HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



23 



William Galliers, of Frogdon, remembers some 

 animals of the mottled-face variety being at 

 Oxhouse. She believes that at first a portion 

 of the Galliers cattle were more or less mottle- 

 faced, but they gradually assumed the red 

 with white face markings, and by selection, 

 they ultimately became wholly of that color. 

 There can, in her opinion, be no doubt that her 

 grandfather won his prizes with white-faced 

 animals. 



Some notes taken from a memorandum book 

 belonging to Mr. William Galliers, of Frogdon, 

 show that in 1775 an ox weighed 80 st. 4 Ibs. 

 (1,124 Ibs.); while in 1787 an ox weighed 89 st. 

 11 Ibs. (1,257 Ibs.), and a cow weighed 84 st. 

 9 Ibs. (1,185 Ibs.). He seems to have sold his 

 cattle by weight, at 4d per pound, off grass. 



Benjamin Tomkins, the elder, began farming 

 in 1738 and died in 1789. 



William Galliers was born in 1713 (a year 

 earlier than Benjamin Tomkins, the elder,) and 

 died in 1779, ten years earlier than B. Tom- 

 kins, the elder; thus the two men were breed- 

 ers for forty years or more. Mr. B. Tomkins, 

 starting in 1766, was a breeder for 23 years by 

 the side of his father, and for 13 years beside 



Mr. Galliers. John Galliers continued breed- 

 ing from this date, after his father's death, until 

 October 15th, 1795. 



It will be seen from this date that the Tom- 

 kins family had been breeders of Hereford cat- 

 tle for a century or more; and it is true, prob- 

 ably, from the time of Speed in 1627, that 

 Herefordshire had many farmers who were 

 breeders of cattle of a quality equal to the best 

 that went into London market. 



John Duncomb, Secretary of the Hereford 

 Agricultural Society, and Historian of the 

 county, says: "The cattle of Herefordshire 

 have long been esteemed superior to most, if 

 not all, other breeds in the Island. Those of 

 Devonshire and Sussex approach the nearest to 

 them in general appearance. A large size and 

 athletic form and unusual neatness, character- 

 ize the true sort. The. prevailing color is a red- 

 dish brown with white face. They are shod 

 with iron in situations which frequently re- 

 quire their exertion on hard roads. 



"The showing of oxen in thriving condition, 

 at Michaelmas Fair, in Hereford, cannot be ex- 

 ceeded by any similar collection in England. 

 On this occasion they are generally sold to the 



HOUSE, KING'S-PYON, HEREFORDSHIRE. 



