# Staffordshire Bull Terrier bloodlines guide > History of Staffordshire Bull Terrier bloodlines: the six founding male lines, Gentleman Jim, the M-Line and R-Line, and English and Irish kennels today. English and Irish lines for Staffordshire Bull Terrier Staffordshire Bull Terrier bloodlines are counted from 1935, when the Kennel Club recognised the breed; before that, the Bull and Terriers of Staffordshire were working dogs without traceable pedigrees. In 1943 the breed historian H. N. Beilby published the first thorough study of the breed's genetics and identified six distinct male lines. Lines are traced through the male descent, as is standard practice in dog breeding, so a dog belongs to the line of its paternal great-grandfather even when other lines appear through the females. Today the M-Line and the R-Line dominate the modern breed. A bloodline is not a sub-breed or a brand: it is the result of generations of decisions about which dogs were kept and mated. Knowing a dog's line helps you read its pedigree; the dog itself is judged by its tests, structure and temperament. A guide by the [Del Piccolo Diavolo kennel, which has bred Staffordshire Bull Terriers](/en/) in Ostellato (Ferrara, Italy) since 2013. This page tells the history of the lines and the dogs that founded them. If you are choosing a puppy and want to know how to find your way among today's lines, there is a practical guide: [how to choose a bloodline](/en/choosing-bloodlines/). ## What a bloodline actually is A bloodline is not a sub-breed and it is not a brand. It is the accumulated result of decisions made by one breeder, or a small group of breeders, over many generations: which dogs were kept, which were mated together, and which traits were treated as non-negotiable. Two Staffordshire Bull Terriers from different lines are the same breed and must meet the same standard, but they can differ noticeably in bone, head proportion, temperament and working attitude. Understanding lines matters for two very different reasons. If you are looking for a companion, it tells you what kind of dog you are likely to live with for the next 12 years. If you are considering breeding, it is the difference between a coherent programme and a series of hopeful accidents. ## Where the lines come from The recorded history of Staffordshire Bull Terrier bloodlines begins on **25 May 1935**, when the Kennel Club recognised the breed. Before that date the "Bull and Terriers" of Staffordshire were working dogs with no traceable pedigrees. The first official breed show followed on 17 August 1935, at the Cradley Heath Conservative Club in South Staffordshire, and systematic record-keeping started there. In 1943 the breed historian H. N. Beilby published the first thorough study of the breed's genetics and identified **six distinct male lines**: - **J-Line** — founded by Fearless Joe, about 300 registrations by 1943 - **M-Line** — founded by Brindle Mick, about 300 registrations by 1943 - **L-Line** — founded by Game Lad, about 120 registrations - **B-Line** — founded by Rum Bottle, associated with the Westall strain, about 100 registrations - **R-Line** — founded by Ribchester Bob, recognised in 1946 - **C-Line** — founded through Cinderbank Beauty via Togo, recognised in 1946 Lines are traced through the male descent, which is standard practice in dog breeding. A dog belongs to the line of its paternal great-grandfather even when other lines appear in the pedigree through the females. ### The first champion: Gentleman Jim One name stands above the rest. **Gentleman Jim**, born on 25 May 1937 and bred by Jack Dunn, was a son of Brindle Mick, the founder of the M-Line. He became the breed's **first male champion** in 1939, and practically every modern Staffordshire Bull Terrier carries him somewhere in its pedigree — often several times over. That ubiquity has a cost. A single dog appearing repeatedly in almost every pedigree narrows the gene pool of the whole breed, which is one reason every breeding dog here is tested for L2HGA and HC, or clear by parentage with its parents' reports. Our dogs are also clear of DM-SOD1. ### M-Line, the widespread one The M-Line, from Brindle Mick, is today by far the most widespread: in the [The Stafford Knot database](https://thestaffordknot.com/the-original-lines-explained/) about 32,500 males descend from it in male line, against about 6,750 for the R-Line, while the other four lines count a few dozen dogs. Its best-known names include Gentleman Jim himself, **Cross Guns Johnson** — full brother of Brindle Mick, and so Gentleman Jim's uncle, Best of Breed at the first Crufts the breed attended — and **Fearless Red of Bandits** (1944), a son of Gentleman Jim often described as the essence of the true Stafford. The line is associated with imposing heads, substantial frames and heavy muscling. ### R-Line, the survivor The R-Line was founded by **Ribchester Bob**, born around 1931. It is known for freer movement, a