from medieval times, "beagle" was used as a general description for small hounds, even though they are actually very different from the modern breed. small breeds of beagle-type dogs were living even from the times of edward ii and henry vii. edward and henry both had packs of glove beagles, who were named because of their small size. also, queen elizabeth i kept a breed known as a pocket beagle, which stood at the shoulder. it was named so because it could fit in a "pocket" or saddlebag, when they rode along on the hunt. elizabeth i called the dogs her "singing beagles" and often entertained guests at her royal table by letting her pocket beagles cavort amid their plates and cups. ever since then, it is possible that the name was used to refer to the same kind of small hounds. in george jesse's "researches into the history of the british dog" from 1866, gervase markham is quoted referring to the beagle as small enough to sit on a man's hand and to the: