178 A HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



cow class Mr. Baldwin won first with his now well 

 known and truly splendid Duchess of Bedford 2d, 

 daughter of Sir Thomas. In three-year-old heifers 

 he again had first with Miss Hastings 2d, another 

 daughter of Sir Thomas, this being her third first- 

 prize Royal win in succession more honor for the 

 Sir Benjamin blood. Her Majesty Queen Victoria 

 here won first prize on a yearling heifer, Princess 

 Mary by Deception, a son of Sir Benjamin. 



This was the last Royal show until Leicester in 

 1868, because after the successful meeting at Ply- 

 mouth came dire threat of an epidemic of cattle 

 plague, that fatal and contagious rinderpest which 

 had been imported from abroad and had swept off 

 whole herds, paralyzing all efforts to check it except 

 by slaughtering the cattle. Many a happy and pros- 

 perous homestead was completely ruined by its rav- 

 ages, Cheshire county and the dairy districts suf- 

 fering most. Only one lot of Herofords was at- 

 tacked, and that through the thoughtlessness of the 

 owner, Charles Vevers of Ivington, the breeder of 

 the bull Battersea.* Prompt measures on the part 



*Mr. Vevers lived only about three field-breadths from Mr. 

 Edwards' farm of Wintercott. Vever's mother-in-law, living near 

 Gloucester, wrote asking him to come at once, as her cattle were 

 dying-. He went to see them, and returning thoughtlessly went 

 amongst his own cattle without changing his clothing. Of course 

 his own herd was infected; many died and the others were con- 

 demned and slaughtered, and thereby a little story is told of Win- 

 tercott's application of the law of self-protection. 



Mr. Edwards was badly frightened. He had sold his valuable 

 Royal winners, including Adforton, and nearly all that were fit 

 to kill to the butcher, and kept a barrel of whitewash near the 

 house, continually using it about the premises. Vevers very 

 thoughtlessly sent one of his men to Wintercott to borrow a 

 couple of ropes. Edwards caught sight of him coming, steered 

 him to the whitewash cask, took him by the collar of his coat 

 and the seat of his "brigs," and put him in nearly up to his neck, 

 saying, "There, go home and tell your master to come here, and I 

 will serve him the same." 



