Page 222 - ShowSight - June 2020

Hellingly Kennels, c. 1935.
Anecdotes extolling the power and agility of Mastiffs as well as their devotion to their masters would fill a large volume of marvels. The story of St. Peers Legh, Knight of Lyme Hall at the Battle of Agincourt, is well known. He brought his favorite Mas- tiff, a bitch, to France, and when he fell, she stood over him and defended him many hours until he was picked up by English sol- diers and carried to Paris where he died of his wounds. The faith- ful Mastiff was returned to England and from her are descended the famous Lyme Hall strain which the family has bred over a period of five centuries.
The present-day English Mastiff is based on the strains of Lyme Hall and that of the Duke of Devonshire’s Kennels at Chatsworth. The first documented Mastiff in what is now known as the United States was “Grace,” an arrival in the fall of 1620 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, aboard the Mayflower. The first indica-
tions of the continuation of the Mastiff in the United States after 1620 were in the late 1800s with the first AKC reg- istration in 1885. In 1889, there were 373 registered Mastiffs; in 2018, there were 4,045. Today’s Mastiff in Amer- ica is a gentle giant, bred for its even temperament and a love of family.
HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH MASTIFF
ANECDOTES EXTOLLING THE POWER AND AGILITY OF MASTIFFS AS WELL AS THEIR DEVOTION TO THEIR MASTERS
WOULD FILL A LARGE VOLUME OF MARVELS.”
220 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, JUNE 2020
A young Mastiff breeder/owner-handler, Damara Bolte, and her young pup.