These creatures were hunted by prehistoric man untill about 9,000 years ago when he started to domesticate them not only for their meat, milk and hides, but also as beasts of burden.

A succession of invaders over many centuries brought their own breeds of cattle into the British Isles with them. The Romans brought improved dairy strains from the Mediterranean. The Anglo-Saxons brought their own large red cattle.

The rapid growth of towns in the 17th century provided new markets for beef and led to attempts to produce better beef cattle by cross-breeding. It was not, however, until the end of the 18th century that a Leicestershire farmer, Robert Bakewell, poineered improvements in Longhorn cattle by inbreeding. Where Bakewell led the way, two brothers of County Durham follwed; Robert and Charles Colling tried to produce better beef animals by inbreeding shorthorns.

The importation of cattle breeds into the British Isles di not cease and among the more recent introductions are the French Charolais which began to appear in the ealry 1960's and the Swiss Simmental which began to arrive in large numbers a decade later.

Some twenty breeds are now commonly kept in the British Isles and these are classified into three types; [[beef]], dairy and dual-purpose cattle.

BEEF CATTLE
Aberdeen Angus   Beef Shorthorn   Charolais   Devon   Galloway   Hereford   Highland   Lincoln Red   Red Devon   Sussex  

DAIRY CATTLE
Ayrshire   Dairy Shorthorn   Friesian   Guernsey   Jersey   Kerry  

DUAL-PURPOSE CATTLE
Belted Galloway   Dexter   Red Poll   Simmental   South Devon   Welsh Black  

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