The Harrier’s origins are a bit mysterious. Caius (the man who wrote the first dissertation on British dogs) called the breed Leverarius, and the early cynologist, Stonehenge, hinted that the breed might have descended from the old South Hound, possibly with a hint of Greyhound and Fox Terrier mixed in. Other experts believe that the earliest Harrier-type dogs descended from a cross of Bloodhounds, Talbot hounds, and maybe even Basset Hounds.   

Harriers were likely brought to England by the Normans after they invaded in 1066 (the word Harrier was Norman French and meant “hound” or “dog,” or even “catcher of hares”). Detailed records of individual packs date back to 1260 making it among the oldest breeds of the United Kingdom. Sir Elias de Midhope is credited with having further developed the breed in the mid 13th century, his Penistone Harrier Pack existing as a cohesive pack for at least five hundred years.

The breed’s original purpose was to track the European hare which was larger and slower than other “hippety hops.” Hare hunting was quite popular among commoners who could add a few Harriers to a “scratch pack” made up of hounds owned by different people and still participate in the sport.  These “common folk” not only lacked a stable full of horses required to hunt fox, but were legally entitled to hunt hare, open as it was to all stations of life, not just royalty.  

Admission into the Stud Book in those days was based on the records of the pack owner or by committee. It’s surmised that the name “Harrier” at that point was used to describe the type of hunting and size of the hound rather than its pedigree.

By one authority’s estimation, there were 110 Harrier packs working in England by 1895. That dwindled to 97 packs by 1902, and only 84 packs in 1914. Following World War I, only 41 packs of Harriers existed in Britain, and World War II made things worse worse. By the 1960s, only 28 Harrier packs remained.

For breed history in America, we cite the history of the Craven pack which mentions Harriers having been shipped to America in the 18th Century. Some of the dogs were recognized by the Masters of Foxhounds Association of America, and at least two joined the AMHB in England. These days, there is only one recognized Harrier pack in the US, the Kingsbury Harriers which is recognized & registered with the National Beagle Club (the hunting registration body for all the hare-hunting packs in the US (Beagles, Harriers & Bassets).

Image from Wikicommons