English Longhorn

The Longhorn or British Longhorn is a British breed of beef cattle characterised by long curving horns. It originated in northern England, in the counties of Lancashire, Westmorland and Yorkshire, and later spread to the English Midlands and to Ireland. It was originally a slow heavy draught animal; cows gave a little milk, although high in fat. In the eighteenth century Robert Bakewell applied his methods of selective breeding to these cattle, which for a short time became the predominant British breed. Both the numbers and the quality of the breed declined throughout the nineteenth century and for much of the twentieth. A breed society was formed in 1878, and a herd-book published in that year.

English Longhorn Cattle

Cow and calf
Conservation status	FAO (2007): not at risk DAD-IS (2021): at risk RBST (2021): UK native breeds
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Distribution	Australia Holland Ireland New Zealand United Kingdom
Standard	The Longhorn Cattle Society
Use	beef, formerly draught and dairy
Traits
Weight	Male: usually: 750–900 kg maximum: over 1000kg Female: 500–600 kg
Height	Male: 150 cm Female: 130–140 cm
Coat	variable: red, brown or grey and white, finched
Horn status	long curved horns
Cattle Bos (primigenius) taurus

Bull at Quenby Hall, Leicestershire

The Longhorn was formerly listed as "priority" on the watchlist of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, but in 2021 was listed among the "UK native breeds".

The cattle are variable in colour, but are always finched – with a heavy line of white along the spine, tail and underside of the belly.

History

On Parsonage Down, in Wiltshire

The ancestors of the Longhorn originated in northern England, principally in the northern part of Lancashire, in southern Westmorland and in Yorkshire, particularly in the Craven district of the West Riding. They later spread to the English Midlands and to Ireland.

The Longhorn was originally a slow heavy draught animal; cows gave a little milk, although high in fat. In the eighteenth century Robert Bakewell, of Dishley in Leicestershire, applied his methods of selective breeding to these cattle; his "Dishley Longhorn" was highly successful, and for a short time became the predominant British breed. After his death in 1795 it began to decline, and within a short time was supplanted by the Shorthorn as the principal breed in the country. Both the numbers and the quality of the breed decreased throughout the nineteenth century and for much of the twentieth. A breed society was formed in 1878, and a herd-book published in that year.

The Longhorn was formerly listed as "priority" on the watchlist of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, but in 2021 was listed among the "UK native breeds".

Some of the cattle have been exported to countries outside the British Isles. They are present in Australia, and there are small numbers in Holland and New Zealand. A population in Belgium appears to have become extinct.

Characteristics

The cattle are variable in colour, but are always finched – with a heavy line of white along the spine, tail and underside of the belly.

Use

The Longhorn was originally a slow heavy draught animal, used for ploughing; the milk yield was not high, but the milk was rich in fat and from the eighteenth century was used for cheese-making, particularly in Cheshire. As with other draught breeds, oxen at the end of their working lives could be fattened and sent for slaughter.

In the twenty-first century the cattle are reared principally for beef. They are also used for vegetation management in nature parks and Sites of Special Scientific Interest.