V The Sleuth-Hound
The sleuth-hound ('sleuth' means track or trail) is
sometimes spoken of as an ancestor of the Bloodhound, or as
an older name for the Bloodhound. It appears to be neither.
The sleuth-hound is first written about in Scottish contexts
at about the same time as the Bloodhound starts to appear
in English writing, or a little later. The context is
usually that of following a human scent. In Barbour's verse
romance The Bruce, 1375, Robert the Bruce is tracked
(in 1307) by a sleuth-hound which knows him, and which he has
often fed.
Was the Sleuth-hound the same as the bloodhound?
George Jesse (Researches into the History of the English
Dog, 1866 [II Pp170-1]) quotes from Maister John Bellenden,
Archedene of Murray, in his translation of the 'Hystory and
Croniklis of Scotland, by the noble clerk Maister Hector Boece,
cannon of Aberdene,' printed at Edinburgh in 1536. [Boece b.
1465-6 at Dundee, died 1536.] (I cannot resist giving the
old Scots version, but I give a modern English 'translation'
for those who find it impossible to read.)
OF THE MERUELLUS NATURE OF SYNDRY SCOTTIS DOGGIS
In Scotland ar doggis of meruellous nature, For abone the
commoun nature and condition of doggis, quhilkis ar sene in
al partis, ar thre maner of doggis in Scotland, quhilk ar sene
in na vthir partis of the warld. . . The thrid kynd is (not?)
mair than ony rache, Reid hewit or ellis blak with small
spraingis of spottis, and ar callit be the peple sleuthoundis.
Thir doggis hes sa meruellus wit, that yai serche theuis and
followis on thaym allanerlie be sent of the guddis that ar
tane away. And nocht allanerlie fyndis the theif, but inuadis
hym with gret cruelte. And youcht the theuis oftymes cors the
watter, quair they pas, to cause ye hound to tyne the sent of
thaym and the guudis, yit he serchis heir and thair with sic
diligence, that be his fut he fyndis baith the trace of the
theif and the guddis. The meruellous nature of yir houndis
wil have na faith with vncouth peple. Howbeit the samyn ar
rycht frequent and ryfe on the bordouris of Ingland and
Scotland. Attour it is statute be the lawis of the bordouris,
he that denyis entres to the sleuthound in tyme of chace and
serching of guddis, salbe haldin participant with the cryme
and thift committit.
In Scotland there are dogs of a marvellous nature, far
above the common nature and condition of dogs which are seen
in all places. There are three sorts of dogs in Scotland which
are seen in no other parts of the world. . . . The third kind
is larger than any pack-hound, red coloured or else black with
small streaks of spots, and they are called sleuth-hounds by
the people. These dogs have such a marvellous cleverness that
they seek for thieves, and follow them only by the scent of
the goods that are taken away. And not only find the thief
but attack him with great cruelty. And though the thieves
often cross the water, where they pass to make the hound
lose the scent of them and the goods, yet he searches here
and there with such diligence that by his foot (ie. using
his feet, running about, or probably by the foot-scent of the
thief) he finds both the trace of the thief and his goods.
The marvellous nature of these hounds will not be believed
by ignorant people. Nevertheless, the same hounds are very
frequent and common on the borders of England and Scotland.
In addition it is established by the laws of the border that
he that denies entry to the sleuth-hound on an occasion of
pursuit and searching for goods shall be held as an accomplice
to the crime and theft committed.
If one compares this with the later account given by Caius,
it is apparent that they are talking about the same animal
used on the borders, and Caius had undoubtedly read Boece.
In one of the editions of Gesner's work mentioned above it is stated
that according to Caius the English bloodhound was larger than the
sleuthhound or rache, which are also pictured. In Edward Topsell's 1607
History of Four Footed Beasts, essentially a translation of
Gesner, it is stated: 'The blood-hound differeth nothing in quality from
the Scottish Sluth-hound, saving they are greater in quantity (ie bigger),
and not always of one and the same colour; for among them they are sometime
red, sanded, black, white, spotted, all of such colour as are other hounds,
but most commonly brown or red.'
After 1700 any distinction between the sleuthhound and bloodhound seems to
disappear and 'bloodhound' becomes the usual term.
