As the name implies, the breed originated in England and may have been a trained bird dog for 400 years. The spaniel is considered the root stock of the breed.
The development of the modern English Setter is largely attributed to Edward Laverack (1800-1877) who acquired a pair of setters, “Ponto” and “Old Moll”, from the kennels of a Rev. A. Harrison in 1825. For the next 50 years, Laverack bred a line of setters famous for their hunting qualities and beauty.
During the latter half of the 19th Century, R.L Purcell Llewellin acquired dogs from Laverack and made selective crosses with a focus on hunting that resulted in a unique strain of dogs.
Dogs from both strains were exported worldwide, but the labels remain; today’s field setters are still commonly referred to as Llewellin setters while show dogs are more commonly referred to as Laverack setters.