CHAP. I. HERDS OF WILD CATTLE. 7 



The following list shows the localities of all the herds remaining until 

 recent years in the British Isles, arranged according to the probable 

 order in time of their arrival at their several abodes : 



Chartley Park, near Uttoxeter, Staffordshire (the Earl Ferrers), 

 appears to have been enclosed by the middle of the thirteenth century. 

 This herd was dispersed in 1905, when it consisted of forty-three head. 



Chillingham Park, near Belford, Northumberland (the Earl of 

 Tankerville), seems to have been enclosed before the latter part of the 

 same century, and probably as early as (or even before) 1220; it 

 should therefore, perhaps, have been placed first. 



Cadzow Park, Hamilton, Lanarkshire (the Duke of Hamilton, K.T.). 

 Date of enclosure unknown, but the present park occupies a portion of 

 the old Caledonian Forest, in which Robert Bruce is traditionally 

 stated to have hunted the wild bull in 1320, and where, in 1500, 

 James IV. of Scotland took part in the same wild sport. 1 In June 

 1892 this herd numbered thirty-eight, including twenty-two cows, 

 eleven bulls, and five yearlings. 



Lyme Park, near Disley, Cheshire (W. J. Legh, Esq.), at the latter 

 part of the fourteenth century. Became extinct in or about 1884. 



Somerford Park, near Congleton, Cheshire (Sir Charles W. Shaker- 

 ley, Bart., C.B.). The cattle cannot be traced here more than about 

 200 years back, though it is possible they may have been here since 

 the original enclosure of the park. It is perhaps more likely that they 

 were brought in the seventeenth century from Middleton Park, Lanca- 

 shire, the herd here in turn having come, it is supposed, from Whalley 

 Abbey. 



The Middleton herd is now represented by off-shoots (to some extent 

 cross-bred, however, and now, like the Somerford herd, domesticated) 

 at Blickling, near Aylsham, Norfolk (the Marchioness of Lothian), and 

 at Woodbastwick Hall, near Norwich (A. Cator, Esq.). The cattle 

 were removed from Middleton about 1765 to Gunton Park, Norwich 

 (Lord Suffield), where they became extinct in 1853 ; but some had 

 meanwhile between 1798 and 1810 according to Storer been intro- 

 duced to Blickling, and others in 1840 were sold to Mr. Cator of 

 Woodbastwick. 



The herd at Vaynol, near Carnarvon (G. W. Duff-Assheton- 

 Sinith, Esq.), was started in 1872 from stock purchased from Sir John 



parks of the nobles, cannot be determined with certainty. It is, perhaps, more natural to 

 suppose that they were all domesticated, and not wild cattle. In later records, however, 

 wild cattle are particularly referred to by this name. " Six wylde bulls " are included in 

 the bill of fare on the occasion of the feast given at the installation of George Nevill, 

 Archbishop of York, in 1466. 



1 Sir Walter Scott has immortalised these cattle in his ballad of "Cadzow Castle" : 



" Mightiest of all the beasts of chase 



That roam in woody Caledon, 

 Crashing the forest in his race, 



The mountain bull comes thundering on. 



" Fierce, on the hunter's quivered hand, 



He rolls his eyes of swarthy glow, 

 Spurns with black hoof and horn the sand, 

 And tosses high his mane of snow." 



