Chinashop Herd of White Park

Isle of Wight

Historically known by: Park, White Forest, White Horned, Wild White

Tradition has it that King James I diarist Nicholas Ashton accounted that at Hoghton Tower in Lancashire when King James I felt the Loin of White Park was so succulant he drew his short sword, the Hoghton pages went down on their knees and the King said 'Arise, Sir Loin.'
The White Park is a horned cattle breed, which is white with coloured points. These points include the ears, nose, and rims of eyes, teats and feet but excludes the tail switch. The upper portion of the tongue should be black while underneath is most often pink. The intensity of these markings varies from herd to herd. The White Park is now considered a beef breed and selected for those traits but historically they were considered dual purpose since some herds have been used for milk production. It is reported to be well adapted to non-intensive production systems.
The White Park is not closely related to the British White or American White Park. Although all three of these breeds share a common colour scheme the White Park is very genetically distinct from the other two breeds.
White cattle with coloured points are first mentioned in Old Irish sagas dating back almost 2,000 years. They are later found again in Welsh law which was formulated at Dynevwr Castle in Deheubarth by a series of rulers from 856 to 1197 AD. The Dynevor herd dates to this time. The Chartley and Chillingham herds of England and the Cadzow herd in Scotland date to the mid-thirteenth century when herds in England and Scotland were enclosed in hunting chases. Writers of the time differed as to the origin of the herds. Some contended they were brought to Britain while others, including the famed authority Rev. John Storer, believed they were the direct descendants of the Wild White Bull that roamed the forests which once covered the British Isles.
In the early 1800's, at the time of Storer's writing, there were more than a dozen pure White Park herds though most were exterminated by the turn of the century. Of the six ancient herds remaining, the best known is the Chillingham herd. The registration program for While Park cattle was started in the early 1900s, but lapsed with the outbreak of World War II in the 1940's. At that stage only the Dynevor, Woburn, Whipsnade and Cadzow herds survived as domesticated herds, and the Chillingham and Vaynol as semi-feral herds. When the Rare Breeds Survival Trust was formed in Britain in 1973 these remaining herds were given the communal name "White Park".
The current status of the White Park is Critical with a worldwide population of approximately 500 purebred females, plus bulls and young stock. The White Park is genetically far distant from all British breeds and this has been established by blood typing. The breeds that appear to be most closely related to the White Park are the Highland and Galloway of Scotland.
The White Park is a medium-size animal with mature bulls in working condition weighing approximately 2100 pounds and cows 1400 pounds. Their value in the beef industry lies in the high quality of their meat and in their great genetic distance from other breeds, which will increase the heterosis effects in crossbreeding systems.

Michaela & Paul Heathcote,

Isle of Wight.
Tel:01983 840917 answerphone.