The Beef Shorthorn is descended from old north of England cattle from Northumberland and areas bordering the river Tees such as Durham and North Yorkshire.
The foundation cattle were collected by Charles and Robert Colling. In 1783 Charles found four cows among others named Duchess, Cherry, Strawberry and Old Favourite. A bull known as Hubback was discovered by Robert. These animals were bred together by Charles and the offspring were refined by line-breeding during the 1780’s to form the foundation stock of today’s Shorthorn cattle. During the early 20th century the Shorthorn was regarded as a dual-purpose breed. Specialisation for milk and beef later followed leading to the creation of two distinct breeds, the Beef Shorthorn and the Dairy Shorthorn.
| Origin: | North East England |
| Class: | Shorthorn, beef |
| Colour: | White or red or white with shades of roan |
| Parentage: | The Teeswater and Durham breeds, Maine-Anjou blood introduced between 1976 and 2001. |
| Breed Club: | |
The Beef Shorthorn Cattle Society | |
