The Bantam Goose

THE BANTAM GOOSE

By Jonathan M. Thompson, July 2010.

The concept of producing a Bantam Goose was put to the public as early as 1877; contained in an article on the subject in The Poultry Yard & Market.

Mr. Tom Bartlett of Folly Farm, Gloucestershire, when interviewed for Country Living Magazine in the late 1980’s, claimed that creating a Bantam goose had not been achieved, and he would like to create such a breed. Had he read Appleyard’s little book, Geese, he would have known his statement to be imprecise.

Reginald Appleyard of the Priory Waterfowl Farm, Ixworth, Suffolk, appears to have first exhibited his Bantam Goose at the Dairy Show in 1932.

In the Feathered World Year Book for 1933 Captain N. Milne Harrop contributes an article: ‘Geese in 1932’, and mentions this breed gaining a card at the Dairy Show:- The next class, that for A.O.V., numbered no less than 16 entries, and contained six different varieties. . . Mr. Appleyard penned a most interesting selection, . . This exhibitor also showed . . a very excellent attempt at an Embden Bantam, which also gained a Commended card. I understand this bird was not a freak but the result of many years careful breeding. It weighed about 6 lbs.

In the same Year Book, Mr. J. P. Bleazard contributes an article ‘Waterfowl in 1932.’ and says:- One occasionally sees other breeds of Geese, . .We have this year seen another addition to the Goose section, namely, an Embden Bantam Goose and most charming it looked, and came in for much admiration by the general public at the Palace Show. . a splendid entry, especially in the A. O. Variety, faced Mr. Fox Brockbank. . . Mr. Appleyard was among the minor awards with a lovely Sebastopol [Smooth-breasted, long-feathered type; Mr. Marler, please note!], and he also had Buff Geese, and an Embden Bantam Goose on view in this class.

F.W. Year Book, 1934, presents an obviously composite photograph (Fig.1.) of Reginald Appleyard’s ‘White Bantam Goose, weight 6½ lbs, at 9 months’, and an English Grey Back Goose. Captain N. Milne Harrop reporting on ‘Geese in 1933’, refers to some of the less popular breeds and repeats what he wrote in the 1933 Year book, saying:- “ even an attempt at an Embden Bantam has been seen—this weighed about 6 lbs.” The goose classes at the Dairy Show, judged by Mr. R. Alty, included:- “ The A.O.V. class contained eight birds, all sent by Mr. R. Appleyard. All were different, . . , Buff and White Bantam; commended. ”

Fred Hams (Domestic Ducks and Geese, 2000) presents an image of a Bantam Goose with the following text: Reginald Appleyard’s White Bantam Goose. Advertised in his 1924 catalogue as being the ‘first ever shown’, it is likely that it was produced with a utility bird in mind. In the 1920’s several leading breeders were using small continental strains of Roman geese when trying to produce very small, early-maturing ‘broiler’ goslings that could be sold cheaply ‘off grass’.

The writer has not located a brochure of this date, but suggests the date of 1924 may be imprecise ~ as no other reference, other than those given below, has been traced regarding the Bantam Goose being exhibited at a Show prior to 1932; and Appleyard first includes the White Bantam Goose in his advertisement in the Feathered World Year Book of 1934 ~ the image being the same as that used in every edition of his book, Geese (1933 – 1948), and that given by Fred Hams.

By the end of the Second World War it appears the Bantam Goose became conveniently lost to fanciers’ memories and this allowed it to be born anew, as announced in a newspaper article of an unverified date and title:- A New Breed of goose, a bantam, on show beside a normal bird at the three-day National Poultry Show, which opened yesterday at Olympia. It was exhibited by Lt. Col. A. A. Johnson (RIGHT), of Ixworth, Suffolk. Our Agricultural Correspondent writes: The Bantam goose is developed from the mating of a wild goose onto a small Roman domestic goose. When prepared for the table it will come within the popular weight range for ducks and may help to bring goose back into popular esteem. Lt. Col. Johnson said the goose cost practically nothing to keep as it lived on grass and it required no housing. At the moment there were only 20 pairs in existence.

