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© Hereford Traditional Cattle Breeders Club Maintained by Local PC Care

Preservation of the Native or Traditional Hereford Breed The Traditional Hereford Breeders Club

The Hewer Tribe - Dainty

The Danity tribe comes from the breeding of John Hewer, who worked with and inherited from his father William, cattle that would for ever stamp the pre-potent white face and red markings of the Hereford breed. The Hewer's were a family that achieved great highs and lows in their lives. William started farming in the latter part of the eighteenth century moving from Northleach in Gloucestershire to the Great Hardwick farm Abergavenny, in Monmouthshire, modern day Gwent. Here over the next twenty years or so he developed the white faced line of cattle his son John took over. William's demise was one of tradegy. He had made himself money over the years which he had invested into a local bank, which collapsed, leaving the successful farmer with little choice but to move on. He did so by emigrating to America, where he died just a few months later.


John in the mean time set about building a life for himself. His major asset were his cattle. Considered by many to be the best around, he had little trouble in hiring many of his male offspring out, only selling them out in old age, or if the sum received matched his asking price. Times were extremely hard and he moved many times in his early career. His one constant was his livestock. He was fortunate to start with quality, but his own abilities improved and refined his stock into some of the most sought after lines in the history of the Hereford. After the inaugrial Royal Show in 1839, which was won by T Jefferies's Cotmore; (Cotmore was a son of Sovereign 404, out of a cow by Lottery 410, a son of Sovereign 404); John Hewer held his first sale. He was extremely successful, with some outstanding prices paid for some of his females. His occasional sale of females and his hiring of bulls throughout a season made John Hewer one of the most influencial breeders of all time. His patience and hard work finally allowed him to by a farm in north Herefordshire. Situated on the banks of the river Arrow, John purchase a property called the Vern, to become famous in the twentieth century under the occupation of one Richard S de Q Quincey.


Dainty's line goes back to one of John Hewer's most well known cows Old Rosabelle by Pope 527. Much of this early breeding was done by or in conjunction with John's father William. This line started with one of his father's first cows, Old Gentle by Chance 355. It progress to Beauty by Sovereign 404, to Old Silver by Old Wellington 507. Old Silver produced Silver by Lottery 410 to Old Rosabelle. On the dispersal of the Hewer herd R L Burton purchased the cow Delight 2nd (9/275), who bred a cow, Delight 6th (13/313), Mr Burton sold to Mr Lutley, who sold the offspring Delight 22nd (18/231) to W Barnaby. W T Barnaby of Saltemarsh Castle, inherited Daylight 3rd (23/188) from W Barnaby, and the line stayed at Saltmarsh Castle for over ten years. It then passed into the hands of W Whiteman, before being bought by M T Jones of Sugwas. At Sugwas it started the Beauty family, the Daylight family and the Dainty family, all names used for the line previously. Sugwas Dainty (73/310) was sold to Treworgan to start the Dainty family there. It is from this line that the present Daintys come from. R Wylie of Elford in Staffordshire bought Treworgan Dainty 15th (85/382), which produce Dainty of Elford 2nd (93/1089). This cow was purchased by Eric Downton, Springhill herd, from whom the modern line is traced.