Who was
Lord William Humphrey?
Lord of the manors of Stretton en le Dale and Ratlinghope

Lord William Humphrey, Falconer and Setter breeder extraordinaire, with Circa, his Golden Eagle.

(1882-1963)
By Michael J. Bloodgood

Most of William Humphrey's life, he had mainly made a living as a professional kennel manager. He also tinkered in antique furniture, selling to many wealthy people around the world. He was considered one of the best dog breeders and trainers in world in his day and played a significant role in the Foxhound, Beagle, and Springer Spaniel worlds, but is best known for his magnificent role in the continuation and development of Llewellin Setters in England, only second to Mr. Richard Llewellin himself. Especially true with the continuation of Llewellin's personal bloodline known as the Dashing Bondhus and their later introduction and popularity in the United States.

In British Setter circles, reference is made to the "Great Triumvirate,” each being a triumvir, meaning the three great men of the Setter world and the passing of the torch. Of course, Sir Edward Laverack being the first and the founder of the "English Setter," the second, Lord Richard Purcell Llewellin, who was given the best of Laverack's great Field Champion and Champion Setters and was given the task to bring back their great hunting instincts, and the third, Lord William Humphrey, credited with continuing Llewellin's work with his Dashing Bondhu Setters.

Lord William Humphrey was known to be a very interesting character who had a lifetime association with birds of prey and great dogs of many breeds. His family had served the Royal Family as Falconers for generations. He himself was a very skilled and well known Falconer often pictured with his Golden Eagle, Circa. It takes great strength to hold a Golden Eagle with one arm. Many Falconers enjoyed hunting over Humphrey's Dashing Bondhu Setters on the Humphrey Lake Cottage estate.

L-R, A 1938 photo of William Humphrey, his son, Humphrey's kennel manager,  and  falconer Ronald Stevens with the family Springer and four pure Dashing Bondhu Setters. Many falconers enjoyed hunting with Humphrey on his Lake Cottage estate. Please note that this is 13 years after he inherited Llewellin's Setters and look how much these Setters resemble our Dashing Bondhu Setters in size and body type today, no doubt the same pure bloodlines.

A younger William Humphrey with Dan, Winner of  Lanark, Scotland Grouse Trials, 1926, one year after he inherited Sir Llewellin's Dashing Bondhu Setters. Note: the high head, tail, and stance. Humphrey did not breed for his Setters to set or point with head and tail down, like most English and European breeders did and do.

 

Ronald Stevens in 1938, famous author & falconer extraordinaire, with his falcon and his Dashing Bondhu Setter from close friend W. Humphrey, while hunting on Humphrey's Lake cottage estate. Note how much his Setter looks like our Dashing Bondhu Setters today!

In his early years, he was known to ride to the hounds and had superior knowledge of Foxhounds, Harriers, Beagles, and Springer Spaniels. Especially the Springer, which he bred extensively for many years and used them with his birds of prey and was known to own as many as one thousand dogs and a hundred birds of prey. He was well known in falconry, hunting, and shooting world of his day and had numerous high society friends. He later was particularly knowledgeable and respected in the Setter world and fancied Llewellin's pure Dashing Bondhu Setters over all other hunting dogs and strains, having great success in the early foot hunting Field Trials and show competition with them, personally making 41 Field Champions himself in just 38 years of breeding them. He ALWAYS gave Lord Llewellin FULL credit for all their many accomplishments.

Not being an independently wealthy man most of his life, like his good friend Lord Llewellin, Humphrey came to the United States in the early 1900s with some well-bred Spaniels and a few birds of prey to show Americans the sport of falconry. Many falconers today give William Humphrey credit for popularizing their sport of hunting with birds of prey in the USA.

Humphrey was hired by Erastus Tefft, Master of Star Ridge Foxhounds in Brewster, New York, and Governor of the New York Stock exchange at the time. Tefft gave Humphrey authority over all his large Foxhound kennel, as well as Tefft's Llewellin Setters and other hunting dogs Tefft owned. Humphrey improved Tafft's Foxhound pack by introducing superior Welsh Foxhounds imported from Britain and his Llewellin Setters through selective linebreeding. He was also very impressed with Tefft's Llewellin Setters and, interesting enough, it may have been his first encounter with Llewellin Setters. During these years, Humphrey became very successful, earning income by importing antique furniture and some fine guns from England--another one of Humphrey's many talents.

With the Stock Market crash, both Tefft and Humphrey were left destitute. Fortunately, Humphrey was able to get Tefft's Llewellin Setters as payment and was able to bring them and many birds of prey with him back to England.

