© Hereford Traditional Cattle Breeders Club Maintained by Local PC Care
The Countess Tribe
The Countess tribe is probably one of the most important tribes within the breed in general, and the Traditional section particularly. Today the tribe is endangered. It is small and not widespread. It is concentrated in the Llandinabo herd, where its progeny still prove to be of exceptional quality. At the 2002 and 2003 Primestock Shows at Bingley Hall, Stafford, steers from the Countess family have won the Hereford section of the Show.
Started in the herd of T Rogers, the Countess family did not really take centre stage until it passed into the hands of the Tanner family. Intially purchase by Alfred Tanner and his uncle Mr Crane, a branch move wholly into the hands firstly of Alfred Tanner and subsquently into his more famous son E Craig Tanner, who Eyton herd made fame in the early part of the twentieth century. Craig Tanner's herd proved to be quite remarkable during the period 1915 to 1935. His influence in the show ring and in the production of fashionable bulls was marked. It was from the cow Eyton Countess 5th (55/596) that the line becomes of international significance. Born in 1921 by Prince Charming 29982 the progeny of this cow dominate the breeding of two of the most famous herd of the 1930's and 40's. The two herd are Quisne and the Vern. G P Pollitt of the Quisne purchase the herd of Craig Tanner on his untimely death in 1936. R S de Q Quincey purchased several animals from Craig Tanner during the late 1920's and early 1930's.
Eyton Countess 5th (55/596) produce four daughters, Eyton Countess 14th, Eyton Countess 16th, Eyton Countess 39th, and Eyton Countess 57th. Eyton Countess 14th and Eyton Countess 16th were by Lion 32709. Eyton Countess 39th was by Free Town Director 49237, and Eyton Countess 57th was by Eyton Chief 55889. Eyton Countess 16th and her daughter Eyton Countess 38th by Free Town Director 49237 were purchase along with Eyton Countess 39th by R S de Q Quincy. He also purchased Eyton Countess 16th son Eyton Baron 54500. The present line comes from Eyton Countess 16th, whose first calf at the Vern was the daughter Vern Countess (66533) by Pertonlute 50945, the Eyton stock bull at the time, and full sister to Eyton Baron 54500. Eyton Countess 39th was mated to Eyton Baron 54500 by R S de Q Quincy to produce Vern Countess 4th, dam of bull Vern Robert (67228), de Quincey's major stock bull of the 1940's. Eyton Countess 14th produced a daughter Eyton Countess 59th, who was mated at Quisne to Tarrington Opimist 49837 to produce Quisne Factor 68471, a bull used at the Vern. Eyton Countess 57th also moved to Quisne, and was mated with Tarrington Optimist 49837 to produce Quisne Darky.
Today's line descends from Vern Countess 66533.
