Herens bull

Here is a cut and paste of a Herens bull from Switzerland. This is also a genetic cousin of the Kerry cow. I guess you can say the genetic root of the "celtic cow" may have started with the genetic root of the Celtic people?

From the hand holding the bull, I'd think they aren't overly large animals. I grabbed this late at night once a while back. Thought I'd ad it to the mix for those researching the genetic make up of the celtic cattle breeds.


It would also be nice to see if someone can find more about the two migrations of people from Ireland and Kernowek (Cornwall) to Brittany and see if there is anything more about the influence of the Britonne and Irish breeds.

Also the Devon may be mixed up in this due to the celtic people from there being driven back into Cornwall and then out some time ago. Again, rusty history rattling in the back of my head today, but worth looking into how that breed went into influencing the other breeds or back the other way...

In an old book I have West Country Stories by A.L. Rowse he notes (pg 103) "The deer-parks were a very important part in the economy of the Duchy. When it was constituted there were seven: Kerrybullock (now Stokeclimsland), with 150 deer....With movement for enclosure that grew strong in the sixteenth century, Henry VIII decided to dispark the Duchy parks and turn them more profitably into pasture. It is the site of Kerrybullock Park, in the parish of Stokeclimsland, that the large Duchy farm now occupies..."

Laurence Gilley has scanned books on the M. Devon breed for the Milking Devon web site. You can run through some of them. One notes that the Cornish version of the M. Devon is not so pure and has influences of other breeds. I'd have to go back and see which one it was. Not very kind about the Cornish influence, but British history has never been overly kind toward any Celtic people, let it be Ireland or Cornwall.

Dexer Kerry Alderney and Brettone cow comparason

Again, some phtots from Patti Adams regarding the comparason of phenotypes of Dexter, Kerry, Alderney and Breton cattle.

Alderney Cow Dexter Cow Bretone Cow

Bretonne Cow Kerry Cow Dexter Cow

Comparing Dexter Kerry and Alderney bulls

Images Patti forwarded in a comparason of Dexter, Kerry and Alderney cattle. We will also explore Brettone in this mix with the cows in the next post. Just a phenotype comparison. Also note the influence of the Alderney in the development of another popular dairy breed, the Ayrshire...

Dexter Bull - Cool Hand Luke of Dog Run (Judy Sponaugle's previous herd bull):

Alderney Bull:

Kerry Bull: Kelmscott's Seamus:

North Oaks Farm

It is about time I put some of Patti Adam's research on this blog. She is the one to draw my attention to North Oaks Farm and James J. Hill.

Below are some of the links to information about him. He never registered any of his Kerry cattle with the American Association. Charles Plumb did note MN and MO breeders of notable Kerry cattle and they do not show up in the herd book or bulletins. Mr. Hill also had a number of other breeds of cattle.

http://www.jjhill.org/history/photo_results.cfm?Simple=True&SearchTerm=North+Oaks+farm&GO=Go&chk_jj=1&offset=1

There is also a book on Google Books called "Lessons of My Farm" from 1862. She sent me scans of pages of interest that suggested a link to the Alderney Cattle in the development of Irish breeds. It is in word and I will try to convert to a format the blog likes. That or I will go back and find it and provide to the link.