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KENTWOOD CARDIGANS 1948-1996 Sonnica
Godden was born into a doggy family and had been familiar with her
mother's Pembroke Corgis since the late 1930's, but first became enamoured
with the Cardigan when they attended the joint show of the Welsh Corgi
League and the Welsh Corgi Association (as it then was) held at the London
Scottish Drill Hall, Victoria, in June 1946. This was the first post war
Championship show for the breed. Withybrook Brock was fourth in the Open
Dog class, but Sonnica determined that this was the type of dog she liked
and was going to have. Through the good offices and with the help of Mrs.
Macdonell, she obtained a red bitch from Mr. Wild, a granddaughter of his
Ch. Quicksilver registered as Red Peter. The Kennel Club agreed that this
was perhaps an odd name for a girl and she became Kentwood Red Petal. She
was mated to Brock and in the first Kentwood litter produced Ch. Kentwood
Dewin - Sonnica was off to a flying start. He was introduced at W.E.L.K.S.
in 1949 and took the CC from the puppy class. During that summer he won 4
CCs and his title while still a puppy, and won 9 CCs in all. He was widely
used, siring 7 UK champions. Petal's next litter was by Ch. Hannaford
Budge, a Brock son, the star this time being the brindle bitch Ch.
Kentwood Curigwen. A second litter to Brock produced the brindle dog Ch.
Kentwood Adwyth. In 1954 Petal was mated to Ch. Withybrook Caesar and this
produced the red dog Ch. Kentwood Marc and the brindle bitch Ch. Kentwood
Myfanwy while the dog Kentwood Mel won 2 CCs.
In
the early 1950's Sonnica also had and made up the red bitch Ch. Felcourt
Enchantress, a close relative of Red Petal, and bred some useful stock
from her, and the kennel also housed Ch. Withybrook Jill. Petal's
success as a brood bitch was echoed by her daughters. Curigwen had four
litters by Dewin which produced the brindle bitch Ch. Kentwood Ceinwen,
the red bitch Ch. Kentwood Cydwen and the black brindle dog Ch. Kentwood
Cymro. He won a total of 21 CCs, a record beaten only by his son Ch.
Parmel Digger, one of four champion offspring he sired here. Cymro was
adopted by the Association some years ago as the ideal model for the breed,
and those who knew him have never changed that opinion. There were several
other good animals from this mating including Kentwood Corwynt who sired
much good stock for Mr. Toomer.
Myfanwy
had two litters by Dewin which produced the tricolour bitch Ch. Kentwood
Hawen and the tricolour Kentwood Dilys who gained her American title and
produced in her turn a spate of Springdale winners for Hal Nelson,
including Ch. Springdale Droednoeth. By Kentwood Mervyn, Myfanwy produced
Ch. Kentwood Rhydlyd, a brilliant red dog who took Reserve in the
Non-Sporting group at Three Counties Show in 1962, while by Kentwood
Selwyn she produced Ch. Kentwood Sian. Selwyn and Mervyn were both sons of
Ch. Kentwood Cydwen, Selwyn by Withybrook Loyal and Mervyn by Ch. Kentwood
Hannaford Jose. Jose,
by Ch. Hannaford Merich, was bought in as an outcross, and sired useful
stock at Kentwood and for other kennels. These included Kentwood Perllys,
a Cydwen daughter, who appears in several Kentwood pedigrees and Ch.
Kentwood Eirwen, a sable bitch owned by Mr. & Mrs. Cutler, one of only
two Kentwood bred animals to be made up by other kennels in the UK, out of
Kentwood Violetta of Veryan, a Dewin daughter. Violetta was also the dam
of Ch. Kentwood Nevin, sired by Adwyth. Another
outcross introduced blue merles to Kentwood, Kentwood Rozavel Blue Badge,
by Withybrook Loyal out of Ch. Rozavel Blue Rosette, won 2 CCs for Sonnica,
and out of Ch. Kentwood Hawen sired the blue Ch. Kentwood Brenin.
Ch.
Kentwood Heulwen mated to Bridgemont Suseman, by a full brother of Danny
Boy, produced the dog Ch. Kentwood Arnallt and his litter sister Ch.
Kentwood Anwyl, unfortunately never bred. Pansi mated to Ch. Joseter
Mudwin produced Ch. Kentwood Taglys; mated to Arnallt she produced Ch.
Kentwood Bethan. Arnallt mated to Taglys produced Ch. Kentwood Elwyn and
Ch. Kentwood Edwin, made up by Teresa Maddox, and in a later litter
Kentwood Gwenda also at Salvenik. Ch.
Kentwood Bethan was mated to Ch. Downholme Silversand of Joseter, to
produce Kentwood Luc and Lyneth, both gaining their titles and making
important contributions to breeding programmes in the USA, while Lowri
stayed at Kentwood to carry on the line. The last to date of the Kentwood
champions is Ch. Kentwood Madoc by Arnallt out of the outcross bitch
Beckrow Beauty of Kentwood. Kentwood Garth, by Madoc out of Kentwood Nerys,
a daughter of Arnallt and Lowri, is to date the last of the CC winners,
having 2 CCs. The
record of Sonnica Godden's Kentwood Cardigans is amazing. Over 47 years,
92 litters were bred, dogs from only 9 others were brought in. 423 dogs
were registered. Sonnica made up 23 UK champions, having bred 20 of them;
two others of her breeding won their UK titles. An exact count is
difficult, but her total of CCs won in the breed appears to be 160,
perhaps even a few more. About 35 dogs, at the last count, were exported
and gained their titles overseas.
Kentwood
Champions: Hawen, Crymro, Rhydlyd, Myfanwy and Cydwen We
have not attempted in this history to list or trace the influence of
Kentwood in other kennels, the champions, winners and breeding stock sired
by Sonnica's dogs nor the descendants of her bitches in other hands. It
was profound. All Cardigans, I would venture to say without exception,
derive from Kentwood stock. It is
unlikely that Sonnica Godden's achievement will ever be equalled or even
approached. Yet though the measure of her achievement is so impressive and
etched for ever in the record of our breed it is more for the manner of
her achievement that we will remember her and miss her in the years to
come. Ken
Linacre Text
published in the CWCA Handbook 1995/96 and
reproduced with the kind permission of the author.
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