Herefordshire Through Time - Welcome

The history of Hereford cattleThe Hereford has evolved from the indigenous Red Cattle, which roamed the Welsh Border counties and the western extremities of England. The exact origins of the Hereford are unknown but it is generally agreed that it was founded on the draught ox descended from the small red cattle of Roman Britain and from a large Welsh breed once numerous along the border of England and WalesThe Domesday Survey of 1086 records the existence of a group of people known as oxmen, and they appear particularly on the Welsh Border. Oxmen, who were just slightly higher in social status than serfs, were men whose job it was to look after the ox-ploughing teams.The oxen that the medieval oxmen kept would have been locally bred. From the 15th century cattle movement in and out of the county and cross breeding became more frequent. Over many generations the climate and clay soils, together with the general poverty of Herefordshire, meant that the main crop was grass, so the cattle...