THE "STATELY WILLIAMSONS." 35 



to all domestic varieties of the ox), nor does he say whether 

 any or all were horned or hornless. He submitted his 

 " general view " of the breeds for correction to Mr George 

 Williamson, farmer, St John's Wells, Fyvie, Aberdeen- 

 shire, who was then " the principal cattle-dealer in the 

 north of Scotland," and who, with his two brothers, James 

 and Eobert, generally sold " about 8000 cattle yearly in 

 the markets of England and of the south of Scotland, of 

 which two-thirds are raised in this county." The Messrs 

 Williamson approved of the table, and supplied Dr Keith 

 with a great deal of information regarding the cattle trade. 

 They stated that " they decidedly prefer the true native 

 breed, unmixed, and raised by good keeping, to the mix- 

 ture of the Falkland or Fifeshire breed with that of this 

 county, and consider both these to be much superior to 

 the English or to any foreign breeds. . . . They consider 

 the small Highland cattle, which are generally bought by 

 inferior dealers, as too restless and impatient for feeding 

 well. They prefer the native low -country breed to the 

 larger ones, as they are most easily maintained, more hardy 

 in work, have flesh of the finest grain, and pay better in 

 proportion to the goodness of their keep." 



It should be noted that the testimony of the " Stately 

 Williamsons" (as they were familiarly called) carries 

 with it the very highest authority. Besides being largely 

 engaged in cattle-dealing, they also farmed extensively. 

 Dr Keith says : " They rent about 2000 Scotch acres of 

 land, besides 500 of grass rent, within the county. They 

 have at present [1810] about 200 acres of turnips em- 

 ployed in feeding as many black cattle and in rearing 400 

 cattle or winterers." Mr George Williamson in particular 

 was a man of great worth and enterprise. Over his grave 

 in the churchyard of Fyvie, Aberdeenshire, there is a 

 monument bearing the following inscription : " George 

 Williamson, late in St John's Wells, died 17th April 1823, 

 aged 75, on whose remains this monument was erected by 



