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The Early Sheepdog Trials Project
 Summary of recent additions: July 28/30: Addition of information on Ingleton - was this a semi permanent home for the West Riding Trials Association from 1894 or are the two separate trials? It is increasingly unclear from the reports. Details of the Llanberis 1899 trial added to the listing under 1888. The name of the Local winner's dog sat Longshaw in 1899 added to the listing under 1894. Bedfordshire's first trial is now listed as 1901. Castle Douglas and Slaggyford make an appearance in 1906, and Cumrew in 1903. Nidderdale (Pateley Bridge) moves back to 1906. Ellemford is now listed under 1905, thanks to John Robinson, current holder of the cup. Inverness and Kingussie tidied up, under 1903, and Threlkeld moved to 1906. Worsthorne now finds its home under 1902. July 22: Addition of some more South Wales trials from Barbara Carpenter's "Trials and Tribulations". The very large 1874 to 1894 page divided into three sections. Addition of Kilmarnock 1893, Bala 1896 (under 1873), and Stafford Common in 1896. Finally, Tynycymmer, Porth 1898. This takes the total of trials listed in this project to over 200. July 19: A number of additions for 1892, including Eppynt Hill, Tregaron and nearby Pontrhydfendegaid, Penybont, Devynock Hill Trial and Marshbrook (Shropshire). July 12/18: Bedfordshire Agricultural Society now listed under c1910. Walthamshire 1908 and Tendring Hundred Show 1911 are the first listings for Eastern England. Added details for Hope, Kingussie, Whitfield, and West Riding (Sedbergh). New entries for Ceiriog Valley, Old Colwyn, Bellingham, and St George & District (Abergele). Several entries from the index to Our Dogs have been added for 1907/8, 1911/14, and will be expanded when the full reports have been examined. The index has also given a first trial in the Isle of Man, at Milntown in 1908, and four others, at Ramsey, Marrow, West Baldwin and Crosby. The 1914 index would appear to give the first trial in East Yorkshire, at Londesborough. June 11/2: Additions to Arran 1899; Golspie 1909 now listed under 1905 after discovery of a trial including a special Beardie puppy class, Burneside (Kendal) 1908, Radnorshire Agricultural Society 1908. June 5: My trip to look at an old archive yesterday proved extremely fruitful, with a lot of interesting material. For the July/August issue of ISN, such as a report and picture of the 1910 International, as well as reports of all the Internationals from 1906 to 1914. One of them included a description of the course and how the different elements were included at that time. There were also literally hundreds of reports of trials from the 1892 to 1914, many of which are new to this list, and I will be adding these to this section of the website over the next few days. As always, as many new questions are raised as old mysteries answered. Some of the material will appear in future issues of ISN as space permits, including the mystery of the Open Points System and the year one of the judges didn't turn up to the International. My thanks to the staff of "Our Dogs" for their help and cups of much needed tea. INTRODUCTION For many years, everybody “knew” that the “first recorded sheepdog trial” took place at Bala in 1873. However, in the last couple of years, newspaper cuttings emerged from Australia and New Zealand reporting on earlier trials. Were these the first trials, or had sheepdog trialling been exported to the lands of new opportunity along with shepherds and dogs uprooted from their Scottish or Welsh origins? It occurred to me that there is very little information about the earliest trials, and I decided to have another look at what we