History and Origins
Country of Origin: America
The English Cocker is said to have arrived in America with the Pilgrim Fathers on the Mayflower in 1620. However, this is a claim many have tried to apply to their ancestors, canine or otherwise, and in any case, the Mayflower’s journey pre-dates the UK Kennel Club by over 250 years, and thus the spaniel types had not yet been split into clearly defined breeds.
It is reasonable to suspect that early settlers from Britain would have taken the useful working and hunting breeds they had with them to America, and the records do show that a spaniel type was listed as travelling on the Mayflower.