Humphrey's passion grew for good Setters, and one day at a field trial he saw a very tall, slender, older gentlemen with a full beard, standing off by himself. Curious, he walked over and started a conversation with him. They quickly hit it off and enjoyed talking about dog breeding for hours and hours until sunset. Just as they started to part, he realized they had not been introduced so they exchanged names and, to Humphrey's great surprise, he had been speaking with Lord Richard Llewellin all along.  Humphrey's friendship grew with Llewellin, and he became what some called a disciple of Llewellin. On Lord Llewellin's passing in 1925, Mr. Humphrey said in his manuscript that he quickly sold out of all the Setters he had, in order to make room for all of Lord Llewellin's pure Dashing Bondhu Setters that were given to him through Lord Llewellin's surviving housekeeper who Llewellin secured a pension for. Mr. Humphrey vowed to continue breeding, training, and campaign Lord Llewellin's superior strain known as "Dashing Bondhu" and started to use that name as well on all the pure dogs of that strain.

Mr. Humphrey made many friends and inherited a large sum and ownership of some of the best grouse moors in the area named Longmynd from a friend. These were the old hunting grounds of King John and Humphrey was given titles of Lordship of the Manors of Rattlinghope and Stretton en le Dale. Now being a Lord himself and an independently wealthy man with title like Lord Llewellin, Lord Humphrey was now able put his great skills of dog breeding and training to good use and indulged in his true passion to preserve Lord Richard Llewellin's personal pure Dashing Bondhu bloodline.

Lord Humphrey also became great friends with Father James Brannon, an Irish priest, who owned Scinn Amach/Machad Kennel in Ireland and also had access to great hunting grounds there. Lord Humphrey had married, had four children, and the Humphrey family were known to switch cottages with Fr. Brannon, living in each other's homes a few months each summer.  During these times they would hunt, train, breed, and care for each other's Setters. This gave them both not only intimate insight on each other's programs, but also shared in each other's successful breeding programs.

Fr. James Brannon in 1974 with his Dashing Bondhu Llewellin Setter. Look at the similarity to our Dashing Bondhu Llewellin Setters today!

Like Llewellin, Lord Humphrey had outstanding success and bred hundreds of Llewellin Setters at his Horsford Kennels, and many were sold around the world. He also had great success in field trials and shows, winning just about every major title of that time in the UK and some major events in the USA trials.

Lord Humphrey's home and kennels was Lake Cottage in the grounds of Wolcott Hall, Lydbury North, the ancestral home of Clive of India. Humphrey's grandson, Chris Sorenson, did breed his grandfather's great Llewellin Setters for a few short years, but sadly there are no Llewellin Setters left at Lake Cottage now, and all breeding activity has ended there. He now runs an animal transportation business at the kennels. Many of his best dogs were exported to the US in the 1960s and that is where our pure Humphrey Dashing Bondhu bloodlines were descended from.

 After Lord Humphrey's passing in 1963, Fr. James Brannon owned Scinn Amach/Machad Kennel and received many of his best Setters and continued breeding them pure Dashing Bondhu until his passing. This is where the Irish Bondhus originate from in the Mountain View Kennel breeding program. Machad Ambassador was one of the last pups produced by him and was imported in 1988. He was bred to a 100% Humphrey female bred pure from 1960s Humphrey imports named Bicker's Bondhu Ann. This breeding  produced the great IPDBA Hall of Fame and Gun Dog Certified IrishKing Bondhu Ashly that Al King bred to another 100% Humphrey female he had bred from his 1960s imports named Dashing Janette Bondhu, and they produced Hall of Fame and Gun Dog Certified Henry PrinceOf Pause, aka "Hank," of OLN's Top Sports TV show Hunting with Hank. Hall of Fame GDC IrishKing Bondhu Ashly produced hundreds of outstanding pups and was one of the most sought-after Llewellin Setter studs during the 1990s.

It has been said that Lord Llewellin donated all his land and the majority of his wealth to a Baptist Church that still remains on the estate. It is believed Llewellin's brother was Pastor there at the time.

Lord William Humphrey passed away at age 81 on Nov. 22, 1963, the same day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. His ashes were spread on the Long Mynd which is now a National Trust and is part of the public National Parks program. The grave of Lord Richard Purcell Llewellin is situated only a short drive away and that of Edward Laverack is about half an hour's drive as well.

William Humphrey's huge contribution to the Dashing Bondhu strain of Llewellin Setter was truly amazing. For more information on the Dashing Bondhu line, please read "The Dashing Bondhu Line".