Lon^/horn Cattle : their History and Peculiarities. 4G1 
districts with the view of effecting improvements in the coarser 
herds, rather than as the spot from which the whole race of 
Longhorns first sprung. 
V\ herever he may have originally come from, I can only trace 
the history of the Longhorn with any accuracy from the northern 
parts of Leicestershire, and the adjacent county of Derbyshire. 
He seems to have been first brought to perfection on the borders 
of the wild district known as Charnwood Forest, which, at the 
time these cattle first came into notoriety, was probably as wild 
and uncultivated as any spot to be found in England. Right 
well do the picturesque cattle match with its sylvan beautv, and 
I am almost tempted at times to think that the early improvers 
of the breed must have taken them in hand, as much with an 
eye to general fitness of things as for the sake of beef and cheese. 
However, that could scarcely be, for it is not likely that, pioneers 
as they were in the road of agricultural improvements, these 
practical hard-headed yeomen had any very pronounced a?sthetic 
taste, or that they were as much influenced by the appearance 
as the utility of their cattle. !N evertheless, it is a singular co- 
incidence that perhaps the only English breed of cattle which 
would come well into the foreground of a wild rugged landscape 
should have found its home in such a locality. The earliest 
name I have met with in connection with improvements in the 
breed is that of Sir Thomas Gresley, of Drakelow House, Burton, 
" who took such delight in keeping a dairy of cows similar in 
colour and shape," as early as 1720, and consequently years 
before Bakewell became a name of note amongst Longhorn 
breeders. To Sir Thomas most of those who wished to improve 
their herds had recourse, and the generality of Longhorn cattle 
of note trace back to him. A blacksmith, Welby by name, who 
lived at Linton, just on the borders of Derbyshire and Leicester- 
shire, appears to have laboured most successfully for the improve- 
ment of the breed on the lines laid down by Sir Thomas, until 
disease came and swept the unfortunate man's herd entirely 
away. Webster of Canlev, near Coventry, next comes on the 
scene. He used the Drakelow stock, and crossed them with 
balls from Cumberland and Westmoreland, which counties must 
have had pretty good herds at that early day ; and, strange 
to say, of late years I have found some of the best breeders 
taking exactly a similar course, and going to those districts to 
procure bulls. Webster's best bull was " Bloxidge," who was the 
sire of some very remarkable stock. Bakewell laid the founda- 
tion of his herd with a couple of Canley heifers and, like 
U'ebster, a Westmoreland bull, so here we get the line direct to 
Sir Thomas Gresley's herd, and from him the blood was imparted 
jto nearly all the herds of the country. 
Ill 
