66 A HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



was held at Oxford in 1839. Old Sovereign lived 15 

 years and was on hire at different times to some of 

 the best breeders of his day. 



To enumerate even a partial list of all the famous 

 individual cattle bred by John Hewer from his 

 father's stock would be to reproduce too much of 

 the early English record. On account of his fre- 

 quent removals he made many sales, the top figure 

 reached being 346/10s. for the four-year-old cow 

 Lady Byron. The bull Governor (464) was let at 

 100 the season, Favorite at 200 and Defiance 

 (416) at the same figure. As many as 35 bulls were 

 out on hire in a single year. Sovereign brought in 

 640/18s. in rentals, Lottery (410) returned 710, 

 Lottery 2d (408) 645/lls. and Defiance (416) 525. 

 Good prices were frequently realized at private 

 sales, -the bull Hampton (13) going at 500. In 1840 

 a lot was sold for shipment to Australia where one 

 of the bulls subsequently fetched 1,000 guineas. The 

 produce of the cow Lofty sold for 1,289. 



Some notable instances of longevity and fecundity 

 appear in the Hewer records. Eed Eose, by Chance, 

 was John Hewer's favorite cow. She lived to be 

 23 years old and John L. Hewer (son of the breeder) 

 says that he believes she produced 20 calves. When 

 17 years old she had twins to Governor (464). The 

 bull Berrington (435) is said to have sired stock at 

 21 years. Sovereign got Cotmore at 15 years and 

 Above All (2910) was useful up to 17 years. Sound 

 old stock that, one would say ! 



In Monmouth the land upon which the Hewer herd 



