The Tudors Pets
The Tudors Beloved Pets & the Animals
They Symbolically used to Represent Themselves
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And Tudors Fans Show off your own beloved Pets!
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In William Secord's book Dog Painting, the picture on the left painted in 1440, by Antonio Pisano, The Vision of St. Eustace, depicts a group of animals including a pair of small spaniels which Secord notes are "no doubt ancestors of our present day King Charles Spaniels. " These small Spaniels with their flat heads, high set ears, almond shaped eyes and rather pointed noses are also to be seen in paintings by Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Gainsborough and others. Often referred to as the Comforter Spaniel, they were very much in favor with the aristocracy during Tudor times when the ladies of the court found them very useful not only as companions and confidants but also as hot-water bottles and flea catchers. | | How Pets were viewed in Tudor Times | In the Middle Ages, the purebred dog became the prized possession of Kings, Noblemen, and surprisingly, Church officials as a new use was developed for the dog when hunting for sport became popular.
The English Mastiff and Greyhound became standardized, recognizable breeds this time, as did a few of the herding breeds. The lap dog finally became popular in Europe as the ladies of the court took to them as 'comforters'. Even the dog's collar became a measure of the dog's importance, some examples being made of gold, silver, white leather, and velvet.
The Great Dane & the Mastiff accompanied their masters into battle fitted with spiked collars, and occasionally, their own suit of armor.
Dogs were everywhere. Early Church documents show that it was common for the parishioners to bring their dogs to services with them as foot warmers. Dogs figured prominently enough in daily life that they became the objects of a number of laws. For instance, the Ownership of a Scottish Deerhound or Greyhound was kept off limits from all but the Nobility.
And there were laws on the books that decreed that certain sizes of dogs kept near the King's forests had to be crippled to prevent their being used for poaching. Only dogs small enough to jump through a hoop of a set size were allowed to go unharmed.
The Upper classes were known to have lapdogs like toy spaniels; At the beginning of the 15th century the little spaniels were immensely popular due to King Henry VIII and his daughter Queen Elizabeth I. They chose these glamorous spaniels as the favourite dog at court.
A status which remained until the overthrow of the Stuarts. Queen Mary Ir (1553-58) kept a whole pack of little spaniels which she used for hunting.
Some even had exotic pets like monkeys and songbirds but in general animals were used for distinct purposes:
- horses for transport and hunting
- dogs for hunting and bear-baiting
- falcons and hawks for hunting
But the common man had dogs, not always readily recognizable to us today, the names referred more to a dog's use than it's particular breed. For example; Ban Dogs - fierce dogs kept tied during the day and loosed at night to guard, and Turnspits - small dogs used to run on the wheels that turned the spits over the great open fireplaces. Of course, every locality had it's own variety of Terrier ideally suited to hunting the local varmints. There was an abundance of various and sundry hounds to hunt small game, and the ever present shepherd's dog.
Cats however were not as popular. In 1484, Pope Innocent empowered the Inquisition to burn all cats and cat lovers. As a result of the drastic drop in the cat population, the number of rodents increased. Millions of rats carrying fleas infected with bubonic plague spread the Black Death across Europe. When the persecution of cats ended in the late 17th century, they began hunting rats again, and Europeans saw the advantage of having these natural hunters keep their towns' rodent free.
Also often portraits were painted with animals which were used as symbols as visual clues to the identity and personality of the sitter depicted, for instance, squirrels were symbolic of obedience and personal restraint and Dogs represent faithfulness.
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| Pets of King Henry VIII |  
Pets: The King owned over 200 horses and was particularly fond of the Barb.
The Barbary horse originated in northwestern Africa, in what is now Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.
Historically Barbs have been prized for their endurance and quick bursts of speed.
They were imported and bred for racing and hunting throughout Europe. King Henry VIII
was the first patron of horse racing, despite the Pope's demands for cessation of all racing in England.
The pure Barb stands approximately 15 hands high, with flat shoulders, low tail and a "ram shaped head".
Able to carry large loads and subsist on poor forage, they make ideal military mounts.
dogs (greyhounds, toy spaniels), ferrets and birds (see : Falconry on the Tudors)
Animal Symbols: Lion
The Lion is the emblem of England. It is now, on badges, actually a "lion passant gardant" - a walking lion, looking out at you full face, and was first used by Rollo, Duke of Normandy (father of William the Conqueror, who added the second lion to the Royal Coat of Arms for England.) The third was added by Henry II, and Henry VIII added a crown to the lion. |
 Pets: Monkey Animal Symbols: | Pets: a Greyhound named Urian and another dog named Purkoy who was originally gifted to Sir Francis Bryan
by Lady Honor Lisle, wife of the governor of Calais, Arthur Lisle. Reportedly Anne Boleyn fell in love with Purkoy
and made the dog her own. There is only one reference
to Lady Lisle gifting a poodle to someone else. Purkoy was reportedly named for the French word pourquoi, meaning,"why?".  A pourquoi head tilt is a gesture particularly common to Havanese dogs. The little dog fell out a window and was killed a few weeks before Anne's execution.
(she was known to dislike monkeys and peacocks)  Animal Symbols: Falcon, hare, leopard See also : Falconry in the Tudors | Pets: Lap Dog  Animal Symbols: Phoenix, Panther A phoenix is a mythological bird which never dies but, after 500 years, is consumed by fire and born again, making it a symbol of the Resurrection, endurance and eternal life. | Pets :
Animal Symbols: | | Pets:
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| Pets of the Tudor Children | | Pets : Toy spaniels. Later as queen she would be known for having a pack of spaniels for hunting
Animal Symbols: |  Pets: Dogs (toy spaniels) 
Animal Symbols: The ermine is an animal of the weasel family prized for its tail of pure white fur with a black tip. According to legend the ermine would rather die than soil its pure white coat and it came to stand for purity. It features in many of Elizabeth's portraits, where it also functions as a status symbol, as wearing ermine was restricted to royalty and high nobility. The ermine was also the symbol of the Dukes of Brittany, and the Breton flag represents black spots on a white background in imitation of its fur. The pelican was another one of Elizabeth's favourite symbols, used to portray her motherly love of her subjects |
Pets: Dog (which Thomas Seymour killed in an attempt to kidnap the young king).
Animal Symbols: | | | Other Notables from Tudor Times |
Cardinal Thomas Wolsey
Pets: Dog. There is a legend that when Wolsey went to meet the pope to present the King's great matter, that his dog named "Urian" bit his outstretched toe putting the pope in bad humour to consider the subject that was being presented to him.
[could this be the same dog that Anne Boleyn was known to own later?] | Princess Margaret Tudor
Pets:
Animal Symbol: Monkey | Mary, Queen of Scots
Pets: Toy Spaniel, Skye Terrier.
In a scene which evoked pathos even from her enemies, Mary's Skye Terrier, which had accompanied her into the hall [for her execution] concealed under her skirts, whimpering, splattered in her blood, it lay between the Queen's body and her decapitated head. It was dragged away and washed but pining and refusing to eat, the dog did not long survive the trauma.
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| | Sources:
- "Pleasures and Pastimes in Later Medieval England" (Sutton Publishing, 1995)
- "Dogs of Destiny" by Fairfax Davis Downey (1949)
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