Oswin is named after a seventh-century Northumbrian king and has lived at
Bede's World since 1997 with his friend Edwin. Oswin can be distinguished by
the small 'O' shape on the base of his left horn, and by the shape of the
horns, which are wider than Edwin's and point upwards at the top.
He is a male Dexter ox; a breed which is originally from Ireland and can be
traced back to the predominately black cattle of the early Celts. A Mr.
Dexter who came to Ireland in 1750 developed the breed, using the best of
the mountain cattle in the area. The breed was introduced to England in
1882, and is the smallest British breed of cattle. They were chosen for the
farm because of their similarity in size to Anglo-Saxon cattle, using the
evidence of cattle bones found on archeological sites. The breed is hardy
and easy to keep and has three colours, mainly black but also red and dun (a
light brown).
Oxen were used to pull carts and ploughs in the Anglo-Saxon period, and
Edwin and Oswin are trained to work as pair in harness. Oxen can be trained
in a manner similar to horses, using repetition and reward and starting when
the animals are young to gain their trust and confidence. It is customary
for cattle always to be harnessed on the same side, as this makes their
training and handling easier, and Oswin is always put on the "off" (right)
side. If they know their names, they can respond to individual commands,
and a good oxen "teamster" will use the animal's name frequently when
handling, grooming or feeding it. A long pole can be used, not to hit them
but to train them to turn or move over at the touch of the pole on their
sides.
The harness used for cattle is simple. Edwin and Oswin have a withers yoke
which fits at the base of the neck. On the farm you can see the yoke, cart
and plough, which were all made on site by hand, using traditional tools
and techniques, to fit with evidence from Anglo-Saxon manuscript
illustrations.
The use of oxen for farm work gradually declined in favour of using horses
in the eighteenth century for a number of reasons, including the superior
speed of horses and the fact that they could work out in the fields all day
with a nose-bag of oats as fodder. Cattle have a different digestive system
and need bulky food and time to digest it. A few teams remained, and there
has been a gradual revival of interest in the use of cattle, both as a hobby
and on demonstration farms, but a team of oxen at work are still a rare
sight in Britain.
Oswin eats grass, hay and straw, and also enjoys cereal feeds as well
vegetables grown on site.
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