Back to “Home”    Back to List of “Original Articles About Dexters”

"The Dexter in History"

by Beverley McCulloch and Michael Trotter

A revised version of a series of six articles first published in the Dexter Dispatch between 2000 and 2002

("Dexter Dispatch" is the Bulletin of the Dexter Cattle Society of New Zealand - the DCSNZ website is www.dexter-cattle.co.nz.)

Beverley McCulloch and Michael Trotter are both retired scientists who used to work for the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch, New Zealand. They have an active interest in Dexters, rare breeds conservation, and smallfarming. Together, they operate Summer Wine Dexter stud on 10 acres in North Canterbury. See their website, Summer Wine Dun Dexters www.dundexters.co.nz. Between 2000 and 2002, Beverley and Michael were editors of the "Dexter Dispatch". They had located a number of historical accounts of Irish cattle dating back to 1780. These accounts included good descriptions of Dexters which at the earliest stages had just been called ‘Kerry’ or ‘Irish’ cattle. Much of the material in this series of articles are edited versions of the historical accounts. 

Part One: From Aurochs to Ox: The Origins of Domestic Cattle

Part Two: Irish Cattle

Part Three: Breed Recognition

Part Four: The Kerry at Home

Part Five: The Kerry Breed and Dexters

Part Six: Colour Bar