The breed was developed in the mid-19th century by Sir Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks MP, later the first Lord Tweedmouth. During the long parliamentary recess, he devoted his time to his great interest, which had anything to do with sporting pursuits in the Highlands of Scotland. Lord Tweedmouth mated a yellow Wavy-coated Retriever "Nous" to a Tweed Water Spaniel "Belle".
He then methodically linebred down from this mating between 1868 and 1890, using another Tweed Water Spaniel, and outcrosses of two black Retrievers, an Irish Setter and a sandy coloured Bloodhound.
After several generations of selective breeding, type was stabilized and, in 1913, the Golden Retriever was sanctioned as a purebred by The Kennel Club(England).