HISTORY OF. HEREFORD CATTLE 



CHAPTER I. 



FOUNDATION HEREFORD HERDS 



In the year 1627, John Speed published a 

 work on England, Wales, and Scotland, in 

 which he says of Herefordshire, "the climate 

 is most healthful and the soil so fertile for 

 corn and cattle that no place in England yield- 

 eth more or better conditioned." (fl 1) 



Starting from this data, it is fair to presume 

 that the cattle of Herefordshire should im- 

 prove, and that Mr. Benjamin Tomkins, who 

 commenced the breeding of Herefords in the 

 year 1742, should have found a class of cattle 

 of great merit. (j[ 2) It is well here to give 

 an account of the Tomkins family. 



The Tomkins of Weobley were of considera- 

 ble note and position in its neighborhood, prior 

 to the civil war of Charles the First, but being 

 enthusiastic Royalists, they suffered much, in 

 consequence of that monarch's overthrow. 



They were distinguished in music and paint- 

 ing, being patronized in both arts by royalty, 

 and the leading members of the House; they 

 were great and consistent politicians, for many 

 generations, representing Leominster and 

 Weobley in Parliament. 



. At successive periods during the seventeenth 

 century, the branch from which the dis- 

 tinguished cattle breeder sprang was known 

 as Tomkins of Garnestone, a considerable do- 

 main, situated immediately south of Weobley, 

 which belonged to James Tomkins, Lord of 

 Weobley, and M. P. for Leominster from 1623 

 to 1628, who was much esteemed as a country 

 gentleman and noted debater in the House of 

 Commons. 



In the beginning of the eighteenth century, 

 was one Richard Tomkins, of the New House, 

 King's-Pyon parish (|[ 3), who spent his life 

 there, and became a very successful farmer 

 and breeder of work oxen. In his will in 1720, 

 he bequeathed a yoke of oxen, called Spark and 

 Merchant, to his son Richard, and a cow Silver 

 and calf to his son Benjamin. Richard Tom- 

 kins died in 1723, leaving six sons and one 

 daughter. Five of his sons established them- 

 selves as farmers in the immediate neighbor- 



hood. The fourth son, the first distinguished 

 cattle breeder, "Benjamin Tomkins the elder," 

 was born at the New House, King's-Pyon, in 

 1714, and commenced business at the Court 

 House, Canon Pyon, about 1738. He married 

 Anne Preece of Alton, in 1742, and subse- 

 quently moved to Wellington Court in 1758, 

 where he died in 1789, leaving six children, 

 four sons and two daughters. Of these four 

 sons, Benjamin, who has been credited as the 

 noted breeder and improver of the Hereford 

 breed of cattle, was the second son of Benjamin 

 of the Court House and Wellington Court, and 

 from Richard of New House to Benjamin in- 

 clusive, there were ten of the sons and grand- 

 sons, who were all farmers and probably 

 breeders of Hereford cattle. 



Benjamin Tomkins, (ft 4) the renowned 

 breeder, was the second son of Benjamin Tom- 

 kins of Court House, Canon Pyon, where he 

 was born in 1745 and commenced farming at 

 Black Hall, (fl 5) King's-Pyon, in 1766. He 

 married in 1772, his cousin Sarah, second 

 daughter of Richard Tomkins of the Grange, 

 Wormsley. He occupied Black Hall until 

 1798 when he sub-let it to his nephew, George 

 Tomkins, Jr., of Frogdon, and removed to 

 Wellington Court, which he held as a bytake, 

 from his father's death. 



In 1812 he gave up Wellington Court and 

 went to reside at his own place, Brook House, 

 (ff 6) King's-Pyon, where he died in 1815. 

 From James Tomkins, Lord of Weobley, who 

 was active in politics in 1623-8, to Richard, 

 who commenced farming at New House, 

 King's-Pyon, and died in 1723 nearly one 

 hundred years we are without a record. 



Returning to Mr. Benjamin Tomkins, the 

 younger, who commenced the improvement of 

 the Herefords in 1766, we have very little in- 

 formation as to the course he pursued, except 

 that his cattle obtained a very enviable reputa- 

 tion among breeders, and brought large prices 

 from some of the best breeders during his time. 

 At one time he took twenty cows to Hereford- 



