OHAPTEE XVII. 



PEMBROKESHIRE OR CASTLEMARTIN CATTLE. 



By MOEGAN EVANS. 



F WE LOOK for the oldest breed of domesticated 

 cattle in Great Britain, we must evidently turn to 

 the western coast. With the descendants of the 

 ancient British people will be found the descendants 

 of the ancient British cattle. The successive invasions on the 

 east and south coasts of our country of conquering Eoman, 

 Saxon, Dane, and Norman, drove the aboriginal inhabitants 

 with their cattle into the west and far north of the island. 

 There can be no doubt that the Welsh and the Scotch High- 

 lands are the oldest of all our existing breeds of cattle ; not 

 even excepting the white cattle in Chillingham Park. The 

 oldest colour I believe to be black, notwithstanding much 

 popular tradition to the contrary. From the mention of white 

 cattle in certain ancient records, it has been too readily assumed 

 that the oldest native stock of the country was white. The 

 laws of Howel Dda, or Howel the Good, said to be written in 

 the tenth century, certainly speak of white cattle; and the 

 Dimetian code says that " the privilege of the Lord of Dinevwr 

 is to have for his saraad [fine or tribute] as many white cattle 

 with red ears as shall extend in close succession from Argoel to 

 the palace of Dinevwr, with a bull of the same colour along with 

 each score of them." Youatt says that the " same records that 

 describe the white cattle with red ears speak also of the dark 

 or black-coloured breed." I do not know the passages in the 

 records to which he alludes. Indeed, it appears that there was 

 not in early times any uniformity in colour or characteristics of 



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