CLUMBERS, heaviest of the spaniel breeds, are instantly recognisable by their long, muscular bodies; sturdy legs; dense, wavy white coat with lemon or orange markings; pink noses; and thoughtful, dignified, rather patrician demeanour. The breed was developed in the mid-18th century by William Mansell, head gamekeeper to the 2nd Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, and was originally known simply as ‘Mansell’s breed’ or ‘the Duke’s breed’ before the name of the Duke’s seat in Nottinghamshire, Clumber Park, became adopted.
Quite what Mansell used to create his breed has never been established. Romanticists would have us believe the originals were French and a gift from the Duke of Noailles, although no records exist in the archives of either family. There were clearly large, predominantly white spaniels being used at the time – Stubbs painted one for the Duke’s kinsman Lord Yarborough in 1784 – so no doubt Mansell just selected theobviously become standardised by 1788, when Francis Wheatley painted , depicting the Duke, Colonel Litchfield, Mansell and, among the assorted gundogs, a group of three Clumbers.
