The Parson's Terriers

Having found his ideal terrier in Trump, Parson John Russell continued to breed his terriers with a clear purpose until they acquired the distinctive characteristics which enabled them to be referred to , in his time, as Parson Jack Russells, all sound working terriers.These terriers were essentially practical in their function. The white colour distinguished them in the field, their conformation and height gave them flexibility and their harsh double coats withstood exposure to wind and weather. The Parson condemned "riotous behaviour" in his terriers and expected them to bolt the fox from its earth or hold him at bay rather than kill.

Thus the Parson Jack Russell Terrier and the modern Fox Terriers are all descended from the fox terriers of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. It is almost impossible to find documented pedigrees of before 1860, but we do know, from his biographer E.W.L. Davies, that John Russell acquired Trump, his ideal terrier, in the spring of 1819.
Hannah of Clystlands, a bitch considered to resemble Trump

Other dogs have also featured in the development and tradition of fox terriers of the last century. In 1862 the Rev. Handly owned a terrier bitch call Sting. and Family III of the present day Smooth Fox Terrier came from this bitch.. Sting was mated to Tartar and produced a bitch, Grove Nettle which later had a dog, Old Hornett.

In the meantime the Reverend Russell had mated his bitch, Vic to Grove Willie to produce Juddy, a bitch which became the start of today's Family 1 of Smooth Fox terriers. The link was then made by the Parson between Juddy and Old Hornett with Moss 1 arriving in 1869. Moss 1 was mated to Gibson's Bitters to result in Moss II, another bitch. Moss II was then mated to a dog of Russell's breeding, Tipp II and from that match came Wasp which the Parson sold to Thomas Wooton of Nottingham. In 1883 Wasp was mated to a dog named Young Foiler, the breeding of which went back to Juddy. This mating led to Lill Foiler, a bitch which went on to produce Carlisle Tack by Trick in 1884.Carlisle Tack was then mated with Vice to produce Carlisle Tyro, a dog which had all the qualities to be seen in today's Parson Russell terriers. So, while the modern Fox Terrier was emerging, the old foxing terrier remained and it is from these old terriers that the descent of the Parson Jack Russell Terriers of today may be traced.

By the time of the Parson's death in 1883, three recognisable types of white working fox terriers were in evidence, firstly the Fox Terrier, either as an elegant animal generally smooth-coated with a long fine muzzle or in the form of the more robust wire-haired dog.

There was also an abundance of cross-bred hunt terriers, indiscriminate in size ,referred to as Russells. These ubiquitous animals were not the terriers bred by the Parson for the story behind them is quite different. John Russell had a kennel man, Will Rawle, and a relative of his, Annie Harris, bred and sold terriers. She found that if these were sold as "Jack Russells" they went more easily but what she actually sold was the cross-bred working terrier without necessarily the length of leg of the Parson's dogs. At the turn of the century Arthur Heineman, a journalist who was the secretary of the Parson Jack Russell Terrier Club of the time ,had terriers going back to the Parson's breeding. He also had a great passion for badger digging, however, and for this the terriers he used did not need the length of leg . He often introduced Bull Terrier blood to produce a "harder" terrier

Finally, the older type of fox terrier, the Parson Russell Terrier, remained in specific areas valued by those people who appreciated the practical and purposeful qualities of the dogs which had been recognised and bred true to type, throughout his long life, by the Parson himself.
Clystlands Legend, a Parson Russell Terrier of Today

Select to go to Club PageSelect this picture for Show Results

---