EARLY ENGLISH IMPROVERS 71 



the mottle to the white faces it is not so certain that 

 they regarded the latter as intrinsically superior. 

 On the contrary Wm. Tudge, late of Leinthall, in a 

 letter to the author says : 



"I have seen several of Hewer's bulls at different 

 times. I well remember seeing one called Above All 

 at an old Hereford breeder's place, that of Edward 

 Bowen of Corfton, South Shropshire. He wished us 

 particularly to see his bull, of which he was very 

 proud. This was a big and good bull, but his char- 

 acteristics did not quite please me, for he had a lot 

 of small ticks of- red in the white on his face and 

 forehand in the white on neck and brisket. When I 

 spoke about it the owner said, ' I like him all the bet- 

 ter for that, and so does old John Hewer. It is his 

 old Lofty cow's breed.' Hewer's son told me some 

 time afterwards that his father really liked this 

 strain best, although he liked his white-faced ones 

 also and was very particular in keeping to their 

 right crossings, and that he, like Mr. Thos. Jeffries, 

 kept very strictly to the white face and right mark- 

 ings for those." 



Knight of Downton Castle. Possessed of a fine 

 country seat, Thomas Andrew Knight (born 1759, 

 died 1838) was educated at Oxford University and 

 during a long series of years devoted the resources 

 of a well trained intellect to the advancement of 



"Incidental to this episode Mr. Tudge writes: "I had gone to 

 Mr. Bowen's as one of two judges of roots for the Ludlow Agri- 

 cultural Society along with another Hereford breeder, George 

 Roberts of Trippleton, Leintwardine. Mr. Bowen had entered for 

 the best six acres of swedes. It was a very wet day. Of course 

 the swedes were very wet, but he was very anxious we should 

 thoroughly see and measure them, and said, 'You are two sport- 

 ing gentlemen, but I will show you how to get your knees dry,' 

 for we were both riding. On returning, as soon as we dismounted, 

 the groom took our horses, the old gentleman himself brought 

 us some dry old hay to stuff in the knees of our breeches. We 

 were dry and comfortable directly. I have many times done this 

 since when out riding or shooting." 



