This person is Lewis Harcourt, also known as the 1st Viscount Harcourt. He was known as “Loulou.”
He is important in golden retriever history because he founded the Culham line. The Culhams were one of three foundational lines of golden retriever, and it was he who first coined the term “golden retriever” at some point in the early 1900′s.
Harcourt bred the first dual champion in the breed, Dual Ch. Balcombe Boy, who belonged to a Mr. Hermon.
Harcourt was a Liberal Party insider. He served as First Commissioner of Works in the Campbell-Bannerman government, and he was also Secretary of State for the Colonies in he Asquith government.
That final position was of great importance. Britain had tons of colonies in the early twentieth century. It was the world’s super-power, and it got that way by having lots of real estate. Real estate that had lots of natural resources .
As First Commissioner for the Works, he authorized placement of this statue of Peter Pan in the Kensington Gardens, which are just to the west of Hyde Park (where I got lost one morning). I have been through the Kensington Gardens, but it was only fleeting.
Harcourt liked to shoot, as did about all of these Liberal Party poobahs. This is what they did for fun. Go out on an estate and shoot pheasants, partridge, hares, and rabbits all day long– and look stylish doing so.
What could be more stylish than having a gorgeous looking retriever to pick up all your kills for you?
Nothing.
Which is why I’m sure he was more than happy to have some “golden” retrievers about.
***
I’d be remiss here if I didn’t mention there was something else about him that should be mentioned.
As I did with the Clearances of Guisachan, I feel that it is irresponsible for me to not mention some dark things about Lewis Harcourt.
Lewis Harcourt was something of a sexual predator of both sexes, including children. He was in such a powerful position that no one did anything about it.
Indeed, he ended his life when he couldn’t silence the mother of one of his victims.
It is considered one of the greatest parliamentary scandals in British history.
I know. That was a bit like finding out about what happened to the guy who played Col. Hogan.
That’s what I felt when I found out.
I’m trying to keep this blog PG-13.
[...] The (very late) answer. [...]
Lewis Harcourt got into retrievers when he inherited the estate of Stanton Harcourt from his father. As mentioned, every estate where shooting was featured, had to have its retrievers. And Harcourt (or his kennelman) was smart enough to get some good ones.
Culham Lassie was a registered yellow Flat-Coat, with some well-known champions in her pedigree. Culham Jute was from Lord Portsmouth (who bought Guisachan from the 2nd Lord Tweedmouth) and of close-up Guisachan breeding. Culham Brass and Dual Ch Balcombe Boy can be found in the pedigrees of probably every registered Golden alive, if traced back far enough.
As to that other aspect of Harcourt, well, he certainly wasn’t the only one of those “proper Victorians” to be involved in scandal. Some of the goings-on at week-end houseparties would.. well… let’s just say that a modern novelist could find more than ample material…
And fortunately, it has nothing to do with our Goldens, who remain beyond such behavior.
LOL.
I just thought I’d mention it.
Another thing that has bothered me is the Guisachan Clearances.
For the Marjoribanks family, we know the names of all of their dogs, but we don’t even the names of the people who lived there before the Clearances.
If in referring to “the Clearances” you mean when Marjoribanks tore down the old houses of the people living on the estate when he bought it in 1854– my impression is that most of the residents found employment in some form with the estate. Majoribanks replaced the old thatched houses with new stone residences, including the entire village of Tomich. At its height, Guisachan estate (some 20,000 acres) employed some 200 people– more than now live in the same area. And the large majority were local people.
Marjoribanks bought Guisachan from one of the Frasers, whose family had lived there for some time. There’s a modern booklet available giving the history of Guisachan; it gives some insight into the times.
Alexander Mackenzie’s history of the Clearances:
http://books.google.com/books?id=qBi9jho7YCEC&ots=FtXCrzw8e5&dq=alexander%20mackenzie%20clearances&pg=PA292#v=onepage&q=Guisachan&f=false
It was Clan Fraser and Culbokie that built Guisachan.