The
Nubian type goat is most likely the oldest species of goat
known to mankind. Some breeders feel the name Nubian is not
an accurate name for the breed, due to the crosses made in
its development. The name "Nubian" originates from Nubia,
a desert region in Northern Sudan. It is said that the animals
from this area did not play an important part in the development
of the Anglo-Nubian. Although the French started working
on the Nubian type animals before the English, credit must
be given to the British for the development of the present
day Nubian. Known as the Anglo-Nubian, the Nubian is mainly
a combination of two pure breeds, the Anglo or English, and
the Nubian, whose origin is more obscure, tracing to a variety
of sources. The Anglo part of the ancestry includes the English
breed and various cross-bred animals. Under the development
of the Anglo-Nubian, regulations were in place to bring in
new blood, provided foreign blood other than Nubian was not
evident for a given number of generations. A small percentage
of Swiss blood has in some cases been gradually introduced
in this way. The first Nubians imported to England came from
Paris, France in 1883. A pair named Arabi Pasha and Aida
were said to be descended from stock sent several years previously
from Nubia for the Society Nationale d'Acclimation. Ali Baba
was imported in 1891. Between 1850 and 1875 many other Eastern
goats of Nubian type reached England aboard ships, brought
to produce milk on the voyage home. With no important restrictions
in force, goats of foreign breeds, described as Persian,
Abyssinian, Indian and Syrian were free landed and early
prominent English breeders would go down to the docks and
buy these goats. These early animals did not play an important
role in the breed and were not recognized in the herd books.
By 1896 the Anglo-Nubian was recognized as a breed with only four
imported goats, all males, being recognized, two from India. The
description of these goats, according to the British Goat Society
Herd Book, are as follows:
- No. 1. Sedgemere Chancellor. Nubian (Jumna Pari) Horned.
Imported 1896.
- No. 2. Sedgemere Sangar. Nubian (Zaraiby or Zaraibi) Horned.
Imported 1904.
- No. 3. Bricket Cross. Nubian (Chitral) Horned. Imported 1904.
- No. 4. Bricket Zoo. Nubian Hornless. Imported 1904.
The two bucks imported from India, Sedgemere Chancellor and
Bricket Cross, had the most influence in the development of the
breed. The British Herd Book records no less than 72 progeny
of Bricket Cross and 29 of Sedgemere Chancellor. The other two
were less used and less successful. Sedgemere Chancellor sired
the first recognized Anglo-Nubian star milker Sedgemere Louise.
The Jumna Pari was bred for meat and milk in India, was tall,
rangy, slender and was normally horned. The Zaraibi or Saraiby
from Africa was also tall and rangy, but was deeper bodied and
usually very undershot. The coat was short and sleek except on
the thighs and was any color or combination of colors and was
normally polled. The Chitral, also from India, was thicker or
heavier boned. The breeds in each case, had been specially selected
and were kept for milk production in their respective countries
where they were considered outstanding.
In 1933 a rule against horned animals was adopted and was a hardship
on the breed. Many great animals were discriminated against for
being horned and were not used.
Nubian type does were imported into America as early as 1896,
but most of these early imports were lost to the breed until
the import of three animals, buck, Holly Lodge Shingle, and twin
does, Wigmore Brownie and Wigmore Pansy, by Mr. J. R. Gregg of
California. Mr. Gregg imported another buck, Scriventon Bellerphone,
and a doe, Luxor Butane, in 1913. These animals formed the nucleus
from which Nubians in America descended. Mr. Gregg developed
two important lines: the Bonzai line Holly Lodge Shingle, who
was a grandson of Bricket Cross, and a great grandson to Sedgemere
Sangers, and the Inkyo line from Scriveton Bellerophone.
Between 1909 and 1918, Anglo was dropped from the name and forty
were registered as Purebred Nubians in the United States. In
1917 Major D. C. Mowat brought in five Anglo-Nubians into British
Columbia, Canada. The bucks he had were Harborough Volunteer
and Edenbrook Cyrus, a pure white hornless sire of many Nubians
including Spring Beauty AR #7, the first Nubian to qualify for
an AR.
Nubians are the most popular breed in the United States and continue
to outnumber all the currently recognized breeds.
Reference: Nubian History and Great Britain, Second Edition,
Revised. By Mrs. Robert M. Reinhardt and Alice Hall.
Other Historical and Informational Links:
History
of the Anglo-Nubian in Australia
History
of the making of the Anglo-Nubian breed
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