A BRIEF HISTORY

By a strange quirk of fate I was born in the Cotswolds yet brought up in the nearby Vale of Evesham.
My parents often used to take me for picnics and scenic drives in the Cotswolds usually on a Sunday afternoon. It was during these outings that I first became fond of the region not only because of its beautiful villages where the likes of Snowshill, Stanton, Stanway and the Slaughters are widely regarded as some of the most beautiful to be found in the world......But the Cotswold Way; the scenic footpath that stretches from Chipping Campden in the north for some 80 miles to Bath, in the south.

When I was fourteen years old my parents gave me my first collie, a sable and white Shetland sheepdog, called Shep. This was followed by another “sheltie” a tri coloured bitch called Jenny purchased from Miss Bushby at Upper Slaughter. They remained in the family as loyal and affectionate pets right up to the time I left to pursue my agricultural career overseas with ICI.

Working with ICI the world soon became my oyster for beside holding down three responsible positions with them in North America, Australia and Africa, it enabled me to travel through over 50 countries as a world traveller. A most wonderful chapter in my life.

I returned home during the late 1970’s due to my father’s poor health where I found it very difficult to adjust back to life in England again. Initially I lived in Worcester before I found a 17C cottage in the picturesque Cotswold village of Blockley. It was here that I made my first real step to settling back in England again by purchasing two Rough Collie pups from May Young after seeing a most beautiful photograph of her two Champions,That's my Sheila and Fair Dinkum in a dog magazine one day, quite by chance. Soon after I met Hazel Hunt who was instrumental in introducing me to the world of showing collies. With the advent of more collies arriving at my tiny cottage for showing purposes it became evident that I would have to find somewhere more suitable.

It was in September 1986 that I found Stumps Cross Cottage. Situated at over 900 feet above sea level on one of the highest points of the Cotswold escarpment,with the Cotswold Way footpath just a few yards from my front door.. This situation has enabled me to ensure that all my collies get plenty of exercise - usually between 4 to 5 miles each day.

STUMPS CROSS COTTAGE

In March 1987 the Kennel Club granted my request for the use of Cotswoldway as my affix. The recession of the early 1990's hit me very hard. Besides a brief marriage, that did not work out and proved very costly;poor financial advice relating to the purchase of Stumps Cross Cottage had also put my finances in a very serious state.

All showing activities had to be suspended. The two collies I purchased from May Young together with the two I had from Hazel Hunt stayed either at Stumps Cross or at my Mother's property as pets so I could address my financial difficulties that were far more pressing if I wanted to remain where I was.

Whilst I received help through my agricultural position in getting my mortgage payments back up to date this was not nearly enough as I had large borrowings with the bank. To address this I started taking in walkers for Bed & Breakfast. A simple sign outside my property started it all off. After my first season word got around and it went from strength to strength. I also started Boarding dogs, offering home comfort boarding and walking them twice daily on the Cotswold Way. This also proved to be very successful as I had discovered a niche market....all done by word of mouth.

By the mid 1990's I had cleared off all my debts with the bank and through the healthy income I had generated at home I was able to undertake major improvements to Stumps Cross Cottage that has transformed it into the very fine Cotswold property it is today. Whilst at times it all became very challenging keeping my agricultural position going, cooking for up to 8 walkers a night and walking up to 15 boarders twice daily. But all my hard work paid off.

I may not have ever bothered about showing collies again until one day during 1999 fate played a hand when Bill Shaw of Troydon Collies rang me to see if I was still interested as through health problems they were cutting back. I purchased 'Mindy', a Tonni Black daughter, together with two puppies from Bill & Glenis. Mindy was mated to Ch Samhaven Addiction JW and produced three lovely bitch puppies, Jewels [Crown Jewel] Jessie [Precious Jewel] and Ruby [Ruby Tuesday]. Bill & Glenis kept Ruby but she has since returned home.

COTSWOLDWAY CROWN JEWEL [Jewels] 1st Under Graduate Bitch at Crufts 2002 Reserve CC Windsor Ch Show 2005

COTSWOLDWAY PRECIOUS JEWEL [Jessie] 1st JB Three Counties 2001; 1st PGB Birmingham, West of England, Midland Counties, Yorkshire C.C. , London & Provincial CC in 2002 Placed at Crufts both in 2003 and 2004.

