Alderney cattle were a breed of dairy cattle from the
British Channel Island of Alderney; however, they are no longer found on the
island. Pure Alberney cattle are now extinct, though hybrids still exist. Alderney
cattle were one of three Channel Island cattle breeds, the others being the
Jersey and the Guernsey.
Pure-breed Alderney cattle were smaller, more slender boned
animals than the cattle of the other Channel Islands and in some ways they were
more deer-like than bovine. They were docile and would even follow children
passively back to their pastures. Their milk was copious and produced very rich
butter. A 1912 writer said, "The Alderney ranks as the best butter cow in
the world, whilst its abundant yield of milk, rich in cream, is
phenomenal."
They are included in a A. A. Milne's poem "The King's
Breakfast" and is mentioned in Chapter 4 of Jane Austen's novel Emma. They
are also mentioned in Elizabeth Gaskell's novel of middle Victorian era,
Cranford. Betsy Barker, a town resident who owns the Alderney, regaled her
visiting neighbors about the milk quality and "wonderful intelligence of
this animal".
Most of the pure-breed Alderney cattle were
removed from the island to Guernsey in the summer of 1940, because the island
was then occupied by the Germans (during World War 2) and it was difficult for
the few remaining islanders to milk them. On Guernsey, the cattle were
interbred with local breeds. The few pure-breed cattle remaining on Alderney
were killed and eaten by the Germans in 1944.
About Alderney Cattle
