The Deerhounds of Windsor Great Park
Hector, Nero, and Dash with the parrot, Lory by Edwin Henry Landseer, 1838.
(Royal Collection Trust)
(Royal Collection Trust)
In his 1825 novel, The Talisman, Sir Walter Scott famously refers to the Scottish Deerhound as “a most perfect creature of heaven.” A truly noble and majestic breed, the purebred Scottish or “Scotch” Deerhound was a rarity outside of Scotland throughout much of the 19th century. Those that did reside in England lived under the auspices of Queen Victoria. Early in her reign, she had a favorite Scottish Deerhound named Hector (seen in the above portrait by Landseer). By the 1870s, there were several Scottish Deerhounds at Windsor Great Park. And by the end of the century, the Scottish Deerhound Club was established under the queen’s patronage. […]Continue Reading
