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This is a breed of French origin, having been imported into England in the late nineteenth century. Believed to have descended from the Saint Hubert Hound, the breed is used predominantly to hunt rabbits and hare.

Lord Galway imported two of the "French Bassets" into England in the late nineteenth century as did Sir Everett Millais and others. Millais, who established an ambitious breeding program in conjunction with other Basset fanciers, is considered the father of the breed in England. He exhibited his first Basset at a show in 1875, but it was not until the Wolverhampton show in 1880 that enough examples of the breed were entered to attract broader public interest. Interest in the breed was also furthered when Queen Alexandra obtained several Bassets for her kennels at her estate in Sandringham.