HISTOEY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



21 



($280) for the seven-year-old cow Diana (Mr. 

 Galliers); £50 (or $250) for the nine-year-old 

 cow Lovely (Mr. Galliers); £52 ($260) for the 

 three-year-old heifer Countess (Mr. Jones); £51 

 ($255) for the two-year-old heifer Tidy (Mr. 

 Galliers). A three-year-old bull No. 1, got by 

 a bull from Old Pigeon by the same sire, made 

 £82 ($410) (Mr. Griffiths). Among the other 

 purchasers were Mr. Smythies, Mr. Yeld, Mr. 

 Vevers, Mr. J. Moore^ etc. The average for 

 48 animals was over £30 (or $150). The final 

 sale was in October, 1854, one of the sisters 

 having, in the interval, died. The entire herd, 

 numbering 55 head, ''descended from that 

 peculiar blood- which has for three-fourths of 

 a century been the admiration of the county, 

 and which have upon former occasions realized 

 higher prices than any other breed of Here- 

 fords in the kingdom," was then dispersed. No 

 catalogue of this sale seems to have been 

 printed; the announcement having been made 

 on a "'broadside,'' specifying the numbers of 

 the various classes of stock, and there is no 

 note of prices. The auctioneer, however, 

 stated that the animals were purely descended 

 from the herd of the late Mr. Benjamin Tom- 

 kins, from whom the late Mr. Price of Ryall 

 obtained that breed of cattle which, at different 

 times, have been distributed through the 

 United Kingdom at enormous prices, particu- 

 lars of which will be found in "Eyton's Herd 

 Book.'" From a note in Vol. 1 of the Herd 

 Book it appears that it was the custom of the 

 Misses Tomkins to give the same names to their 

 cows through successive generations, and their 

 bulls — of which they were in the habit of keep- 

 ing four or five — were not distinguished by 

 names but by numbers. From these causes no 

 bulls or cows bred by them appear in the Herd 

 Book. We are informed that for some years 

 the Misses Tomkins had the advantage of Mr. 

 George Tomkins' assistance, but when he gave 

 up his farm in 1836 the herd does not seem to 

 have been so carefully managed, though the 

 system of close breeding was continued. 

 Doubtless the Misses Tomkins parted with the 

 best portion of their stock in 1819., and most 

 of the remainder in 1839; and between that 

 date and 1854, having only themselves and a 

 bailiff to depend upon, it was only to have been 

 expected that their herd should not continue 

 to possess the special merits by which it was 

 formerly characterized, and it may be from its 

 decadence that the idea has arisen, that Ben- 

 jamin Tomkins' stock had greatly deteriorated 

 before his death. 



Other members of the Tomkins family beside 

 the Misses Tomkins engaged in the breeding 



of Herefords. Among them may be mentioned 

 Mr. Richard Tomkins, Hyaft, Samesfield, a 

 brother of the wife of Benjamin Tomkins. He 

 was born in 1736 and died in 1819. After the 

 death of this gexitleman, his herd was sold in 

 April, 1819. We have the sale list but it is 

 unnecessary to print it in full. The prices were 

 very good for the times. A pair of oxen named 

 Summons and Merryman were sold for £80 

 ($400); another pair named Merchant and 

 Lightfoot sold for £60 ($300); Mr. Westcar 

 gave £50 ($250) for a pair of three-year-old 

 bullocks, and £48 10s ($240) for another pair. 

 Among the purchasers of breeding stock were 

 the Rev. Mr. Smythies, and Mr. Jones, Brem- 

 ton. Mr. Bray tells us that among Richard 

 Tomkins' stock were a good many of the 

 "hailed backed'' variety, and several of the 

 animals included in the sale are thus described 

 in the catalogue. The Rev. J. R. Smythies 

 purchased two "hail backed" heifers. 



George Tomkins of Frogdon, born 1740, died 

 1797, brother of Benjamin Tomkins, the 

 younger, had also a noted stock of Herefords, 

 and he is generally believed to have been a 

 remarkably good judge of stock. 



George Tomkins, son of the gentleman just 

 named, nephew of Benjamin Tomkins and a 

 trusted friend of Lord Talbot, also bred Here- 

 ford cattle. Born in 177G, he occupied the 

 farms of Wistaston and Frogdon. He gave up 

 the former farm to his son-in-law, Thos. Gal- 

 liers, in 1836, and then retired to the Green, 

 Norton Canon. The portrait of a cow, bred by 

 George Tomkins, was often pointed out by the 

 mother and father of T. T. Galliers, Wistas- 

 ton, as being a good representative of the Tom- 

 kins' "Silver-breed." This cow was purchased 

 by Mr. Peploe, of Garnestone Castle, and was a 

 favorite of his, being kept to a great age for 

 breeding. He had her painted by Weaver in 

 1814, when she was eight years old, and the 

 picture hung in Mr. Peploe's study during his 

 lifetime, and during that of his successor. Cap- 

 tain Peploe. When the Rev. J. B. Webb-Peploe 

 succeeded to the property he presented the oil 

 painting to the late Mrs. Galliers on her re- 

 questing permission to have a photo taken of 

 the portrait other father's'Silver cow. (^ 9) 

 This painting represents the Tomkins .Silver 

 variety of Herefords. Mr. T. A. Knight, of 

 Downton, obtained some of his stock from Mr. 

 Geo. Tomkins, who died in 1854, aged 79 

 years. 



Other members of the Tomkins family who 

 were breeders of the Hereford cattle were Rich- 

 ard Tomkins, of Dippers Moor, born 1757, 

 died 1800; William Tomkins, of Wormbridge, 



