Charles Cruft
Encyclopedia
Charles Alfred Cruft was a British showman who founded Crufts
dog show.
He was educated at Ardingly College
, and upon leaving became the general manager of James Spratt, dog biscuit
manufacturer. Travelling to dog shows
both in the United Kingdom
and internationally allowed Cruft to establish contacts and understand the need for higher standards for dog shows
. In 1886 Cruft organised his first dog show in Islington
, North London
. Billed as the "First Great Terrier Show", the show had 57 classes and 600 entries. The first show to be named after Cruft was in 1891, when "Cruft's Greatest Dog Show" was held at the Royal Agricultural Hall, Islington
. It was the first show at which all breeds
were invited to compete, with around 2,000 dogs and almost 2,500 entries. With the close of the 19th century, entries had risen to over 3,000, including royal patronage from various Europe
an countries and Russia
. The show continued annually and gained popularity each year until Cruft's death in 1938.
His widow ran the 1939 show for four years until she felt unable to do so due to its high demands of time and effort. To ensure the future and reputation of the show she sold it to The Kennel Club
. In 1948 the venue was moved to Olympia
in Kensington
and in 1979 to Earl's Court. It has now moved to the National Exhibition Centre
in Birmingham
.
Through his influence the popularity of dogs has increased and the standards of dog breeding have been greatly improved.
According to the British panel show QI
, Cruft was a cat owner.
Cruft is buried in North London's Highgate Cemetery
.
Crufts
Crufts is an annual international Championship conformation show for dogs organised and hosted by the Kennel Club, currently held every March at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England. It is the largest annual dog show in the world, as declared by Guinness World Records, and lasts...
dog show.
He was educated at Ardingly College
Ardingly College
Ardingly College is a selective independent co-educational boarding and day school, founded in 1858 by Canon Nathaniel Woodard, included in the Tatler list of top public schools. The college is located in the village of Ardingly near Haywards Heath, West Sussex, England, having moved to its present...
, and upon leaving became the general manager of James Spratt, dog biscuit
Dog biscuit
A dog biscuit is a hard biscuit-based dietary supplement for dogs or other canine, similar to human snack food.Dog biscuits tend to be hard and dry. Dog biscuits may be sold in a flat bone-shape...
manufacturer. Travelling to dog shows
Conformation show
Conformation shows, also referred to as breed shows, are a kind of dog show in which a judge familiar with a specific dog breed evaluates individual purebred dogs for how well the dogs conform to the established breed type for their breed, as described in a breed's individual breed standard.A...
both in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and internationally allowed Cruft to establish contacts and understand the need for higher standards for dog shows
Conformation show
Conformation shows, also referred to as breed shows, are a kind of dog show in which a judge familiar with a specific dog breed evaluates individual purebred dogs for how well the dogs conform to the established breed type for their breed, as described in a breed's individual breed standard.A...
. In 1886 Cruft organised his first dog show in Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
, North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
. Billed as the "First Great Terrier Show", the show had 57 classes and 600 entries. The first show to be named after Cruft was in 1891, when "Cruft's Greatest Dog Show" was held at the Royal Agricultural Hall, Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
. It was the first show at which all breeds
Dog breed
Dog breeds are groups of closely related and visibly similar domestic dogs, which are all of the subspecies Canis lupus familiaris, having characteristic traits that are selected and maintained by humans, bred from a known foundation stock....
were invited to compete, with around 2,000 dogs and almost 2,500 entries. With the close of the 19th century, entries had risen to over 3,000, including royal patronage from various Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an countries and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. The show continued annually and gained popularity each year until Cruft's death in 1938.
His widow ran the 1939 show for four years until she felt unable to do so due to its high demands of time and effort. To ensure the future and reputation of the show she sold it to The Kennel Club
The Kennel Club
The Kennel Club is a kennel club based in London and Aylesbury, United Kingdom.The Kennel Club registration system divides dogs into seven breed groups. The Kennel Club Groups are: Hound, Working, Terrier, Gundog, Pastoral, Utility and Toy...
. In 1948 the venue was moved to Olympia
Olympia, London
Olympia is an exhibition centre and conference centre in West Kensington, on the boundary between The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham, London, W14 8UX, England. It opened in the 19th century and was originally known as the National Agricultural Hall.Opened in 1886,...
in Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
and in 1979 to Earl's Court. It has now moved to the National Exhibition Centre
National Exhibition Centre
The National Exhibition Centre is an exhibition centre in Birmingham, England. It is near junction 6 of the M42 motorway, and is adjacent to Birmingham International Airport and Birmingham International railway station. It has 20 interconnected halls, set in grounds of 628 acres making it the...
in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
.
Through his influence the popularity of dogs has increased and the standards of dog breeding have been greatly improved.
According to the British panel show QI
QI
QI is a British comedy panel game television quiz show created and co-produced by John Lloyd, hosted by Stephen Fry, and featuring permanent panellist Alan Davies. Most of the questions are extremely obscure, making it unlikely that the correct answer will be given...
, Cruft was a cat owner.
Cruft is buried in North London's Highgate Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery is a cemetery located in north London, England. It is designated Grade I on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England. It is divided into two parts, named the East and West cemetery....
.