actually know (and what we don’t know) about trials up to the outbreak of World War I after the completion of the 1914 trials season. My thanks to the many shepherding historians who provided information to make this project possible. I hope this project will inspire others to look for more information, so that at some point in the future a more complete picture can emerge. If you have any information to add, please contact me by email. There seem to be a number of categories of trial: Annual Trials held in the same location every year, listed under the year the trial was first held and the name of the venue. Annual Trials held in different places in rotation, listed under the year the trial was first held and the name of the organising group (ie an Agricultural Show or Sheepdog Trials Society). Stand Alone Trials, intended as individal events, even if held in the same place more than once, such as the Alexandra Palace trials of 1876, 1882 and 1900, are listed as for Annual Trials which are held in the same location. ISDS International Trials are much bigger events, and as the information comes to light will be covered individually. Smaller trials almost certainly existed - the records we have are of trials big enough to be reported in the press. INDEX BY PLACE NAME AND DATE: NORTH EASTERN ENGLAND First entries 1876 Bishop Auckland Agricultural Society Show 1894 Byrness, Redesdale, Northumberland 1876 Darlington Horse & Dog Show 1890 Egglestone (Barnard Castle) Agricultural Show 1889 Greatham (Hartlepool) and District Agricultural Show 1894 Haltwhistle 1876 see South Tyne Agricultural Society 1876 Ingleton see West Riding Sheep Dog Society 1894 Mashamshire Agricultural Show 1885 Northallerton Agricultural Society Show 1886 Osmotherley, North Yorkshire 1899 Otley 1893 see Wharfedale 1893 Pateley Bridge see Nidderdale Show 1906 Sedbergh 1912 see West Riding Sheep Dog Society 1894 South Tyne Agricultural Society 1876 Stokesley Show, Middlesbrough 1900 Upper Redesdale Show - see Byrness, Redesdale, Northumberland 1876 West Riding Sheep Dog Society 1894 Whitfield Floral and Horticultural Show 1895 Wolsingham 1892 see Durham County Show 1892 NORTH WESTERN ENGLAND First entry 1876 Barbon Fell - see North Western Counties Sheep Dog Trial Association c1878 Blackburn (Witton Park) 1881 see Manchester Agriculltural Society Show 1876 Blackpool 1908 see Singleton Park, Blackpool 1908 Burneside Horticultural Society, Kendal 1907 Bury, Lancashire 1911 see Royal Lancashire Show 1911 Edgworth Show, Bolton, Lancashire 1906 Ellergreen Park 1908 see Burneside Horticultural Society, Kendal 1907 Gisburn (Clitheroe) Floral & Agricultural Show 1889 Hope Show, High Peak, Derbyshire 1905 Huntroyde Estate, Lancashire ?1874 Kendal 1908 see Burneside Horticultural Society, Kendal 1908 Kendal 1909 see Sedgwick Estate, End Moor, Kendal 1909 Kirkby Stephen 1881 see North Western Counties Sheep Dog Trials Association 1878 Lake District Sheep Dog Trials Assocation 1891 Lowther Castle/Park, Penrith 1907 Manchester Agriculltural Society Show 1876 Manchester Dog Show Belle Vue 1909 North Western Counties Sheep Dog Trial Association c1878 Preston, Lancs 1882 see Manchester Agriculltural Society Show 1876 Ravenstonedale 1892 see also North Westmoreland 1885 and Kirkby Stephen Show 1880 Sedgwick Estate, End Moor, Kendal 1909 Silecroft, Millom, Lake District - see Llanberis c1888 Singleton Park, Blackpool 1908 Southport 1876 see Manchester Agriculltural Society Show 1876 Ulverston see North Western Counties Sheep Dog Trials Association c1878 Windermere 1877 see Bell Isle, Windermere 1877 Windermere 1883 see North Western Counties Sheep Dog Trials Association 1878 Windermere, from 1891 see Lake District Sheep Dog Trials