So it came to be some 15 years later than I had first envisaged that Cotswoldway Collies finally got off the ground with my very first home-bred litter to campaign around the shows. What a wait!!!

Jewels and Jessie were tremendous fun. Always in the top places at most shows entered and they had plenty of admirers. Jewels winning her class at Crufts in 2002 and a Reserve Ticket at Windsor in 2005. Jessie, on one occasion winning post graduate classes at championship shows five times in a row sometimes with as many as over 20 collies in a class.

COTSWOLDWAY DIAMOND LOCKET [Lucy] 1st MPB at Bath & Three Counties Ch. Shows 2006, BPIS, West of England CS Open Show 2006, BPIB at WKC and Richmond Ch. Shows 2006 and also one of the Runner-ups in the British Collie Ladypark Trophy 2006.

Jewels was mated to Emryks Look Again and her daughter Cotswoldway Diamond Locket won 2 Best Puppy in Breed awards during 2006 at WKC and Richmond Championship Show, BPIS at the WECS Open show also in 2006 together with 1st at Three Counties and Bath Ch. Shows and was one of the runners up in the Ladypark Trophy all in the same year. However, it is probably Ruby who has inherited the better breeding potential out of the three sisters from her mother in producing Cotswoldway Diamond Lil [Lily].

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This mating to Champion Ingledene All That Matters has, we believe, produced our finest collie to date.
We decided to go to the Ingledene Kennel because we wanted to improve size, shape and the traditional qualities of our Rough Collies.

COTSWOLDWAY SOLOMON'S GOLD JW [Sire: Ch Ingledene All That Matters JW Dam: Cotswoldway Ruby Tuesday at Troydon] 1st puppy dog Birmingham National Ch Show Judge Mr Steve Barrett(2009) 1st puppy dog and BPD Lancs and Cheshire Ch Show Judge Mrs G Wilcocks(Australia) 1st puppy Junior and Debutant dog London Collie Club Ch Show Judge Miss M.Blake 1st puppy ,Junior and BPD West of England Collie Society Ch Show Judge Mrs S Clark. 1st Novice dog Three Counties Ch Show Judge Mr G Duffield. 1st Junior dog National Working Ch Show Judge Mr M Haslam 1st puppy Junior and BPIB Leeds and City Ch Show Judge Mr S Hall. 1st Junior dog Paignton Ch Show Judge Mr D Ruston 1st Maiden dog Bournemouth Ch Show Judge Miss G Beadon. 1st Junior and Yearling dog SKC Judge Mr S Mallard 1st Junior dog Richmond Ch Show Judge Mr T Hayward. 1st Junior dog Birmingham City Ch Show Judge Mr G Hyde Best in Show .Midland Collie Club Open Show .Judge Mrs E Prior. 1st Post Grad dog Midland Counties Ch Show (2010) Judge Mr D Allsop 1st Grad Dog Collie Association Open Show Judge Mr F Kane 1st Limit dog LKA Ch Show Judge Mrs P Lister(2011) 1st Limit dog and RBD L&P Open Show (Feb 2012) Judge Miss Delia Moores Res Best Dog Collie Association Open Show (March 2012) Judge Mrs V Magee

