St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1886-09-25
SHORT-HCRN CATTLE.
Probable Origin of This Famous Breed of
BeefProducing Animals.

mote origin. For some centuries pre-
vious to the conquest of England by
the first William, in the year 1865, the
warlike Scandnavians of Denmark
and Sweden had made frequent preda-
tory incursions into Northumbria. The
object of these incursions was con-
quest. plumber, trade and subsection Of
the BritOns to their rule and domina-
ton. Many of the marauders settled in
Northumbria, and became incorporated
with the natives by marriage and sue
cessiOn of their families, and so re-
manned until the invading forces were
driven back to their own shores under
the power OF the new conqUeror. AS
consequence of the Scandinavian inva-
sions commerce between them and the
Northumbrians became frequent, and
the cattle of the neighboring continent
Were more or less introduced on to
British soil. So far as we can learn
from imperfect history and tradition,
those cattle were large in size, short
in the horns. rather coarse frames, the
COWS giving abundance Of milk, and.
when fattened for slaughter. heavy
weights of beef of rather coarse quail
ty. Their colors were either pure
white, or pale red. or red and white
more or less intermiXcd into roam. or
brindled. sometimes red, no other
colors prevailing.
1t has been from that ancient stock,
in all probability, that the grand breed
~ q !, 4 l.I
The ancestors 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 striking evil
dence of the existence of these cattle
at an early date is now seen in 4 piece
of statuary i'll an arched niche of Dur
ham Cathedral, twenty feet or
more above the ground. The
figures are fair resemblance Of
a short-horn COW of her day with
two milkmaids attending. The pres
ent sculpture is of comparatively
modern date, probably between the
years 1890 and 1900, when some parts
Of the tower were taken out and re-
paired. The original statue was too
much broken to be replaced, and the
present one is said to be an exact copy
Of the original. Even this has been
somewhat mutilated. The cathedral
was finished about the year 1900.
Why the statue was so inserted in
the tower is explained by an ancient
monkish legand existing some centuries
previous to its original erection. Its
condensed account may be given as
follows:
'St. Cuthbert, famed for royal de-
scent and many great virtues, died on
on the Goth of March, 6S7, and was
buried in Holy Island-a meet place
for so worthy and sanctified a man.
There his body rested for two hundred
years, but fearing it would be disturbed
by the devastations of the Danes, it
was eXhumed for reinterment a few
miles from Dunholme (now Durham),
where it remained for one hundred
and thirteen years. Then the remains
were removed to Ripon, in Yorkshire,
and after four months again taken for
a final resting place to Dunholme. On
their way thither, Bishop Aldwinus
and the monks having charge of the
removal, when a few miles from their
destination, lost their way, when they
stopped in despair, not knowing eX-
actly where Dunholme lay. Soon,
however. they heard woman calling
to another whom she met that her cow
had strayed away, and asked if she
had seen her. Yes, she replied, Just
beyond Dunholme' Thus guided by
the woman, they found their way, and
deposited the remains in rude tenn
porary cathedral, constructed for the
purpose, until the year 1898. when the
cornerstone of the present cathedral
was laid"
The statue may be criticised as not
correctly a modern short
horn COW, but as it does not represent
0ne of any other known breed, it
affords quite probable evidence of that
1t an early period. The agriculture of
England for some centuries after the
Conquest was rude, and progressive
breeding was in like condition.
The clergy and monks of those early
lays were altogether superior in learn
ng to the better classes of the people
'r even the nobility, and as they had APP
many Of the choicest selec-
ions of land on which to build the
and abbeys, it may be sup
posed that the limited agriculture in
which they engaged was of much
higher order than that of the rude
around them, that they also
cultivated better taste in their do
nesticated animals, and adopting the
hort-horn cattle as their models, i'm
proved their qualities to considerable
xtent. The noblemen Ct their vicini-
les may have profted by their ex-
mple, and as time progressed, an in
rease in the good qualities of their
attic might have followed to a time |