Assocation 1891 Worsthorne, Burnley, Lancashire 1902 SOUTHERN ENGLAND First entry 1876 Alexandra Palace 1876, 1882, 1900 Kennel Club - see Alexandra Palace 1876, 1882, 1900 CENTRAL ENGLAND First entry 1901 Bedfordshire Agridultural Society Show 1901 Husbands Bosworth, Leicestershire 1907 Luton Hoo - see Bedfordshire Agridultural Society Show 1901 EASTERN ENGLAND First entry 1908 Mistely 1910 see Tendring Hundred Show 1911 WESTERN ENGLAND First entries 1888 Acton Burnell, Shropshire 1907 Leominster, Herefordshire 1888 Oswestry - see Llanberis c1888 Woodstock Agricultural & Horticultural Show, Blenheim Park 1890 IRELAND First entry 1877 North of Ireland Collie Club 1903 ISLE OF MAN First entry 1908 SCOTLAND First entry 1870s Aberdeen and North of Scotland Collie Club 1894 East Lothian Agricultural Society Show 1895 Ellemford, Duns, Berwickshire 1905 Haddington, East Lothian c1906 Invernessshire Sheepdog Trials Association 1903 Jedforest, Scottish Borders 1882 Kingussie see Invernessshire Sheepdog Trials Association 1903 Largs Agricultural Society Show 1894 Lochmaben (Lockerbie) Games 1894 Newcastleton, Roxburghshire 1893 see Holm Show 1893 Ochie Hills - see West Linton, Peeblesshire c1875 Portencross 1894 see Largs Agricultural Society Show 1894 West Linton, Peeblesshire c1875 Woodside 1894 see Aberdeen and North of Scotland Collie Club 1894 NORTH WALES First entry 1873 Aber and Llanfairfechan (Penmaenmawr), Gwynedd c1900 Abergele 1912 see St George & District (Abergele) 1912 Abergwesyn, Llanwrtyd, Powys 1912 Bala 1889 (Queen Victoria trial) see Llangollen 1875 Betws Garmon, Caernarfon, Gwynedd 1881 Bontuchel 1900 - see Ruthin, Denbighshire 1898 Hiraethog Mountains, Ruthin, Clwyd 1907 Llangollen Sheep Dog Trials Association see Llangollen 1875 North Wales Sheep Dog Trials Society 1903 Old Colwyn & District Agricultural Society 1911 Penygroes 1873 - see Llanlyfni 1873 St George & District (Abergele) 1912 SOUTH AND MID WALES First entry 1874 Aberdare see Cwmaman 1903 Builth Wells Agricultural Society 1879 Cym(m)er, Neath Port Talbot 1898 Cymer - see Tynycymmer, Porth 1898 Devynock, Llywel and Llandilofane Farmers' Association c1890 Ely Racecourse, see Cardiff 1895 Hundred House, Builth Wells c1899 Llanelwedd, Builth Wells before 1914 Llangynog, Carmarthenshire 1903 Llanidloes 1876 - see Montgomeryshire Agricultural Show 1876 Montgomeryshire Agricultural Show 1876 Penybont 1908 see Radnorshire Agricultural Society 1908 Pontrhydfendigaid, Tregaron 1892 Radnorshire Agricultural Society 1908 AUSTRALIA (NEW SOUTH WALES & VICTORIA) First entry 1871 New South Wales Sheepbreeders' Show c1896 Unkown location 1915 BELGIUM First entry 1892 FRANCE First entry 1898, possible entries 1893, 1896 Beauvais 1904 - see Club Français du Chien de Bergers c1896 Club Français du Chien de Bergers c1896 Lizy sur Ourcq 1898 - see Club Français du Chien de Bergers c1896 GERMANY First entry 1897 NEW ZEALAND First entry 1867 Canterbury A & P Association 1897 Earnscleugh - see Otago Central Sheep Dog Club 1891 Otago Central Sheep Dog Club 1891 Waitaki (Duntroon Racecourse) 1878 UNITED STATES First entry 1880 LIST OF PAGES: JONATHAN AND GEORGE BARCROFT: SHEEPDOG TRIALLING SUPERSTARS BALA AND BEFORE: TRIALS 1867 TO 1873 THE 1890s UP TO LONGSHAW 1890 TO 1894 INTERNATIONAL TRIALS 1906 to 1914 Details of the foundation of the ISDS and the 1906 International appeared in International Sheepdog News for Sept/Oct and Nov/Dec 2006; the 1909 International in May/June 2009 issue and also here and the 1910 International in the July/August 2010 issue. The other trials from 1906 to 1914 will be covered in a later issue of ISN, following which a web page will be posted here. |
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