Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-08-27
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
ORIGIN OF SHORT-HORH CATTLE.

his noble breed oil D0VlneSS is OF
remote origin. For some centuries
previous to the conquest of Eng
and by the first William, in the
year 1865, the warlike Scandina.
vians of Denmark and Sweden had
made frequent predatory incursions
for conquest, plumber, trade, and
subsection of the Britons to their
rule and domination. Many Of the
marauders settled In Northumbria,
aud became incorporated with the
natives by marriage and succession
of their families, and so remained
until the invading forces were dnv'
en- back to their own shores under
the power of the new conqueror'
AS a consequence of the Scandna'
Wan invasiOns commerce between
them and the NOrthumbrians be.
came frequent, and the cattle of the
neigbboring continent were more
or less introduced on TO British
soil. So far as we can learn from
imperfect history and tradition,
those cattle we're large in size, short
in the horns, rather coarse frames,
the cows giving abundance of milk,
and, when fatted for slaughter,
heavy weights of beef OF rather
coarse quality. Their colors were
either pure white, or pale red, or
red and white more or less inter.
mixed into roam, or brindled, some
times red, no other colOrs prevail
ing.
1t has been from that ancient
stock, in all probability, that the
grand breed of improved short
horns has descended. The ances,
tors Of them trace to no other parts
of England than the counties of
ancient NorthumbrIa, where the
Scandinavians held rule previous
to the Norman Conquest. A strik-
ing evidence of the existence of
these cattle at an early date is now
seen in a piece of statuary in an
arched niche of Durham Cathedral,
twenty feet or more above the
ground. The figures are a fair re.
semblence of a short-horn COW of
her day with two milkmalds at
tending. The present sculpture is
of comparatively modern date,
probably between the years 1870
and 1900, when some parts of the
tower we're taken out and repaired.
The original statue was too much
broken to be replaced, and the pres.
eDt one is said to be an exact copy
of the original. Even this has been
somewhat mutilated. The cathe-
dral was finished about the year
1900.
Why the statue was so inserted
In the tower is explained by an an
cient monkish legend existing some
centuries previous to Its original
It's condensed account
nay be given as follows:
asst. Cuthbert, famed for royal
lescent and many great virtues,
lied on the Goth of March, 6S7, and
vas buried in Holy Island--a meet
,lace for so worthy and sanctiied !
! man. There his body rested for |
wo hundred years, but fearing it
would be disturbed by the devasta-
ions of the Danes, it was exhumed |
or refinement a few miles from
)unholme (now Durham), where it
emained for one hundred and thir-
cen years. Then the remains we're
emoved to Ripon, in Yorkshire,
nd after four months again taken
or a final resting place to Dun
olme. On their way thlther,
Bishop Aldwinns and the monks.
aving charge of the removal, when
few miles from their destination,
ost their way, when they stopped
il despair, not knowing exactly
there Dunholme lay. Soon, how
yer, they heard a woman calling to
mother whom she met that her
ow had strayed away, and asked
she had seen her. eyes," was
be reply; "just beyond Dunholme."
'hus guided by the woman, they
ound their way, and deposited the
emains in rude temporary cathe-
raj, constructed for the purpose,
ntil the year 1903, when the cor
er-stone of the present cathedral
as laid"
This statue may be criticised as
OF representing correctly a mod
70 sbort.horn COW, but as it does
Of represent one of any other
nown breed, it affords quite prob
Die evidence Of that at an early I
sriod. The agriculture of England {
T some centuries after the Con- '
lest was rude, and progressive Q
ock. breeding was in a like condi- t
IN. The clergy and monks of a
ose early days we're altogether 8
perior in learning to the better o
asses of the people or even the u
bility, and as they had appro- Il
lated many of the choicest Sc l.
,tions of land on which to build
D monasteries and abbeys, it may
supposed that the limited agri- ii
Itur in which they engaged was it
a much higher order than that of o
, rude peasantry around them, re
Vt they also cultivated a better CT
to in their domesticsted animals, NJ
/ adopting the short-horn cattle pi