more compact but athletic build, an even temperament with notable trainability, and good longevity. Today about one male in six descends from it in male line, and it is valued by European kennels looking to widen their base. ### The lines that died out Three of the six original lines faded. The **L-Line** (Game Lad) was the smallest of the major lines and was hit hard by the two world wars; the **B-Line** (Rum Bottle), tied to the Westall family, disappeared during the 1950s; the **C-Line** (Cinderbank Beauty), the most recent of the six, never established a lasting presence. Of the J-Line only a handful of dogs remain. ## M-Line and R-Line side by side | Trait | M-Line (Brindle Mick) | R-Line (Ribchester Bob) | | **Head** | Broader and more massive, pronounced stop | Cleaner and better proportioned, moderate stop | | **Body** | More substantial, wide chest, heavy bone | More compact and balanced, medium bone | | **Movement** | Powerful drive, less agile | Freer and more agile, efficient ground cover | | **Temperament** | Confident, dominant, strong personality | Even, trainable, versatile | | **Where it excels today** | Conformation showing | Agility, obedience, family life | | **Males in male line (The Stafford Knot database)** | About 82% | About 17% | Neither is better than the other. Knowing which one sits behind a litter simply tells you what to expect from the puppy in front of you. ## The English lines The breed was made in England, and English breeding remains the reference point for type. The most influential kennels have prioritised correct proportion, a broad and well-filled head without exaggeration, sound movement and, above all, the reliable temperament written into the standard. Lines such as Elitebull have been particularly influential in continental Europe, and they are the foundation of our own programme. What we look for there is substance without coarseness: a dog that is unmistakably a Staffordshire Bull Terrier at a glance, but that can still trot for an hour and breathe normally at the end of it. ## The Irish lines Irish breeding has a distinct flavour and an excellent reputation. Kennels such as Lackyle are known for compact, athletic, extremely typey dogs with strong bone and a notably outgoing character. Irish lines have historically placed heavy emphasis on soundness and on producing dogs that hold their type consistently across a litter rather than producing one exceptional puppy among eight ordinary ones. Combining English and Irish lines is a common and productive strategy, and it is the basis of our own selection. The two traditions complement each other: the English for balance and head quality, the Irish for compactness, bone and consistency. ## Show lines, working lines and the exaggeration problem Within the breed there is a real tension between dogs bred primarily for the ring and dogs bred for function and family life. In principle the standard describes one dog and there should be no divide. In practice, ring success has in some places rewarded ever heavier bone, ever shorter muzzles and ever wider fronts, and these traits have consequences that only appear away from the ring: heat intolerance, noisy breathing, and difficulty sustaining moderate exercise. We regard this as the single most important issue facing the breed today, and it informs every mating we plan. A dog that cannot breathe comfortably in July has been failed by its breeder, regardless of how many titles sit in its pedigree. ## Reading a pedigree properly A pedigree is a document of ancestry, not a guarantee of quality: every registered dog has one. What makes it informative is what you do with it. Look at how often the same names appear on both sides, which tells you the degree of linebreeding. Look at whether the health results of those ancestors are documented and published. Look at whether the dogs behind the puppy were actually assessed by someone independent, whether in the ring or by a veterinary specialist, or whether they simply existed. 3 generations of titles with no health results is a weaker pedigree than 3 generations of untitled dogs with full testing and known temperaments. The second tells you far more about the puppy you are about to take home. ## Linebreeding, inbreeding and coefficients Linebreeding, the deliberate repetition of an admired ancestor within a pedigree, is a legitimate tool for fixing type. Pushed too far it becomes inbreeding, and the cost is paid in immune function, fertility and vigour rather than in appearance, which is precisely why it is easy to ignore. The coefficient of inbreeding (COI) measures how closely related the parents are, and it is always read together with the number of generations it is calculated over. Over five generations, as a reference: up to 5% is a good value, pointing to different lines; between 6 and 10% is acceptable but needs attention; between 11 and 15% is worrying and raises the risk of genetic problems; above 15% is high. A