Talbot Information & Dog Breed Facts

The Talbot Hound was a medium-sized hunting dog, that can trace its origins back to the 11^th century in Normandy, France. It is thought that William the Conqueror, the first Norman King of England, imported this breed to the British Islands in 1066. However, several other sources indicate that these types of dogs were not present in England before the 1550s. Moreover, the name Talbot was already a common name for hound types of dogs in the Medieval Ages. Interestingly, the Talbot Hound and the Greyhound are thought to be the only hounds used in English heraldry throughout the Medieval Ages.

There was an illuminated manuscript originating from 1445 in the British Library depicting John Talbot, the first Earl of Shrewsbury presenting a Book of Romances to Queen Margaret of Anjou, alongside a short-legged and long-eared white-coated hound. This resembles a lot to a 15th-century portrait on a ceiling at Haddon Hall, in Derbyshire, representing the marriage of Sir Henry Vernon and Ann Talbot, the daughter of John Talbot. The breed’s name is considered to be originated after the Talbot family in England. Moreover, throughout the 17^th century, the breed’s name was encrypted in several poems and plays by famous authors. For example, in the poem called ‘The Chase’ hound type of dog, resembling the Talbot Hound were chasing and catching thieves. That is when the Talbot Hound was first known to be a distinct hound breed, with a provable existence.

The Talbot Hounds were considered to be the most accurate and effective tracking hounds. The dogs helped hunters to track down the prey, thanks to the breed’s highly reliable and powerful smelling abilities. The breed was used to hunt both big and small game, which included bears, wolves, wild cats, and deer. The Talbot Hound was highly esteemed and very preferred among the hunter community in England during Medieval times. The breed was also a great family companion, with their gentle behavior towards children, they made excellent nanny and guard dogs. However, the breed’s numbers were gradually decreasing at the end of the 18^th century, because other hunting breeds were getting more well-known and fashionable in Europe, making the Talbot Hound less necessary. People neglected the breed and did not pay attention to restore nor reviving the breed. Consequently, this slow, yet the drastic decline of the Talbot reached the point of no return at the beginning of the 19^th century. Some early dog shows even offered classes for the Talbot, but due to the lack of population and entrants, the breed got dropped out, gaining no further recognition.

Before the Talbot Hound went to extinction, the breed was included in the breeding process of the modern Coonhound, Bloodhound, and Beagle serving as their pure white predecessor. There is a fountain honoring the breed in Trevelyan Square in Leeds, named the Talbot Hounds Fountain, which is a modern imaginary depiction of the Talbot.