[Mike1975]

3 years ago I started to thoroughly study this wonderful breed.
One of the first books that came to my hands and kept like a treasure, was "The Complete Yorkshire Terrier" written by Joan Gordon.
This book inspired me to search as much as possible, gathering information about yorkies origination and original function.
What surprised me most, was that despite the facts and historical data provided by Mrs Gordon, many modern authors claim that there is a great deal of mystery concerning the origin of the Yorkshire Terrier. Many claim that "the Yorkshire Terrier's original function was to hunt and kill rats and other rodents in the mines and cotton mills in county Yorkshire in northern England."
Even though the yorkies temperament and capabilities have shown that he can be a great ratter, none of the sources of that time I have found, mention that this was the purpose for which it was originally bred.

Today we have the privilege to read books and historical documents using the advantages of modern technology. Books of the late 19th and early 20th century are available to all of us online through university libraries.


One of the first authors to put an opinion to paper was John Henry Walsh, who wrote under the alias of “Stonehenge". In his 1878 work "The dogs of the British Islands: being a series of articles on the points of their various breeds, and the treatment of the diseases to which they are subject"

https://archive.org/stream/dogsofbri...arch/yorkshire

wrote of the Yorkshire Terrier:

"This terrier is a genuine product of the county from which he takes his name. Undoubtedly a manufactured article, and the most recent addition to our varieties, he may be described as the newest goods of this class from the Yorkshire looms; with the greater propriety that his distinctive character is in his coat—well carded, soft, and-long as it is, and beautifully tinted with "cunning Huddersfield dyes," and free from even a suspicion of "shoddy."

Visitors to our dog shows who look out for the beautiful as well as the useful cannot fail to be attracted by this little exquisite, as he reclines on his cushion of silk or velvet, in the centre of his little palace of crystal and mahogany, or struts round his mansion with the consequential airs of the dandy that he is; yet, with all his self-assertion of dignity, his beard of approved cut and colour, faultless whiskers of Dundreary type, and coat of absolute perfection, without one hair awry, one cannot help feeling that he is but a dandy after all. . . .whilst, in striking contrast, those every-day drudges, the Irish terriers and the Scotch terriers, with their coarse, ragged, unkempt coats, will be exhibited as the " bog trotters " and " stock o' duds" sects of the doggy family.

Although so very modern, it is difficult to trace satisfactorily the pedigree of this breed; indeed, pedigree he may be said at present to have none, and it is hard to say out of what materials he was manufactured; but the warp and woof of him appear to have been the common long-coated black and tan, and the lighter-coloured specimens of what is known as the Glasgow or Paisley Skye terrier, the former of no certain purity, and the latter an admitted mongrel; and from which I think the Yorkshire gets the softness and length of coat due to Maltese blood. In shape this dog is in the proportion of height to length between the Skye and English terrier—rather nearer to the latter. . . . coat and colour; the coat must be abundant over the whole body, head, legs, and tail, and artificial means are used to encourage its growth; length and straightness, freedom from curl and waviness, being sought for; the body colour should be clear, soft, silvery blue, of course varying in shade; with this is preferred a golden tan head, with darker tan about the ears, and rich tan legs. . . . When the pups are born they are black in colour, as are pepper Dandie Dinmonts and others.

Of the oldest dogs of note of this breed were Walshaw's Sandy, Ramsden's Bounce, Inman's Don, Burgess's Batty, and the celebrated Huddersfield Ben. . . . and he, sharing the blood of three of the above, proved the best of his day, and there is now scarcely a dog exhibited that is not a descendant of Ben. . . . The classification of these dogs at shows and in the Kennel Club Stud Book is confusing and absurd, as shown by the fact that some of the above, all being of the same breed and blood, are classed as Yorkshire terriers; others as rough or broken-haired toy terriers. It would be much better to divide them by weight, and classify them as large and small Yorkshire terriers."

