Shorthorns  in  Scotland  and  Ireland. 
87 
properties  sought  for  were  obtained.  The  late  Mr.  Alexander  Hay,  of  Shethin, 
Tarves,  Aberdeenshire,  accompanied  Captain  Barclay  to  Mr.  Bennie’s  sale 
in  1827,  and  secured  the  four-year-old  white  bull  “Jerry”  for  31  guineas. 
“Jerry”  was  a most  active  and  impressive  sire,  and  did  a great  deal  to 
improve  the  cattle  of  the  district.  His  stock  created  speculation  throughout 
the  county,  and  his  sons  were  eagerly  sought  alter  for  crossing  with  the 
cattle  of  other  parts.  He  afterwards  became  the  property  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Douglass,  who  occupied  the  farm  of  Auchterellon  in  the  same  neighbourhood, 
and  who  had  been  associated  with  Mr.  Hay  in  the  original  purchase.  “ Jerry  ” 
was  remarkably  well  bred.  His  own  sire  was  R.  Coding’s  closely  in-bred 
“Barrapton”  (54),  hired  by  Mr.  Robertson,  of  Ladykirk,  at  160  guineas 
per  season,  and  not  only  out  of  a daughter  and  grand-daughter  of  “ Favourite  ” 
(252),  but  also  got  by  a son  and  grandson  of  that  famous  sire.  Then  “ Jerry’s  ” 
dam  was  got  by  C.  Coding's  “ Wellington”  (679),  whose  dam  was  “ Peeress,” 
by  “Favourite”  (252),  out  of  “Old  Cherry,”  and  whose  sire  was  the  1000 
guinea  bull  “Comet”  (155),  while  “Comet,”  the  son  of  “Favourite”  (252), 
was  also  the  sire  of  “Jerry’s”  grandam.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  in 
“Jerry”  the  blood  of  “Favourite”  (252)  predominated  in  a greatly  con- 
centrated form.  No  wonder  that  he  effected  a vast  improvement  in  the 
Aberdeenshire  stock  to  which  he  was  introduced. 
In  1835  Mr.  William  Hay,  brother  to  Mr.  Alexander  Hay,  formed  a Short- 
horn herd  at  Shethin,  drawing  a good  deal  of  material  from  Ury.  For  several 
years  at  the  outset  he  used  bulls  inheriting  the  blood  of  Captain  Barclay’s 
“ Monarch  ” (4495).  “ Kelly  the  2nd  ” (9265)  and  his  son,  “ The  Hero  ” 
(10,934),  were  notable  sires,  and  produced  a large  number  of  very  fine  heifers. 
At  the  Kirklevington  sale,  on  the  9th  of  May,  1850,  Mr.  Hay  purchased 
“Grand  Duke”  (10,284)  for  215  guineas,  the  highest  price  of  the  sale,  and 
also  secured  “Waterloo  13th”  for  71  guineas.  “Grand  Duke”  did  not 
fulfil  expectations,  and  so,  at  the  purchase  price,  he  was  soon  after  sold  to 
Mr.  Bolden,  with  whom  he  did  service  of  immense  value.  ■ As  a successor  to 
“ Grand  Duke,”  Mr.  Hay  purchased  “ Red  Knight”  (11,976),  for  110  guineas, 
at  the  Killerby  sale  in  1852  ; but  he  too  was  less  successful  than  could  have 
been  wished.  Among  the  other  sires  used  at  Shethin  was  Mr.  Bolden’s 
“ Cherry  Duke  the  2nd  ” (14,265),  bought  at'  Mr.  Atherton’s  sale  at  Chapel 
House,  near  Liverpool,  in  March  1858  for  205  guineas.  From  Shethin  this 
bull  went  to  Rossie  Priory,  Inchture.  The  Shethin  herd,  which  for  some 
time  bad  been  carried  on  by  Mr.  Shepherd,  Mr.  Hay’s  son-in-law,  was  dis- 
persed in  1863.  The  majority  of  the  animals  were  retained  in  the  north, 
where  the  herd  had  done  much  good.  Some  “ Waterloo  ” females  went  into 
the  herds  of  Lord  Penrhyn  and  Sir  Wilfrid  Lawson. 
Improved  Shorthorns  were  introduced  to  Brangan,  in  the  Banff  district,  in 
1829.  In  1831  the  late  Mr.  Andrew  Longmore,  of  Rettie,  near  Banff,  purchased 
a son  of  the  Phantassie  bull  “Jerry,”  and  used  him  with  good  results 
amongst  the  common  stock  then  on  the  farm.  Three  years  later,  Mr.  Long- 
more  iounded  a herd  of  Shorthorns,  and  continued  Shorthorn  breeding  till  his 
death  in  1880.  He  was  very  successful  in  the  raising  of  bulls  ; and  through 
the  spreading  of  these  throughout  the  northern  counties  the  improvement  of 
the  general  stock  of  cattle  was  greatly  promoted.  Public  sales  of  bulls  and 
other  animals  were  held  annually  at  Rettie,  from  1847  till  the  dispersion  of 
the  herd  in  1881.  For  bulls  the  average  prices,  as  a rule,  ranged  from  28  to  35 
guineas  per  head.  The  highest  average  was  obtained  in  1857,  when  ten  young 
bulls  brought  55 1.  13s.  a-head. 
’1  he  late  Mr.  Grant  Duff,  of  Eden,  made  his  first  purchase  of  Shorthorns  in 
1836.  Three  years  later  he  founded  a pure-bred  herd  with  five  females  and 
the  Crofton  bull  “The  Peer”  (5455),  all  obtained  at  the  sale  of  Mr.  J.  Chrisp 
of  Doddington,  Northumberland ; and  three  cows  bought  from  the  Earl  of 
