DIAMOND SHORTHORNS

Diamond Shorthorns... How it all began

341 years ago in 1684, Mr George Stephenson, of Acklam bought a cow of the Aisiabie family. He sent cows to Studley to be served, and used bulls

from Studley, in possession of Pennimans, of Ormsby. “In 1731, Mr George Stephenson Jr (son of one named above) removed from Acklam to Ketton,

in Durham and took with him the cattle descended from the original cow got from Aislabies, and he took no others than those descended from the female

line only.” Hubback  (319) is the son of a female procured from the cow family.

Hubback (319) was a foundation sire in both Charles and Robert Collings herds.  Favourite (252) is line bred to Hubback.In 1825, Belvedere (1706) was born. He was bred by John Stephenson of Wolviston. John Stephenson was a great grand son of George Stephenson.  Thomas Bates purchased Belvedere as a six year old in 1831.  Belvedere was used heavily by Bates and his famous bull, Duke of Northumberland (1940) was sired by him as was the Duke’s dam Duchess 34th.

Jasper W Stephenson was born in Northumberland in 1885, where his family had Shorthorn cattle.  Jasper immigrated to Alberta in 1907.  Jasper was a great grandson of John Stephenson, Belvedere’s breeder.  He started a purebred Shorthorn herd in 1918 near Cayley Alberta. Jasper used the herd name Newbiggon, after one of the Stephenson Farms in England.This herd was maintained until the mid 1960’s.

In 1965 D. H. (Herb) Stephenson established the Frimley herd when he purchased Braeside Rosy Dawn, a daughter of Garykolno Rosy Dawn. She was a 1600 lb show cow, which was larger than average for the time. Descendants of this cow are in many of our pedigrees, and direct descendants are at Andre Vrona’s A & C herd in England. Another foundation cow came with a group of females purchased in 1969 from W.R. Pethybridge, of Tees, AB.  A cow named Susan 86Z by Boa Kae Monarch 2nd has had a tremendous influence at Diamond. This cow’s descendants are still in the herd today, and there are descendants spread all across North America as well as in Ireland and Great Britain. A son, Frimley Invader 6F was a herd bull used by A. R. Sandy Cross in his Rothney herd.

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Herb’s daughter, Terry, and husband Gary Carter took over Jasper’s herd name of Newbiggon.  They purchased Shorthorns in 1969. In 1972, they imported 4 head of cattle from Mandalong in Australia. Mandalong Super Flag, Mandalong Royal Ferrari, Mandalong Roany 51st and Mandalong Roany 55th. These animals had a major influence on Shorthorn genetics. Both Super Flag and Ferrari are still used by AI today, as are the full Australian sons that Gary raised.

Diamond Shorthorns is owned and operated by Dan and Jill Stephenson, their daughters Jaimie and her husband Praveen,  Jacqueline and her husband Wyatt.  The next generation of Diamond Vikram, Veronica, and Katie all of whom share the family's enthusiasm for cattle, ensure that the next generation will continue the family tradition of Shorthorn cattle.