246 WILD WHITE CATTLE. 



tradition with regard to the origin of this herd exists ; 

 for its appearance, according to Mr. Storer, bespeaks 

 great antiquity. In answer to inquiries on the 

 subject, the present owner, Sir Charles Shakerley, 

 replied : " We have no history of how they came, or 

 how long they have been here. I am of the third 

 generation which has known nothing about them. 

 The tradition is, they have been here two hundred 

 years." It is quite possible that, like those at Lyme 

 and Chartley, they may have been originally wild in 

 the adjacent forest, and were driven in to the park 

 when it was first inclosed. On the other hand, being 

 of the same race as those at Middleton, they may 

 have come originally from Shakerley, only a few 

 miles distant from Middleton and Blakeley. 



Whalley Abbey, Lancashire, had a park 

 attached, which was originally part of the Forest of 

 Bowland (granted by Edward VI. to a branch of the 

 family of Assheton), and until 1697 contained a herd 

 of white wild cattle, which were polled. Some of 

 these, according to tradition, were in that year sent 

 to Gisburne Park, as above mentioned, where they 

 existed until 1859 ; the remainder being transferred 

 to Middleton Hall, where, after the death of the 

 fourth Lord of Sheffield in 1853, they were no longer 

 preserved. 



WbLLATON Park, Nottinghamshire, belonging to 

 the family of Willoughby, Baron Middleton, was 

 formerly part of Sherwood Forest, and held white 

 cattle until about fifty years ago.* In 1790 Bewick 



* See Thoroton, " Antiquities of Nottinghamshire," 1677, pi. 7, and 

 Throsby's edition of this work, 1790, vol. ii. p. 214, pi. 27. 