practical rule we apply: we want to see the coefficient of inbreeding over 5 generations kept low, and we will not repeat a close doubling simply because a particular ancestor was fashionable. Type gained at the expense of vitality is a bad trade, and it is one the family discovers years later. ## What this means when you choose a puppy Ask the breeder which lines are behind the litter, and why those two dogs were put together. The answer is revealing. A breeder with a programme will tell you what the sire brings, what the dam brings, what they are trying to improve and what they accept as a compromise. A breeder without one will say that both parents are beautiful. Then ask what they would change about the litter if they could repeat it. Anyone honest has an answer. ## Frequently asked ### How many original bloodlines did the Staffordshire Bull Terrier have? When the breed was officially recognised by the British Kennel Club in 1935, the founding gene pool traced back to a limited number of stems, traditionally described as **six male lines**, each identified by a letter. Every pedigree Staffordshire Bull Terrier alive today descends from those stems in varying degrees. Not all fared equally: some all but died out, others spread enormously because certain dogs produced heavily and were used everywhere. It shows clearly on SBTPedigree when you follow a tree back eight or ten generations — the same names reappear from several branches, which is why the coefficient of inbreeding rises the further back you count. ### What is the M-Line and why does it matter so much? The M-Line is one of the breed's founding male lines, and it became the most widespread internationally: a great many modern Staffordshire Bull Terriers descend from it, even when the name does not appear in the first generations of a pedigree. [SBTPedigree](https://sbtpedigree.com/) states a dog's male line of descent explicitly, and it is not a collector's detail: **it tells you where the most conservative part of the gene pool comes from**, the part passed from father to son. Its very spread has a downside: the more widespread a line, the easier it is to double up on it in a mating without noticing. That is precisely what a test mating shows you beforehand. ### Who was Gentleman Jim? Gentleman Jim is one of the names that recur most often in the breed's historic pedigrees: a British stud dog whose influence extended so widely that he still appears in a great many family trees when you go back several generations. The reason certain dogs weigh so heavily is not only their quality: it is that they were used a great deal, and a stud used heavily multiplies his influence exponentially. **That works in both directions**: it spreads the virtues but also the faults, which is why in a numerically limited breed it is worth looking at how often an ancestor appears, not just at his reputation. ### What is the difference between the Irish and the English lines? Less than is usually claimed. Descriptions that assign fixed traits by nationality — the English like this, the Irish like that — are simplifications: within each tradition there are very different kennels, and the lines have been crossing for decades. What can honestly be said is that certain historic kennels left a recognisable stamp on type, and that people who select learn to recognise it by looking at dogs rather than at flags. The Del Piccolo Diavolo kennel works with **Elitebull**, English, and **Lackyle**, Irish — and these are not opposites, because Lackyle's historic dogs appear inside Elitebull pedigrees. ### How much does the coefficient of inbreeding matter? It is one of the two numbers to look at before planning a mating, but on its own it is not enough. The coefficient tells you **how much** you are tightening, not **on whom**: doubling up on an outstanding dog is a selection technique, doubling up on a mediocre one multiplies his faults. The range we work within is 6 to 9 per cent, though that is a matter of judgement rather than doctrine. There is also a technical point few people explain: the figure depends on how many generations are counted. The same dog can show 9 per cent over eight generations and 21 per cent over the full pedigree. [ How to read a pedigree Where the lines really show: photos of the ancestors, descent and the inbreeding coefficient. ](/en/how-to-read-a-pedigree/) ### More on this topic - [How to read a pedigree: what ENCI shows and what it doesn't](/en/how-to-read-a-pedigree/) - [Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Pitbull and Amstaff compared](/en/staffy-pitbull-amstaff-difference/) - [Staffordshire Bull Terrier breed standard explained](/en/staffy-breed-standard/) - [Staffy genetic testing: L2-HGA, HC (HSF4) and DM (SOD1)](/en/staffy-genetic-testing-l2hga-hc/) - [How to recognise a serious Staffy breeder](/en/how-to-choose-a-staffordshire-bull-terrier-breeder/) --- Fonte: https://delpiccolodiavolo.it/en/staffy-bloodlines-guide/