Billy and The Bull The Tale of the Durham Ox

Written & Illustrated by and the children from Primary & Liz Million Aycliffe Village Primary Hello! My name is Ron and I live in an old museum in the north east of .

I’m going to tell you a tale about a very special animal indeed.

Our story starts when a young lad came into the museum on a school trip. He seemed to be struggling to see all the paintings and exhibits. He was huffing This fab book belongs to: and puffing and looking very fed up indeed. A wonderful Cool ! painting. Look...

Billy

Gahhhh !

I watched the grumpy boy wander over to the old painting of the Durham Ox, or the Ketton Ox as he was also known. He gazed up in awe at the magnificent bull. 3 “He has tiny legs, like me!” Aww. Cows should be allowed to Laughed the boy out loud and that was when I spoke to him. eat grass in the sunshine. Why wasn’t he let out and why was he We introduced ourselves, the boy’s name was Billy so valuable? and he had come from a local school for the day. I struggle to see past people and I am I asked him why he looked so sad. always last in races on sports day no matter He looked at the floor and told me how fast I try to run. I even try to gel my hair how he hated being the all spikey to look taller but it’s just no use. Let me tell you all smallest kid in his year. Being small is rubbish. about it, Billy…

The Durham Ox was a “? That’s where I very special kind of bull called a live!” exclaimed Billy. short horn. Farmers wanted to have good reputations when The farmer who bred and raised it came to producing cattle. If they bred prize him was called Charles Colling winning heifers, everyone would pay high prices of Ketton Hall, near to have one of their own. Darlington. The ox was born in Charles Colling and his brother, Robert won March 1796 and was then known many prizes for our ox being as heavy and as the Ketton Ox. perfectly shaped as he was.

our Ox Charles

“Do you know who wished he wasn’t so big?” I asked. He was fed “My family friend here, plenty of The Durham Ox. turnips! For generations, my ratty relatives told me about this big fella and they say that he was a very lonely bull who longed to frolic with other cattle. He was very valuable so his owners wouldn’t let him out of their sight. Sad, hey?” sniff! 4 5 In 1801, at the age of five, the ox was sold to a ta daaaa! travelling showman called John Day for £250. “Didn’t he have any friends at all?” £250? I have more than that in my bank asked Billy suddenly feeling sorry account!” chuckled Billy. for the ox.

“John’s poor wife slept in the Well, it was a lot of money carriage with him to make sure the back in the olden days and ox was safe from harm and cattle John Day resisted offers to thieves. He did make friends with a sell the ox of up to £2000. spider once but it blew away.” I said.

“Don’t feel too sorry for him, Billy. It’s all he knew.” John and his wife had a special carriage constructed for the ox that was then transported all over England and Scotland. It They spent six years touring John earned £97 in one day from people took four sturdy horses to pull it; they had to be Britain. A year long exhibition wanting to see the large beast. He was my word! replaced quite often, as it was just so heavy! in London and three months largely responsible for the ox’s fame. In the 1800’s, agricultural fairs were very in Edinburgh as gasp But being heavy and valuable meant popular and people would travel from the demand to that he was not allowed to do things miles around the country to marvel at see the ox was that other cattle could do like live with the Durham Ox as he was now known. so high. other cattle or roll in the mud. He was reported to be the heaviest in the land at around 200 stone He’s gigantic and he was over 5ft 6 tall! Blimey “200 stone! I only weigh about oh my! 4 stone!” laughed Billy.

Thank You

waaahh

yum Meow

oink quack woof 6 7 The entire country idolised him and even to this day his image is still the most used of any livestock animal in British history!

The Durham Ox was quite the star! He had He was featured on beautiful coffee houses, pubs and even a town in Staffordshire Australia named after him! pottery and fine blue and white china and porcelain dinner Australia? Where the services. kangaroos live? Wow!

Yep!

So, he did see the country but it was mainly from his carriage or stall.

Can you imagine all of the things you enjoy doing Etching of the Durham Ox. 1802. J. Boultbee J. Source WikicommonsDurham1802. Ox.. the - Etching of with your family and friends then not being able to do anything because you were too big and Many artists such as John precious?” I explained. Boultbee and Robert Pollard immortalised our super- I bet the poor ox wished he was sized superstar in little like me. beautiful paintings in I would take him to all my favourite places the early 1800’s. What a and show him how great being Thousands of delightful little really is… if we coloured engraved tea set, could just shrink him prints were sold Catherine for a day! at events.

grrrr... Care for some Where would coffee, Sally? we go first?

8 9 We could bounce and swing Aycliffe and climb at… Angels ROF 59!

Watch out! You might get a pat on the head! My ratty relatives informed me that this Royal Ordnance Factory was once a huge munitions factory in the 1940’s.

