A Brief History of Red Devons

Red Devon Heifers, circa 1812

Mill Barton, the home of Digg & Co is also home to a herd of Red Devons who are a crucial part of the habitat restoration on the farm. We can now milk one of our cows, produce high-quality meat and keep a very happy herd. Devons are docile and have a calm temperament. They’re comfortable around other people and animals, they do not get aggravated easily or stressed, they’re hardy and can adapt to extreme temperatures.

Valued for their high quality beef and rich milk, known for being the quickest and most active oxen in the British Isles, it’s no wonder the Red Devon has been a national favourite for centuries. Supposedly bought over by the Phoenicians who came to the West Country for tin in the Bronze Age, moving swiftly over to Ireland and Wales from Cornwall by settlers. Research suggests that the only domestic cattle before the Anglo Saxon invasion were the Longifrons, a race of cattle introduced in the Neolithic Age, evidence also suggests the Red Devons are descendants of the Longifrons, going back thousands of years. The cattle travelled all over Britain before being transported over to New England, US with some even ending up down in Florida. Many Devons that were first transported over to the US were used to haul materials up and down the Oregon Trail.

Due to their versatility and dual-purpose throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the breed were valued as the ‘Plough-Ox’, known for their swiftness in harness and speeds of up to 6mph, being unrivalled by others.

Francis Quartly, Cow Cherry 66 and calf, circa 1790

The Devon became very fashionable in the eighteen century, popular amongst progressive and gentrified farms in Britain. The famous herd at the time was that of the Quartly family of the Great Champson farm at Molland nestled below the southern slopes of Exmoor, this would’ve been a wild and rough place to raise a herd of cattle only proving the ability for the Red Devons to withstand tough climates. The herd was established in 1776 by James Quartly, the family having farmed there for over 100 years. On his death in 1793, James Quartly handed over the lease and herd to his son Francis (see above). In 1794, James and his brother started the systematic improvement to the breed, both known for being good stockmen and judges of animals. During the Napoleonic Wars, Civil Wars at the start of the 1800’s, many of the best animals (including Red Devons) were sold for beef to feed the hungry armies, resulting in lack of stock. Francis Quartly recognised the problem and starting buying in some of these animals, outbidding the butchers, and as one noted Devon breeder remarked- taking trump in every hand and retaining them for breeding. Many Quartly females were therefore bought in, however Quartly exclusively used his own bulls in the herd.

Devon Cow by A. Stevens circa 1819

Red Devons eventually became a breed of jet-setters with the breed being exported out to upwards of 30 countries around the world such as South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Cuba, USA, Zimbabwe and predominantly Brazil. This was due to a huge rise in demand for high-quality beef worldwide. This eventually gave them a broad genetic diversity and a range of maturity patterns that enable them to perform in a wide variety of economic and environmental patterns. Demand from Australia continued for most of the half of the twentieth century, the USA was also popular patron of the Red Devons until the end of the 1970s. After artificial insemination started to be exported in the 1960s and the risk of moving live animals across international boundaries became prevalent, there was less need to export the breed across continents. In the 1980s the Red Devons were decided to be mixed with the French breed Salers who are also a docile and placid breed. This decision was made after population of the breed nearly crashed, there was also a consumer demand for leaner meat. By mixing the two breeds this eventually helped to ease market demands.

Thomas Coke of Holkham, Norfolk and a prize ox of the type exported to the USA in the early nineteenth century.

From yoke to the butchers slab it’s no wonder the Red Devons became such a prized beast over the centuries. With a rich, diverse history and many air miles they have expanded across continents, enriching the land and economy around them.