Clydesdales 5 



with coaching blood in his veins, was bred in West Lothian, and 

 related on the sire's side to Broomfield Champion (95). He founded 

 a grey line, which colour has been strikingly displayed in Cumber- 

 land families of the highest reputation. His son. Young Blyth 

 (923), was also grey, and travelled both in Cumberland and Aber- 

 deenshire. The grey Glenelgs (357) were descended from Young 

 Clyde (949), and had a similar record. Both Blyths and Glenelg 

 were prizewinners at the Highland and Agricultural Society shows 

 in the 'forties and 'fifties. The most famous of all the Cumber- 

 land greys was Merry Tom (532), which won first at Glasgow in 

 1852 when four years old. His breeding analyses in much the 

 same fashion as the pedigrees already referred to. The main lines 

 are of Lanarkshire descent, but the foundation was a mixed race 

 of heavy cart horses with a dash of the blood of the Coach Horse. 

 Two notable Shire horses in Cumberland were Farmer's Glory, 

 owned by John Robinson, Wallace Field (known for two seasons 

 in Ayrshire as Andrew Hendrie's Farmer's Glory), and Nichol's 

 Topsman. 



The history of the introduction of the Lanarkshire horse into 

 Aberdeenshire begins with Young Glancer, which in 1823 came to 

 the county. He is believed to have been a son of Glancer (335), 

 Thompson's black horse. He was not a high horse, his height 

 being given as rather under 16 hands. Young Champion of Clyde, 

 foaled in 1840, came from the West of Scotland, and was at Mill of 

 Ardlethen, Udny, for several years. Mr. Barclay of Ury introduced 

 Clydesdales, as he introduced Teeswater cattle, and had good 

 success with both. A little later came the famous Comet race, the 

 best of which was the grey Comet (192), a winner at the Highland 

 and Agricultural Society show in 1856, and Lord Haddo (486), a 

 very notable horse, of the same line of breeding on the sire's side as 

 Largs Jock (444) and Sir Walter Scott (797). These gave a certain 

 stamp of Clydesdale character to the northern draught horse. 

 About thirty years afterwards this work was renewed with vigour, 

 so that at the present time it may safely be said that no district in 

 the country produces a larger proportion of genuine Clydesdales of 

 the highest class than Aberdeenshire, Morayshire, and the counties 

 between and adjacent. 



The historical outline here given undoubtedly goes to show that 

 the Clydesdale is largely a composite breed. There has been close 

 adherence to one type and one family of horses. Lanarkshire or 

 Clydesdale provided the home of these animals, which, however, 

 came to be more successfully bred away from the original head- 

 quarters. In various localities, from time to time, horses which 