It employed over 17,000 local people, mainly women. They carefully produced bullets and bombs for our boys in the WW2 battlefields.

The ladies who worked here were known as Aycliffe Angels as their efforts were extremely important. what? Now it is a place of fun and laughter. wow!

*Liz Million’s nana, Irene Sefton was an Aycliffe Angel

10 11 Pop into the…

Some fresh air and a run around the lake at… Do we need a Caféto grab a bite to eat. cowculator Hardwick Park to work out the bill? munch!

Mmmm munch! better than turnips! What?!

Hee-hee eek!

Mmmm moo-slie!

We could burn off some more energy by jumping the tall hedges at… Race Course

Quack! Don’t be moo-dy!

Ox is stomp! Quack! on the stomp! moo-ove!

The ox was more famous and expensive than any race horse! 12 13 We could chill out We could create some fab… with a film at… Vue Cinema clay

I love the mooooovies pots

I’m going to make Ooooh I love a a posh vase like in moo-sical the 1800’s!

It’s nice to feel the mud beneath ones hooves again!

We could read some books together in We could go skateboarding at… Look! the colourful kids section at… There The South Park you are! Aycliffe Library

Is that yippee! a… rat?! we caught a It’s a We could go pond I’m fresian in here. fish... bull! dipping where the… It’s as cold as River Mos-cow!

Skernemeets the .

I like to moooove-it, mooove it!

14 15 I’ve never seen such incredible machines We could let the ox look at all the old steam trains at both of the railway museums Climb aboard! I love these and Locomotion moo-seums!

Well, I never!

Yes I certainly do, Ron. I’ll grow We have to write a report but big and strong one day about one of the paintings maybe not as heavy as the Durham Ox! Well, it sounds like the Durham we’ve seen today and I can’t Do you feel happier I don’t think I’ll be eating any turnips Ox would have had the best wait to tell everyone about now? You have a brilliant life either! time with you, Billy! no matter how small your legs the famous Durham Ox. Thank you for telling me all He was a docile and friendly are. Sometimes you just about your remarkable friend. Billy smiled and bull and I think if we knew him have to be happy waved as the class lined now he’d love to explore the with yourself. He really was a up by the door to leave. . I wish I North East with you. I always wanted larger superstar ears but hey. could have seen him back in the olden days.

16 17 Here are the places that Billy, Ronnie and the Newcastle / Gateshead Durham 27 miles (approx) 19 miles (approx) Quarrington Hill

Trimdon Durham Ox visitedGrange

River Wear

A1(M) Hurworth Burn Reservoir

Bishop Ferryhill Middleham

A688 Sedgefield A167 Sustrans Route No.1 Kynren

Bishop Hardwick Park Auckland Sedgefield Church

A689 Sedgefield A689 Barnard Castle Sedgefield RacesRacecourse 19 miles (approx)

HardwickEast Coast Mainline Park & Café

Scandinavia Locomotion 401 miles (approx) Museum Locomotion Wynyard The Durham Ox

Wynyard A68 Woodland Park

Preston-le-Skerne 1796-1807 ROFAycliffe 59 library Hitachi Trains A1(M) Great Heighington Stainton ROF59 Durham Ox Packhorse It’s always great to meet Bridge Deere young people and it’s Street Catkill really important to Lane Middlesborough Barmpton 18 miles (approx)v

celebrate our past. Walworth Castle

Next time you visit a museum, keep A167 The Pennines Haughton-le-Skerne your eyes peeled for a certain big bull 45 miles (approx) A66 called the Durham Ox or a talkative rat. Head of SteamThe Head of Skerne Steam Museum Bridge River Tees Darlington I have hundreds of family members all Brick Train over the country and we love to talk to you

about the olden days! Stockton - Darlington Railway

South River Tees Bye Bye! Vue Cinema Park A66

RiverSouth Yarm

A1(M)

Pond dipping 18 19

York 58 miles (approx) Billy and The Bull The Tale of the Durham Ox

Discover Brightwater aims to restore, reveal and celebrate life around the River Skerne, in the beautiful South West of and what better way to do this than by sharing the story of the famous Durham Ox? Plenty of British towns have a pub named after him but do we know the ox’s actual story? Using his life story and our wild imaginations, we go an amazing adventure exploring our unique local area. Liz Million is a talented Darlington based author and illustrator. She worked with children from two local schools who together produced the storyline and characters for this wonderful book.

Without their brilliant ideas this book wouldn’t have been possible. A special thanks to all those talented children from Aycliffe Village Primary and Firth Moor Primary who took part. We’d like to thank National Lottery Players. It is part of the profits from the National Lottery which the Heritage Fund have used to pay for the making of this book. Thank you for taking the time to read our book. Hope you enjoyed it! Book artworkBook www.ambientcreative.com by

£4.50 9 781527 255807