Mastiff Association
Hon. Secretary
Mrs Jean Pennie
Betton Wood
Market Drayton
Shropshire
jeanpennie1@gmail.com
Chairman
Mrs Pamela Jeans-Brown
Marston Green
Birmingham
pamela@bourgueil.co.uk
Description of a mastiff written in 1631
The oldest reasonably comprehensive description of a mastiff was written in 1631 by Barnaby Googs which reads as follows:
The mastie that keepeth the house. For this purpose you must provide you such a one as hath a large and mightie body, a great and shrill voyce, that both with his barking he may discover, and with his sight dismaye the theefe, yea, being not seene, with the horror of his voyce put him to flight. His stature must neither be too long nor short, but well set; his head, great, his eyes sharp and fiery, either browne or grey; his lippes, blackish, nether jaw, fat and comming out of it on either side a fang appearing more outward than his other teeth, even with his neather, not hanging too much over, sharpe and hidden with his lippes; his countenance, like a lion; his brest, great and shag hayrd; his sholders, broad; his legges, bigge, his tayle, short; his feet very great. His disposition must neither be too gentle nor too crust, that he neither faune upon a theefe nor flee upon his friends; very waking; no gadder abroad, nor lavish of his mouth, barking without cause.
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