The French Bulldog Club of England
  • about our club
    • Contact - Get in touch
    • FBCE Officers & Committee
    • Complaints Policy & Procedure
    • Copyright
    • DISCLAIMER
    • Rescue & Re-homing
  • Breed information
    • A LITTLE History
    • About the breed
    • Breed Colours
    • Buying a puppy?
  • Membership
    • Renew your membership
    • Print & POST/Email Application
    • Junior Membership
    • FBCE Club Rules
    • FBCE Code of Ethics
    • FBCE Breeders Charter
    • GDPR Information
  • Health
    • Health Scheme Information
    • Health Scheme Forms
    • HEALTH NEWS
    • Health Scheme & Survey Results
  • S.T.A.G EVENT
    • S.T.A.G 2025
    • STAG 2025 HOTEL
    • S.T.A.G 2025 TICKETS
    • STAG 2025 Grand Raffle
  • SHOW INFORMATION
    • 2025 SHOWS
  • FBCE CLUB EVENTS - FUTURE
    • 2025 - FEBRUARY 22nd OPEN SHOW
  • FBCE CLUB EVENTS - PAST
    • S.T.A.G 2024
    • Winter Championship Show - 10th November 2024
    • S.T.A.G 2023
    • S.T.A.G 2022
  • JUDGES LIST & INFORMATION
  • Puppies Available
    • Puppy Sales Register
A LITTLE HISTORY
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Blood sports such as bull-baiting were outlawed in England in 1835, leaving the "Bulldogs" unemployed, so to speak, however, they had been bred for non-sporting reasons since at least 1800, so their use changed from a sporting breed to a companion breed. By 1850, the Toy Bulldog had become common in England and appeared in conformation shows when they began around the late 1800’s
In Nottingham, lace makers kept toy-size bulldogs to chase away rats in their small working quarters. During the height of the Industrial Revolution the lace workers were replaced by machines, so many were forced to relocate to France, where lace was still made by hand. The French fell in love with the smaller bulldog and soon every artist, actor, and celebrity in the city wanted one. Americans visiting overseas loved the miniature version of the bulldog, and it wasn't long before Frenchies took off in the U.S. as well. The dogs were highly fashionable and were sought after by society ladies and Parisian prostitutes alike, as well as creatives such as artists, writers, and fashion designers. Those lace makers returned to England with their small bulldogs and in the early days of the breed, there were two types of ears on Frenchies:
the bat style and the rose ear commonly seen on the bulldog
************************************************************************************

Early records of the FBCE shows that our breed may have been given another name. The
choices put forward to the Kennel Club of the day were in order of preference, The French Bulldog, Bulldog (French Type),Bouledogue Francais or the Bat Eared Bulldog. This last suggestion even had a cartoon printed in ‘The Stock-keeper’ a newspaper of the day (See image below) poking fun at the bat ear, no doubt drawn by someone who opposed the introduction of another type of Bulldog







Picture
The French Bulldog Club of England ©2025
Although every effort is made to ensure that the content of this site is accurate,
 the FBCE accepts no responsibility for any errors or omissions.

  • about our club
    • Contact - Get in touch
    • FBCE Officers & Committee
    • Complaints Policy & Procedure
    • Copyright
    • DISCLAIMER
    • Rescue & Re-homing
  • Breed information
    • A LITTLE History
    • About the breed
    • Breed Colours
    • Buying a puppy?
  • Membership
    • Renew your membership
    • Print & POST/Email Application
    • Junior Membership
    • FBCE Club Rules
    • FBCE Code of Ethics
    • FBCE Breeders Charter
    • GDPR Information
  • Health
    • Health Scheme Information
    • Health Scheme Forms
    • HEALTH NEWS
    • Health Scheme & Survey Results
  • S.T.A.G EVENT
    • S.T.A.G 2025
    • STAG 2025 HOTEL
    • S.T.A.G 2025 TICKETS
    • STAG 2025 Grand Raffle
  • SHOW INFORMATION
    • 2025 SHOWS
  • FBCE CLUB EVENTS - FUTURE
    • 2025 - FEBRUARY 22nd OPEN SHOW
  • FBCE CLUB EVENTS - PAST
    • S.T.A.G 2024
    • Winter Championship Show - 10th November 2024
    • S.T.A.G 2023
    • S.T.A.G 2022
  • JUDGES LIST & INFORMATION
  • Puppies Available
    • Puppy Sales Register