80 
Shorthoi'ns  in  Scotland  and  Ireland. 
were  in  his  opinion  “the  best  of  the  respective  stocks  of  these  gentlemen.-’ 
The  prices  paid  for  the  females  varied  from  twenty  to  fifty  guineas,  and  for 
the  hulls  forty  guineas  each — sufficient  guarantee  of  the  high  opinion  this  in- 
telligent young  Scotchmen  had  formed  of  Shorthorn  cattle  on  the  occasion  of  his 
first  visit  to  their  native  district.  That  Mr.  Robertson  made  his  selections 
with  great  skill  and  enterprise  is  attested  by  the  fact  that  the  names  of  many 
of  the  animals  he  imported  into  Scotland  lie  in  close  association  with  the 
fountain-head  of  highly  esteemed  existing  strains. 
It  is  acknowledged  that  the  history  of  Shorthorn-breeding  dates  from  the 
purchase  of  two  females  by  Charles  Colling  from  Mr.  Maynard,  Eryholme,  in 
the  year  1783.  These  auimals  were  “ Favourite  ” (“  Lady  Maynard  ”),  by  “ R. 
Alcock’s  Bull  ” (19),  and  her  daughter,  “ Strawberry”  (“  Young  Strawberry  ”), 
by  “ Dalton  Duke  ” (188).  “ Strawberry  ” was  then  a young  heifer,  and  cost,  it 
is  said,  only  ten  guineas.  When  well  up  in  years,  she  was  sold  to  Mr.  Robertson 
for  twenty-five  guineas,  and  thus  one  half  of  the  memorable  “purchase”  with 
which  the  systematic  breeding  of  Shorthorns  commenced  ultimately  passed 
into  Scotland.  Among  the  other  females  bought  by  Mr.  Robertson  were 
C.  Colling’s  “ Mary,”  half-sister  to  “ Strawberry,”  and  own  sister  to  “ Phoenix” 
(the  dam  of  the  bull  “Favourite”  (252)  ),  being  out  of  “Favourite,”  alias 
“ Lady  Maynard,”  and  got  by  “ Foljambe  ” (263)  ; C.  Colling’s  “ Delight,”  by 
“ Foljambe  ” (263) ; and  R.  Colling’s  “ Broadhooks,”  by  “Hubback”  (319), 
and  out  of  a cow  got  by  “ Dalton  Duke  ” (188).  Along  with  “ Strawberry,” 
her  half-brother,  Lady  Maynard’s  bull  (356),  then  sucking  “Strawberry,” 
went  to  Ladykirk.  This  calf,  got  by  C.  Colling’s  “Lame  Bull”  (357), 
cost  Mr.  Robertson  the  modest  sum  of  five  guineas,  and  during  two  seasons, 
1794-5,  he  was  used  at  Ladykirk.  The  price  paid  for  “Mary”  was  thirty 
guineas. 
The  first  sire  purchased  and  used  (1790)  by  Mr.  Robertson  was  the 
“Newton  Bull,”  bred  by  Mr.  John  Charge,  Newton,  and  got  by  “Dalton 
Duke  ” (188)  (Maynard’s  bull).  There  are  good  grounds  for  the  belief 
that  the  “ Newton  Bull  ” is  the  animal  entered  in  the  Herd  Book  as  “ Lady- 
kirk” (385).  In  the  following  year,  1791,  he  was  succeeded  by  Colling’s 
“Lame  Bull”  (357),  got  by  a son  of  “Dalton  Duke,”  Mr.  James  Brown’s 
“ White  Bull  ” (98),  and  out  of  a cow  of  Charge’s.  Thereafter,  the  principal 
sires  imported  and  used  at  Ladykirk  were, in  1796,  “ Punch”  (351  ),by  “ Broken- 
horned Bull”  (95),  hired  from  R.  Colling  at  thirty-five  guineas  per  season; 
1810,  “Wellington”  (679),  got  by  “Comet”  (155),  out  of  “Peeress,” 
by  “ Favourite  ” (252),  grand-dam  “ Cherry,”  hired  from  his  breeder, 
C.  Colling,  at  forty  guineas  per  season ; 1813,  “ Midas  ” (435),  hired  from 
his  breeder,  R.  Colling,  for  100  guineas  per  season,  out  of  “ Red  Rose,”  by 
“ Favourite  ” (252),  and  got  by  “ Phenomenon  ” (491),  whese  dam,  by 
“ Punch  ” (351),  was  the  grand-dam  of  “ Comet  ” (155),  and  “ North  Star  ” 
(458);  1817,  “Barmpton”  (54),  hired  from  his  breeder,  II.  Colling,  at 
160  guineas  per  season ; out  of  “ Moss  Rose,”  by  “ Favourite  ” (252),  and 
got  by  “ George”  (275),  whose  sire  was  “ Favourite”  (252),  and  whose  dam 
and  grand-dam  were  got  by  the  same  sire ; and  1830,  “ Sultan  ” (631),  bred 
by  General  Simpson,  Pitcorthie,  Fifeshire,  and  bought  from  Mr.  Jobson ; out 
of  “Phoenix,”  by  C.  Colling’s  “North  Star”  (458),  and  got  by  Jupiter,  also 
got  by  “North  Star,”  and  out  of  a cow,  by  “Punch”  (351),  grand-dam,  by 
“ Favourite  ” (252).  About  1820  or  1821  Mr.  Robertson  sent  seven  of  his 
best  heifers  to  Mason’s  “Cato”  (119),  and  one  to  his  sire,  “Charles”  (127); 
but  the  experiment  was  not  satisfactory,  for  he  states  that  the  produce 
differed  from  his  own  stock  in  being  coarser  and  not  good  handlers. 
In  1831  the  Ladykirk  herd  was  dispersed  by  public  auction,  in  consequence  of 
the  death  of  its  owner.  Long  before  this  the  herd  had  earned  a wide  reputa- 
tion. Breeders  had  come  to  set  a high  value  upon  its  principal  strains,  and 
