Chien-gris
Encyclopedia
The Chien-gris was a breed of dog, now extinct, which originated in Medieval
times. Like the Chien de St Hubert
it was a scenthound, and once formed part of the pack of the Kings of France. According to King Charles IX
, (1550-1574) they supposedly were introduced to France through Saint Louis
(ie King Louis IX, 1226-1270), who had encountered these hounds while a prisoner during the Crusades
, and subsequently received some as a gift. Old writers on hunting liked to ascribe an ancient and remote origin to their hounds, and these were claimed to be originally from Tartary
.
They were large, and, even though they did not have such good noses, were preferred by the Kings to the St Huberts, which were said to be only of medium size.
Jaques du Fouilloux, in the 16th century, says they were common, and describes them as ‘gris’ (grey) on the back with forequarters and legs tan or red, some having near black hair on the back. They were headstrong, wide casting hounds, inclined to change or overshoot, but determined in their pursuit of a quarry to the death. However, by the nineteenth century, like the St Hubert, they had become virtually impossible to find, because of mixed breeding and the effect of the Revolution
on French hunting.
George Turberville
translated du Fouilloux’ book on hunting into English, and used the term ‘Dun hound’ to translate ‘Chien-gris’. We may presume he did not translate it literally as ‘grey-hound’ to avoid confusion. One finds the term ‘dun-hound’ in some subsequent writing in English, suggesting that the kind also existed in Britain, and it has been supposed that these ‘dun-hounds’ went into the make up of the Bloodhound
, accounting for the ‘badgering’ of the hair in the saddles of some bloodhounds. However, Turberville did not make it very clear that his book was a translation, and it is highly possible that people mistakenly believed his work was about English hunting. Early references to the dun-hound may simply come from people relying, like Nicolas Cox, on Turberville, http://www.archive.org/stream/gentlemansrecrea00coxn#page/n63/mode/2up and it is quite possible that the dun hound was never a significant animal in British hunting.
Medieval hunting
Throughout Western Europe in the Middle Ages, men hunted wild animals. While game was at times an important source of food, it was rarely the principal source of nutrition. Hunting was engaged by all classes, but by the High Middle Ages, the necessity of hunting was transformed into a stylized...
times. Like the Chien de St Hubert
Bloodhound
The Bloodhound is a large breed of dog which, while originally bred to hunt deer and wild boar, was later bred specifically to track human beings. It is a scenthound, tracking by smell, as opposed to a sighthound, which tracks using vision. It is famed for its ability to discern human odors even...
it was a scenthound, and once formed part of the pack of the Kings of France. According to King Charles IX
Charles IX of France
Charles IX was King of France, ruling from 1560 until his death. His reign was dominated by the Wars of Religion. He is best known as king at the time of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre.-Childhood:...
, (1550-1574) they supposedly were introduced to France through Saint Louis
Louis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
(ie King Louis IX, 1226-1270), who had encountered these hounds while a prisoner during the Crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
, and subsequently received some as a gift. Old writers on hunting liked to ascribe an ancient and remote origin to their hounds, and these were claimed to be originally from Tartary
Tartary
Tartary or Great Tartary was a name used by Europeans from the Middle Ages until the twentieth century to designate the Great Steppe, that is the great tract of northern and central Asia stretching from the Caspian Sea and the Ural Mountains to the Pacific Ocean inhabited mostly by Turkic, Mongol...
.
They were large, and, even though they did not have such good noses, were preferred by the Kings to the St Huberts, which were said to be only of medium size.
Jaques du Fouilloux, in the 16th century, says they were common, and describes them as ‘gris’ (grey) on the back with forequarters and legs tan or red, some having near black hair on the back. They were headstrong, wide casting hounds, inclined to change or overshoot, but determined in their pursuit of a quarry to the death. However, by the nineteenth century, like the St Hubert, they had become virtually impossible to find, because of mixed breeding and the effect of the Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
on French hunting.
George Turberville
George Turberville
George Turberville, or Turbervile was an English poet, second son of Henry Turberville of Winterborne Whitechurch, Dorset, and nephew of James Turberville, Bishop of Exeter...
translated du Fouilloux’ book on hunting into English, and used the term ‘Dun hound’ to translate ‘Chien-gris’. We may presume he did not translate it literally as ‘grey-hound’ to avoid confusion. One finds the term ‘dun-hound’ in some subsequent writing in English, suggesting that the kind also existed in Britain, and it has been supposed that these ‘dun-hounds’ went into the make up of the Bloodhound
Bloodhound
The Bloodhound is a large breed of dog which, while originally bred to hunt deer and wild boar, was later bred specifically to track human beings. It is a scenthound, tracking by smell, as opposed to a sighthound, which tracks using vision. It is famed for its ability to discern human odors even...
, accounting for the ‘badgering’ of the hair in the saddles of some bloodhounds. However, Turberville did not make it very clear that his book was a translation, and it is highly possible that people mistakenly believed his work was about English hunting. Early references to the dun-hound may simply come from people relying, like Nicolas Cox, on Turberville, http://www.archive.org/stream/gentlemansrecrea00coxn#page/n63/mode/2up and it is quite possible that the dun hound was never a significant animal in British hunting.