Re: Clan Worthies: William McCombie of Tillyfour
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In reply to:
Clan Worthies
Robert Thomas 6/13/02
The following information was taken from the Magazine of Clan MacThomas (herein
edited by Bobby Thomas).
William McCombie of Tillyfour
William, second son of Charles McCombie of Tillyfour, Aberdeenshire, the youngest
brother of Thomas, 1st of Easterskene, was born in 1805. He was an indifferent
scholar, which resulted in his removal from Aberdeen University after two terms.
Thus, he went to work as a ploughman on his father's farm. He took to farming
naturally and became a tenant of the home farm at Tillyfour, and later spreading to
Bridgend, on the Lynturk estate, and Dorsell, at Alford, working mainly for the lean
cattle trade, although not yet seriously involved in the science of cattle breeding.
During this period of his life he was a keen sportsman, being a good shot and a
capital horseman. He regularly rode great distances in the course of his business
activities. He commenced his principal life's work as a cattle breeder in 1845. He
enormously improved the polled Aberdeen-Angus breed over the next twenty years
and eventually outclassed the short horns, Herefords and Devons, which had
previously reigned supreme. Twelve years later his animals were taking first place in
shows of international status and beating every other breed of note. The Marquis of
Huntley and about 400 of the leading noblemen and gentry of northern Scotland, as
a mark of their esteem, hosted a dinner in his honor in 1862. In 1866 he became
President of the Scottish Chamber of Agriculture. The following year he achieved
such an overwhelming success with his prize bull, Black Prince, at the Birmingham
and London shows that Queen Victoria asked to see the beast, which was duly sent
to Windsor for her personal inspection. This led to the Queens visit to Tillyfour in
1868, when some 400 polled cattle were spread over the fields around the mansion
house. Her Majesty took tea with Mr. McCombie before returning to Balmoral. In
1867 he published his, Cattle and Cattle Breeders, and the following year he was
elected as a Member of Parliament for West Aberdeenshire. He easily retained his
seat by a large majority in the general election of 1874. On his elder brother's death
in 1875, he purchased Tillyfour, and continued his tenancy of Bridgend; however, he
gave up Dorsell. In 1876 he resigned his seat in Parliament when, as a further mark
of public regard, a large sum of money was subscribed for the endowment of the
McCombie Prize, to be awarded annually at Aberdeen for the best Aberdeen-Angus,
with which breed his name had for so long been closely associated. He achieved
further resounding success with his cattle at the great Paris exhibition of 1878, and
finally died, (full of years and honor), at his home of Tillyfour on 1st February 1880.