work, willing to please. The opportunity came from the bitch that James had bought in Cornwall, he felt she wasn’t going to make a trialling dog, and had passed her on, this hadn’t worked out, so we asked if we could have a go with her, she took to John very quickly they went everywhere together, soon becoming good mates, he even managed to run her in a couple of trials and get through to the second run, but she was always out. Never terrible steady!

But more importantly I could see she was the right material to breed from hip score of just 14, clean clear eyes, very lively, lean well muscled, sweet natured, little stubborn, strong hunter and retriever. A good looking bitch, with a good line of working blood either side of her pedigree going back to Venaticus Duncan as her grandfather.

Then to find the right sire Christine Bridgwater, very well known for her Springer’s had a nice line of Scherzando Clumbers which she worked. She also owned a dog, breed by the late Mabel Hall out of her Leybel line, which had a hip score of 00, this dog was the father of the sire I choose, belonging to Mike Blakeman Sherzando Chieftain (Tank) he also was a sweet natured soft dog, good worker with FT awards in minor breed trials.

They had a super litter of 6 pups (3 bitches & 3 dogs) our first Sedgehurst Line pups.

Two went to James Darley, one each for John and I, one to Mike Blakeman, and one to a lady in Kent who we meet at the CLA gamefair. They weren’t perfect but very good for Clumbers, hips score for this litter came in an 8, 24, 13, 15, 10 for the five that we scored, we where delighted as the average was still 43. We wanted to breed a dog that was less exaggerated, a lighter frame, yet well-muscled and lean, clear eyed, more colour back in them again, and capable of a days work, drawing on the dog of the past, back in the Victorian and Edwardian times, when they were in their heyday. Two of the brothers Maxim (Max) owned by James Darley has 11 FT awards in minor breed trials, Max has two firsts. And Tormentum (Wooster) owned by John Zurick has 15 FT awards and One first, in minor breed trials. I am very proud of our first litter of Sedgehurst Working Clumbers. Both dogs are happy to be either out rough shooting, Picking up, or the odd days driven, sitting at the peg, as long as they get plenty to pick, if their master or mistress has their eye in!! The next generation needed to be even better, and so it is. We are now breeding consistently low hip scoring dogs; it is not uncommon to have scores of 6 or 8 in our working lines, free from all those worthless exaggerations. A sharper more spirited dog, but a kind dog a joy to own.

I am proud to say after serving on the WCSS committee, I have been secretary for the past 9 years, which is a very satisfying enjoyable honour, to be able to help people find the right Clumber and encourage them with its future. They are a very appealing have an irresistible charm , I would like to ensure the breed has a place in the hearts of shooting men as long as the sport survives ,So maybe Clumbers have become an obsession now!