The copy of the original article available to the writer has the right-hand portion of the picture torn away as neither of the gentlemen featured happen to be Col. Johnson. On the reverse of the original photograph (Fig.2.) is stated it was taken at the International Poultry Show at Olympia, 3.12.62:- PICTURE SHOWS: A new breed of small goose. The Bantam Goose owned by COL. A. A. JOHNSON of Isworth [sic], Suffolk (RIGHT) is compared xxxx for size with a normal size Embden Goose. The smaller goose, just right for the small-family meal may soon prove to be a big seller in British supermarkets.

A similar article appears in the Canadian Poultry Review (1963) stating Lt. Col. Johnson had bred the Bantam Goose for the past six years.

Fig.2. International Poultry Show, Olympia 1962. Photograph courtesy of W. Bird & T. Somerville.

On his retirement from the army, Lt. Col. Johnson had taken over the Priory Waterfowl Farm from Reginald Appleyard, and did much to promote the keeping of waterfowl in post war Britain.

Another photograph (Fig. 3.), also the property of Col. Johnson, shows “a pair of Bantam Geese and a pair of Toulouse Geese, myself in background.” The comparison is again useful in gauging the size of these birds.

Fig.3. Toulouse & Bantam Geese at Ixworth, 1963/64 (?). Photograph courtesy of W. Bird & T. Somerville.

Jean Delacour (Waterfowl of the World, 1964), however, says:- A very small white breed, first developed in Holland (Duizend) before 1940, then perfected by Jack Williams and Col. A. A. Johnson. The gosling is grey. It is used for the production of geese small enough for roasting in an ordinary sized oven.

Fig.4. Toulouse & Bantam Geese at Ixworth, 1963/4 (?). Photograph courtesy of John Hall.

Fig.5. John Hall’s Bantam Goose at Ixworth 1963/64 (?) Photograph courtesy of John Hall.

These geese (Figs.4 &5.) arrived in Britain in the 1950’s from Holland, in a consignment of assorted wildfowl imported by Col. Johnson. John Hall (pers. comm.) recalls the original male being pale grey in colour; the pair produced both white offspring and one resembling the usual pattern of the White-fronted Goose (Fig.6). This type of goose was thought to be quite commonly found on the polders in Holland; possibly used as decoys. They were, most probably, either a cross between a domestic Roman-type Goose and the White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons); or even a mutation of the White-fronted Goose.

This type of Bantam Goose is quite different to that produced by Appleyard. John Hall maintained birds of this strain during his time at Ixworth with Col. Johnson. Jack Williams of Dilham, Norfolk acquired stock from the Colonel and bred them pure white; but these continental geese died-out in Britain after Jack Williams dispersed his stock.

Fig.6. Off-spring of White Bantam Geese (2nd from left) at Ixworth. Photograph courtesy of John Hall.

Reginald Appleyard had long retired and passed away in the year of the Delacour publication; and Delacour had written his account from information provided by Appleyard’s successors, as they would then have it known. However, there can be no doubt that Reginald Appleyard was the first person to introduce a Bantam Goose and promote it to the public’s attention; those who came after him further developed and promoted the breed, but it never achieved a place in the British Standards to help in its continuance and is not in existence today ~ as far as is known!

Acknowledgements. I wish to acknowledge the grateful assistance of Wendy Bird and Tessa Somerville ~ both daughters of the late Lt. Col. A. A. Johnson, also John Hall, for his recollections of the Bantam Geese; and for their kind permissions to reproduce some unique images here. My thanks also goes to the late Mrs Margaret Hundy ~ one of Reginald Appleyard’s daughters ~ for her assistance in all matters waterfowl and permission to reproduce images from her father’s collection.