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Cotswoldway Diamond Lil [Lily] Hip Score: 3.3	Cotswoldway Moonshine 1 RCC [Che] Hip Score: 2.2
In between maternity duties Lily has done very well under all rounder judges both at Championship and Open shows. These are some of her main achievements; 1st MPB Three Counties Ch Show 2007 - Judge Mr S Mallard 1st JB West of England Collie Society Ch show 2007 - Judge Mrs F Somerfeld. 1st Grad Bitch WECS Open show 2008 -Judge Mr F Kane 1st PG & Reserve Best of Sex in Breed Manchester Ch Show 2008 - Judge Mr R Wilkinson. Best of Breed SWKA Ch Show 2009 -Judge Mrs J Peak. 1st PGB, BB & RBOB WECS Open Show 2010 -Judge Mrs A Harvey 1st PGB Three Counties Ch Show 2010 -Judge Mr A Brace. Lily's second litter was born on 8 July 2010 1st LB, BB,BOB, RBIS London & Provincial CC Open 20 Feb 2011 -Judge Mrs Anne Smith [Tentola]	Che is a puppy retained from Lily's first litter born on 7 March 2009. He soon proved what he was capable of doing on his debut at Richmond at just 6 months and 5 days old and went on to achieve many more awards before dropping his first coat dduring April 2010. Che's main achievements arre: 1st MPD & BPIB Richmond Ch Show 2009 - Judge Mr T Hayward 1st PD LKA Ch Show 2009 - Judge Mr D Smith 1st PD & BPDIB Manchester Ch Show 2010 -Judge Mrs M Wildman BPIB & BOB Cheltenham Open Show 2010 - Judge Mr R Oldham. Pastoral Group 1-Judge Marion Sargent, BPIS Judge Mr S Mallard 1st JD & BOB Oswestry Open Sh 2010 -Judge Mrs M Masterman 1st JD WECS Open Sh. 2010 - Judge Mrs A Harvey. 1st PGD Manchester Ch Show Jan 2011 - Judge Lene Newman 1st GD at Lancs & Cheshire CC- May 2011- under Mr H Jones. 1st Graduate Dog Collie Association Championship Show 2011 Judge Mrs U.Bergh-Persson. L & P Open Show 19.2.2012 -1st GD SCC Sept 2012 - BOB - Judge T Hayward West of England Collie Society Open Show Judge Mrs L Newman(Phreelancer) 23 September 2012 1st Limit dog Best Rough dog Reserve best of breed rough collie Best opposite sex rough collie Reserve best in show Best opposite sex in show South Wales Kennel Association Championship Show 12 October 2012 Cotswoldway Moonshine Reserve Best of Sex in Breed Judge: Maxine Mellish Midland Counties October 2012 RDCC - Judge: Mr R Oldham

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Klass Act of Montegue Meadows [Imp Bel]
[Sire: CH. Golden Mist Sea of Fire [Imp Finland].
Dam: Ingledene About Last Nite]
DOB 24 November 2011
Steadwyn/Ingledene breeding

28 June 2012 Windsor Championship Show 1st Minor Puppy Bitch, BPIB Judge Mrs V Geddes July 14 2012 National Working & Pastoral Breeds Society Ch Sh. 1st Minor Puppy Bitch Judge Mr Steve Barrett. 22 July Oswestry & District KA. BP & BOB Judge Mrs Keith Macgregor. Leeds Championship Show July 29th 1st MPB - Judge Mr M K Morgan Paignton Championship Show August 6 2012 1st MPB & BPB - Judge Mr Derek Smith London and Provincial Collie Club Open Show 26 August 2012 1st puppy bitch and best puppy bitch Judge Mr Roger Bathurst (Auldlyn) Yorkshire Collie Club Championship Show Sept 2 2012 1st puppy bitch and best puppy bitch Judge Mr H Jones (Seafire) Richmond Championship Show Sept 8 2012 1st puppy bitch Best puppy bitch Best Puppy In Breed Judge Mr S Wilberg SCC Sept 2012 - BPIB - Judge T Hayward South Wales Kennel Association Championship Show 12 October 2012 1st Junior bitch .Best Puppy in Breed. Reserve Best of Sex in Breed Judge Maxine Mellish

I realise that Cotswoldway Collies' achievements to date have been pretty tame. For so many years fiinancial security has had to be put first; there was no choice. At heart I am very much a Cotswold man and I would not have liked to have lost Stumps Cross Cottage. However, things are changing. We are now finally starting to put things together with the collies and with my agricultural career now finally drawing to a close it will allow more time for us to focus on raising Rough Collies here in the Cotswolds to establish their show potential.

David Abbott
Cotswoldway Rough Collies
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire

Telephone: 01386 584362

Email:cotswoldwaycollies@yahoo.co.uk