History Spotlight: CARRLEA

Marjorie Heward

Mrs Heward appears to have first come into the breed around 1960, with the purchase of the bitch Petina of Ivycourt a granddaughter of CH Stealaway Hooker. She mated Petina to CH. Pendlehill Monarch. This resulted in her first champion Carrlea Royal Tan. I’m not aware of this dog appearing in any subsequent pedigrees.

Marjorie then seems to have drifted away from the breed for a decade.

She owned a pet shop ( I believe). This sold puppies and kittens etc, which was, of course common practice in those days.

A number of the ladies of the’ old guard’ were quite sniffy about this, and Marjorie was never fully ‘ one of their set’, although they were outwardly polite & friendly with her.

Mrs Heward reappears in the beginning of the ,1970s with a litter out of the curiously named Baby Bambi of Gartrac, her new foundation, which she mated to Quinoa Lodestar ( a brother to the Quinoa champions, Starlet ( owner Hoar), & Dickory (owner Kitson). From the litter Marjorie campaigned Holly Berry (7cc) to her title. This bitch was considered a lovely specimen.

She mated Holly Berry to CH Quinoa Dolphin and in 79 got CH Carrlea Daffodilly (5cc).

Repeating the mating a year later, she got CH Carrlea Royal Robin (18cc).

He became the Breed living CC record holder. ( No one could reach Lancer of Leospride’ record).

Royal Robin was a small dog ( I’d guesstimate 11 inches).

Marjorie lived on the outskirts of Leeds in part of a converted swanky stable block which had a fine entrance that carriages would have driven through. Her own accommodation ( of which there were 4 others the same), was quite small – couple of rooms downstairs etc. The garden was really tiny and separate from the house, meaning Marjorie had to carry dogs down a short drive and place them in a pen for outdoor exercising. She did road walk them a number of times a day, but I don’t think they had free running as such. Thus, she could only keep a handful of ETT, 4 to 5.

Her next own champion would have been Carrlea Lavender Lady. She had mated Holly Berry to her son, Robin and got C. Royalette.

At this juncture she seems to have abandoned line breeding pretty much.

She took Royalette to be covered by a particular one of Doreen Gibson’s Myteme dogs, but he didn’t want to be bothered, so she used Myteme Roger , ‘ because he was there and willing’.

Marjorie campaigned Lavender Lady through a few puppy classes, but I was stalking her to let me have her.

Marjorie, could usually be talked into selling, she liked having the money ( well, who doesn’t?).

Lavender Lady became my 2nd champion and the 5th bred by Marjorie.

A year previously Marjorie had mated Royalette to CH. Benhelmstone Windsor Boy, and got Carrlea Prince Regent which Elizabeth Smith (Coll) made up as the next breed champion after Lavender Lady. Giving Marjorie her 6th bred champion and 2 new champions in one year.

After that she seemed to somewhat lose the plot on breeding and went more down the outcross route.

She did breed some ETT that should have had their titles ( Owen’s Carrlea Moon Magic,2cc, and Dixon’s Carrlea Burma Star)

Marjorie was a fiesty personality, and would take up another person’s cause. This didn’t always do her any favours when she would discover she was aligned to the wrong side of the argument ( but then hindsight is always a wonderful thing).

She was chair of the club a number of years and then President.

She was a trim, slim lady, very active and always well turned out in full make up and her blonde hair immaculately coiffed and rigid with hair spray.

In later years she became increasingly deaf and telephone calls with her were something of a nightmare, as indeed were conversations at shows ( you couldn’t make an indiscreet comment to her, unless you shouted it, which of course, you didn’t.)

She wrote the Our Dogs Breed notes for many years, and never forgave me when I popped up suddenly alongside her as co writer. She wrote to Our Dogs to try and have me removed, but they declined to oblige.

We had many a ding dong via the notes. She was extremely fond of finishing every written sentence with an exclamation mark!!!

When I gave up the notes, her next bête noir was young Derfel John Owen, followed by Julie Baldwin and now it’s Andy Leonard ( although Marjorie is no longer a contributor).

We remained friends despite our writing spats.

She did have one more champion ( name I can’t recall)

She is still alive in her 90s and now in a retirement home, I’m informed.

By Johnny Richardson (Reeberich)

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