In 1881, Vero Shaw wrote the book "The Illustrated Book of the Dog".
https://archive.org/stream/illustrat...arch/yorkshire

There he writes about yorkshire terrier :

"The origin of the breed is most obscure, for its originators Yorkshire like were discreet enough to hold their own counsel, and kept their secrets to themselves. Whether this reticence on their part has had the effect of stifling the inquiries of curious persons, or whether the merits of the breed have hitherto been sufficiently unappreciated by the public, we can not pretend to say; but we are aware of no correspondence or particular interest having been taken on the subject of the Yorkshire Terrier's origin.

In certain works on the dog, however, deductions have been drawn which no doubt are more or less worthy of respect. The Black and Tan Terrier, the Skye, and the Maltese are all credited with the paternity of the Yorkshire Terrier. That the breed in question resembles the Skye in certain details is evident, but in many important points the two varieties vary widely. For instance, the back of the Yorkshire Terrier must be short and the back of a Skye Terrier long; so as regards shape, at least, the Yorkshire man can not be accused of a great resemblance to his northern neighbor. In our eyes the breed much more closely resembles the Maltese dog, save in color; but there is no doubt that some of our more typical breeds of 'Terriers have been also drawn upon for his production. Many persons who are ignorant on "doggy" subjects persistently confuse the Yorkshire with what they term the "Scotch Terrier," thereby meaning the Skye, we presume. There is, however, no visible ground or reason ever given for their opinions, which are certainly based on error, and ignorance of the subject.

Before leaving the subject of the Yorkshire Terrier's origin, it may be remarked that the puppies are born black in color, as are Dandy Dinmonts, and do not obtain their proper shade of coat until they are some months old. Searchers after the truth may here discover some connection, which we ourselves confess we do not, between the Yorkshire and Dandy Dininont Terriers, in consequence of this peculiarity in the young of both varieties."

In 1879 Hugh Dalziel wrote "British dogs; their varieties, history, characteristics, breeding, management and exhibition"

https://archive.org/stream/britishdo...arch/yorkshire

"This dog long went by the name of Rough or Scotch Terrier, and many dog-show committees in issuing their schedules still include them under that heading; but to call them Scotch is quite a misnomer, the true Scotch Terrier being a much rougher, shorter, and harder coated dog, of greater size and hardiness, and altogether a rough-and-tumble vermin dog. with no pretensions to the beauty and elegance of the little "Yorkshire swell," so that it is rather startling to find this petit exquisite still called a Scotch terrier in the catalogue of such an important and excellently managed show as that of Darlington.

The Kennel Club, and others who have followed them, in making a class for these dogs, and naming it Yorkshire terriers, have yielded to the persistence of the " Country " in pointing out the absurdity of the misnomer in general use.

That the Yorkshire Terrier should have been called Scotch by those who, although they may have the credit of producing this dog, probably did not know of the existence of the real Scotch Terrier as a breed, suggests that at least a Terrier of Scotland has had something to do with his manufacture.
Now, among Terriers recognized as Scotch, if not now peculiar to the country, we have the old hard, short coated Scotch Terrier par excellence ; the short-legged and mixed-coated Dandie; the Skyes, with long, weasel-like bodies, and long, hard coat ; and the perky little prick-eared, hard and short coated Aberdonian ; and, in addition, the Glasgow or Paisley Skye, a more toyish dog, shorter in back, and comparatively soft and silky in coat, which it probably inherits from a Maltese Terrier cross. My theory, then, respecting the origin of the Yorkshire Terriers (and I admit it is only a theory, for the most diligent and repeated inquiries on my part in all likely or promising quarters have failed in elucidating reliable facts, and none, certainly, contradictory to my views) is that the dog was what gardeners call "a sport " from some lucky combination of one of the Scotch Terriers either the genuine Skye or Paisley Toy and one of the old soft and longish coated black-and-tan English Terriers, at one time common enough, and probably a dash of Maltese blood in it."

to be continued