When we decided to look for a female compagnon for PERCY, we wanted to find a belle brindle. At the time in 1999, outside of Great Britain where the coat is highly appreciated, there wasn't very much choice, especially in France.
It was only natural that we contacted the famous kennels of BREDWARDINE run by Richard Thomas & Peter Tugwell . Their famous brindle stud dog BREDWARDINE BRONGEST was a legend in his time.
I went for a first look to Richards where I saw 2 brindle litters. Only one litttter really interested me.I was received by the kennel boy, who showed me a lovely big brindle girl but with a large white patch on her chest and white paws. I asked if I could see the other females from the litter but without much luck. I explained that I had travelled over night on the ferry from France and that it was only normal to show me the whole litter as I had come to especially see the puppies.
Finally Richard Thomas arrived and agreed to show me other two females in the litter. They did not have any white markings but one of them was much smaller than the other . All 3 had lovely heads especially the smallest . Richard said he wanted to keep that one and that the biggest was reserved for an american client. Only the girl with lots of white was free. I explained to Richard that at least I had come to see them after a long trip and that is was logic that I could choose the one I prefered before the american. After a few minutes of discussions (Richard is an antique dealer and me a horse breeder so we are you used to this kind of negociation !), he finally gave in and let me choose the female of my choice.
I took lots of photos as I would come back in 5 weeks to pick her up. Was it the big or the little one that I got. Whatever, they were both gorgeous and the one he gave me was very pretty . We wanted to call her if possible BREDWARDINE PRIMROSE but Richard said that as it is the tradition all second names start with "B" which was by chance good for us . So she was called BREDWARDINE'S BRULLEMAIL alias PRIMROSE.
PRIMROSE stopped off in Cornwall at the home of Christopher's parents with him until she had the right age and all the sanitary tests to come to France. She was adorable with the cutest little character.
PRIMROSE got on like a house on fire with her new compagnion PERCY. The foremd an inséparable couple for 5 years. Their production was remakable and becmae the foundation for our kennel. Their decendants have become the base for several other new kennels in France and around the world.

Morphologically, PRIMROSE was a dark brindle female with apricot highlights. She was an average size but with substance and a very deep chest with a good top line. She had hocks that were bit too straight and could have had a stronger bone structure. But above all she had a wonderful typey head, very BREDWARDINE !

The pedigree of PRIMROSE is very interesting but very in bred.
Her sire Eng Ch DARKLING FIN MAC CUMHAL OF BREDWARDINE was an apricot mâle, of a good size, very well constructed with good angulations and an excellent typical head with a good mask, very "Bredwardine". His coat was fairly thick and short as the standard describes and not too short as we see so many Mastiffs. This male was BEST OF BREED at CRUFTS in 1999, the year of PRIMROSE's birth. His brother , the dark brindle Eng Ch DARKLING FINBAR OF BREDWARDINE, smaller and more compact also won BOB at CRUFTS the following year.
Their father was the "chef de race" Eng Ch BREDWARDINE BRONGEST who also won , of course the BOB at CRUFTS.
PRIMROSE was very linebred on BRONGEST, that is 2 x 2 x 3 and she looks a lots like him in his type of head. And her mothers mother daughter of BRONGEST had been bred to her father. The father of PRIMROSE is also a son of BRONGEST.
BRONGEST had a major influence in breeding Great Britain like his dad before him. His father was Am-Eng Ch ARCINIEGAS LION, an américain apricot stud dog that que Richard Thomas imported from the USA adult. Richard was invited to judge the show at Bucks in USA where he gave the BOB to LION. He then bought the dog for his kennel. LION had quite a considerable influence in G B. It would not be too much to say that LION is now found in 80% of the pedigrees of Mastiffs in that country.
BRONGEST was the sire of Eng Ch DARKLING FIN MAC CUMHAL. The mother of this male was a daughter of Eng Ch TREVABYN MR SNOW MAN. She was the sister of DARKLING PADDINGTON BEAR, excellent Mastiff, exported to Australia.
The mother of PRIMROSE, BREDWARDINE BWLCHCILIAU (a welsh name difficult to pronounce!), comes from the in breeding of BUDDUG OF BREDWARDINE with her father BRONGEST. BUDDUG was herself, very closely bred as both of her parents have Am-Eng Ch ARCINIEGAS LION. As the father of PRIMROSE is also a son of BRONGEST (fils de LION), PRIMROSE has a genetic pool that is very concentrated!
Primroses mother line has also given many champions all over the world. Her mother is a sister of BREDWARDINE BRYINDIODDEF OF KINGROCK, who is the mother of KINGROCK PRINCE ALBERT, stud dog in Australia.
The garnd mother of PRIMROSE, BUDDUG OF BREDWARDINE, is als the mmother of D-Ch BREDWARDINE BRYNILLYD (Chevelu Barrwg of Bredwardine), himself being father to many champions in Germany including the famous Eng-Multi Ch FRANCIS FROM THE BURNING MOUNTAIN Mastiff N°1 in Great Britain, BOB at Crufts.
The 3rd mother of PRIMROSE, MERROWLEA LADY EDNA is none other than the direct sister of MERROWLEA LIES (Chevelu Barrwg of Bredwardine), mother of the famous NL Ch EROS VAN SANGUIS NOBILIS in Holland. LADY EDNA is also the sister of the brindle stallion exported to Holland MERROWLEA BAS, father of champions like World-Int Ch AMIGO MEDOCK FROM THE BLACK MASK.
MERROWLEA LADY EDNA was the direct sister of the influential english stud dog, Eng Ch BRIGADIER OF BREDWARDINE AT DAWSTAR.
The 4th mother of PRIMROSE, TINABELLA OF MERROWLEA (Lawlord of Worstead) is a litter sister of SON OF ZEUS and sister also of GILDASAN PENNY BLACK (Eng Ch Damaria Powerful Magic of Gildasan) exported to Australia & grandmother of the Aust Ch HUNZEAL IMPERIAL IZAAK.
A full sister of our PRIMROSE, BREDWARDINE YTHYWIN was the 4th dam of the hudge brindle dog ENG Ch CYBERUS BERLINGTON BERTIE FOR ASKUWHETEAU Doc CC & BOS at Crufts 2013.
This mother line is famous all over the world and still going strong thanks to PRIMROSE and her grand children.