Through careful breeding and long, patient hours of training, sheepdogs have evolved to work closely with shepherds. As one former international champion put it ‘The greatest powers and qualities of the sheepdog have been taught by dogs to shepherds, not by shepherds to dogs.’ The Sheep Dog Trial developed as a contest of skill of both dog and man. Exactly as on Day 1 of the first trial, one man, one dog and 3 sheep.
On the 28 June 1942, while the Second World War was raging, at a meeting in the Bamford Village Institute, a meeting was convened to raise money for the War Comforts Fund to be sent to troops from the local area and Walter Green, a local character, put forward the suggestion to hold a sheep dog trial. After a debate the vote was unanimous against the motion as it was considered too ambitious. Despite this setback, a Trial was held on 21st August of that year on the Angler’s Rest grounds and Mr Joe Tagg with Bet made the first run. The Trial raised £56/12/- (approximately £56 60p) towards the Fund in its first year. Following this success, the Bamford Sheep Dog Trial Association was formally formed in September 1943 and £150 was raised in this second trial. After the war, it was decided to carry on the Trials on the Recreation Ground in Bamford. A mobile bar was organised as the new site was so far from local hotels. As the War Comforts Fund was closed after the war, the profits of the Trials were distributed to local organisations and this custom remains. In the first 70 years, an average of about £1000 per annum has been given to local charities, especially those supporting the elderly and the young, amounting to over £70,000 overall.
In 1951, the Bamford SDTA was asked by the Daily Express to organise an International Competition between teams from England, Wales and Scotland was held in Wythenshawe Park, Manchester. In 1952, the Bamford Trials had to be cancelled at short notice due to an epidemic of foot and mouth disease but the following year, Coronation Year, a very successful Trial was held, with Local, Open, International and Doubles classes held over 2 days. The local Trials have remained an annual event, only being cancelled in 2001 when another outbreak of foot and mouth disease hit the country. They were threatened again in 2008, but the Trials went ahead, even though some local areas were in a Blue Tongue zone. Over the last 20 years, there have been 2 classes, the singles and the doubles, with extra prizes for certain categories of entrants such as the highest scoring local entrant, junior entrant and committee member. According to the first preserved programme, by 1946, there were a total of 73 entries in 3 classes, the Local Class, the Open Class and the Doubles, peaking at 91 in 1970. There were many local names of families which can be traced through the history of the society and who are still involved in sheep farming in the area who are still involved in trialling together with a few runners from as far away as Scotland and Wales. Over the last 10 years to 2015, there have been between 70 and 80 runners per year, including a few lady competitors. The prize money for the Open Singles Class was £15 in 1946. By 2015, the first prize for the Open Singles was £200, with total prize money of £725.
The Society and the annual trials are kept going by the dedicated work of the voluntary committee members, many of whom are local sheep farmers. Initially the Presidents of the BSDTA were local men, but from 1961 the custom for having only Lady Presidents was introduced. The exception to this rule was the appointment of EW Green as President in 1992 in recognition of his unparalleled service to the Association, from its foundation in 1943, undertaking the role of Secretary for 56 years. He continued to be associated with the society until his death in 1998. The programmes mention the names of current committee members, donors of prizes and runners. Several local family names can be traced throughout the history of the society, many of whom are still involved in farming and Sheep Dog Trialling to this day.
One very significant member was Joe Tagg, a local shepherd and founder member of the Association who was one of the oldest and most successful competitor in Sheep Dog Trials. He had been a shepherd to the Duke of Norfolk for 40 years but retired to farm sheep on his own. By 1949, Joe presented a handsome silver cup for the winner of the Local Class, to stimulate entries to this Class. In the winter of 1953-1954, Joe went with his faithful dog Tip, to check his sheep on the bleak Howden Moors one night in winter. When he did not return an exhaustive search of the moors was carried out but he was not found. 15 weeks later, Tip was spotted on the moors. Her master had collapsed and died and Tip had remained, guarding her master’s body, through long winter nights of rain and snow, for this long period until his body was found. For this devotion, Tip was awarded the National Canine Defence League’s medal, presented at the Bamford Trial in 1954.
Various added attractions have been held alongside the Trials over the years. A wider experience in sheep farming has been illustrated by a Sheep Show until 1999 and a Sheep Shearing Class run alongside the Trials to this day (unless the weather, and inevitably the sheep are too wet!) and more recently a wool spinning demonstration. Since 1946, there have also been also prizes for the Best Conditioned Dog and Best Conditioned Bitch who had competed in the Trials.
Other attractions have included demonstrations of Well Dressing from 1971, an attempt at the World Egg Throwing Record in 1973 and a wool spinning exhibition in 1976 and from 1989 until 1999 a Sheep Show. Other attractions included an art competition by local school children, rare breeds stalls, hand-made card stalls and spinning and weaving and knitting demonstrations. In 2002 a Fell race was introduced from Bamford Recreation Ground to the top of Win Hill and back again, a distance of 4.5 miles. It has proved increasingly popular so that by 2015, there were over 186 entries.
Despite increasing mechanisation of farming, the sheepdog and the working relationship between dog and shepherd remains essential to sheep farming in areas such as the Peak District and the Bamford Sheepdog Trials Society remains an important local event. 75 years after the first Trial, the tradition remains, the day opens with one man, one dog and 3 sheep.