114 CATTLE HEREFORDS 



Montgomeryshire. A number of these so-called smoky-faced 

 Herefords were seen by the author in the possession of the 

 Aylesbury Dairy Company, on a farm near Horsham, but 

 they were disposed of by auction before 1890, to make room 

 for a Sussex herd. They were handsome animals, and in all 

 respects resembled Herefords, with the exception of the 

 colour of their extremities, which were almost black. 



Benjamin Tomkins (born 1745, died 1815) occupies in 

 the history of the improvement of this breed a correspond- 

 ing place to that assigned to Bakewell in regard to Long- 

 horns, and to the brothers Colling in connection with 

 Shorthorns. But before him there were members of his 

 family distinguished for their interest in breeding good cattle, 

 in the persons of his father, Benjamin Tomkins (1714-89), and 

 his grandfather, Richard Tomkins, whose famous will, dated 

 1720, bequeathed to his son Benjamin (the elder) " one cowcalled 

 ' Silver ' and her calf," which are credited with being founda- 

 tion stock of the Tomkins herd, and through it of the modern 

 Hereford. That little is known of the contemporaries of 

 these early improvers, such as William Galliers of Wigmore 

 Grange, is due to the dearth of agricultural historians at that 

 time. The most important contemporaries of Benjamin 

 Tomkins (the younger) who acted a part in forming the 

 breed were, William Galliers of Frogdon, Tully, Skyrme, 

 Haywood, and Yeomans. Tomkins adopted Bakewell's 

 system of in-and-in breeding. It is on record that the best of 

 his famous herd sprang from two cows and one bull. He 

 also followed Bakewell's plan of keeping his own counsels. 

 He resembled Bates in some practices and characteristics. 

 He would not expose his cattle at agricultural shows, 

 although it is said he would have been safe to win. " He was 

 a peculiar, proud, exclusive kind of a man, and regarded the 

 cattle belonging to others as quite beneath his notice, 

 considering his own to be beyond comparison the best." The 

 herd of twenty-eight cattle sold by auction about four years 

 after his death realised 4172, 6s., an average of 149. Other 

 prominent early breeders who have not yet been named were, 

 John Price, Smythies, three generations of Jeffries, Yarworth, 

 Hewer, Walker, Hoskyns, Perry, Jellicoe, Smith, Lord Talbot, 

 Sir F. Lawley, George Tomkins, and W 7 eyman of Stocktonbury. 



The modern Hereford is also pretty certainly related to 



