Original Works of art

The Bedlington Terriers of the nineteenth century were a far cry from our highly-groomed present-day examples. Taking its name from the village of Bedlington in Northumberland, the breed seems to have originated around the turn of the eighteenth century.

Indeed, the present day fashion for grooming the Bedlington so that it resembles a sweet little lamb belies its true nature. Like so many of the early Terriers, his primary purpose was the control of vermin. The Bedlington was known to dispatch rats and pursue badger with equal tenacity.

Its present appearance is a result of the breed being taken up by the show fancy, for an early portrait of the breed shows an the important bitch named Miner, a liver colored example which has a distinctly unclipped appearance. Two colors are acceptable in the breed; blue and liver, although blue has become more popular.

The National Bedlington Terrier Club was formed in 1877, one of the main purposes of which was to promote the breed.