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Brief History

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The North of Scotland Gundog Association was founded in 1934 by a group of lairds whose aim was "... to promote the breeding of pure Retrievers, Spaniels, Setters and Pointers and to develop and bring to perfection their natural qualities."  Colonel Duguid McCombie of Easter Skene was the driving force behind the founding of the club.  

 

The first AGM was held in the Station Hotel, Inverness on 19 May 1934.

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The first President was Mr Isaac Sharpe of Keith who had the biggest kennel of Pointers and Setters in the world.  He was followed by Sir Ian Forbes-Leith, Bt. of Fyvie.  Sir Ian was the club's first representative on The Kennel Club Field Trials Council.

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The Association was wound up on 3 November 1939 because of WWII.  It was reconstituted on 3 May 1947 at a General Meeting held in the Caledonian Hotel, Aberdeen. 

 

The Association's first field trial meeting for retrievers was held at Dunecht Estate on 11 and 12 October 1934.

 

The first Spaniel trial was held in 1935 at Glenbervie and from 1952 for over 50 years Spaniel trials were held at Crathes Estate, Banchory.

 

The first trial for Pointers and Setters was held at the Cabrach in August 1936.  Until it was sold in 2017, Pointer and Setter trials were hosted for about 60 years at Tillypronie, initially by Lord Astor and latterly by the Hon. Philip Astor.  This was a favourite venue of the Pointer and Setter fraternity and to mark the Association's 60th Anniversary year, Philip Astor invited all the competitors and officials to pose with him for photographs in front of Tillypronie House. 

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The first trial for HPRs was held in 1990.

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