Stubbings Golden Retrievers

The Stubbings-kennel of Mrs. Alison Nancy Nairn was one of the largest Golden Retriever kennels in the period before and shortly after W.O.II. The K9-database shows us more than 110 dogs with the kennel’s prefix. But what do we know about Mrs. Nairn?

In contemporary catalogues and the like, she is said to live in Stubbings Vicarage, Littlewick Green 66, near Maidenhead (Berkshire, UK). That must mean she was married to a vicar. And indeed, from 1927 till 1953, Rev. Dr. John Arbuthnot Nairn was the vicar of St. James the Less at Stubbings and chaplain of St. Mark’s hospital church. Rev. Nairn was born in 1874. He was a classical Greek and Latin scholar and had a Litt.D from both Cambridge and Oxford. He died in 1956. Interestingly, he is mentioned in the 1930 edition of The Berks, Bucks and Oxon Archaeological Journal (from the Berkshire Archaeological Society), together with his daughter, Miss S.Nairn. This daughter, Sylvia Nairn, later: Mrs. Sylvia Winston, took the kennel over from her mother, shortly after the War.

But back to the dogs at Stubbings now. The first Golden Retriever of the kennel appears to be Eng.Ch. Birling James of Somersby (b.1926), bred by Mr. G. Cuff. Change in registration with the Kennel Club is dated May 1927. So, it seems, this was the moment she started with her kennel at Stubbings. Remember the fact, that she lived there since 1927. These data seem to fit with each other, at least.  The first bitch of the kennel appears to be Stubbings Golden Belle, born at the 13th of Octobre, 1928 (General Mountclogg x Mountclogg Flirt). Mrs. Nairn bought her from Mrs. M. B. Edwards (Mountclogg Kennels), probably in February 1929. She bought two other bitches in 1930: Stubbings Lorelei and Stubbings Golden Tassie, born in Septembre 1929. Both were bred by Mr. R.H. Keene. The first offspring of these bitches seem to have been born in 1931. Stubbings Golden Lass and Towerpride are said to be born on the first of January 1931 (Eng.Ch. Haulstone Dusty x Stubbings Golden Tassie). One month later (17th of February), there was the birth of five puppies: Stubbings Golden Peregrine, Stubbings Golden Daydream, Stubbings Goldwinner, Stubbings Goldstick and Eng.Ch. Stubbings Golden Gloria.

She was succesfull with her Goldens both at shows and at fieldtrials, although she didn’t produce a lot of Champions. Besides Eng.Ch. Stubbings Golden Gloria I know only of Am.Ch. Stubbings Golden Anubis, born in 1947. At that time, Mrs. Nairn had handed over the kennel to her daughter. Mrs. Sylvia Winston became president of the British Golden Retriever Club (GRC).  

 

P.S. The picture shows FTW Stubbings Golden Jerkin (b.1932). See for more pics of him: http://www.all-about-retriever.de/html/retriever.html