NubianTalk-Nubian History--America and Great Britain

Nubian History
America and Great Britain

Excerpts and photos used are from Nubian History, America and Great Britain, Second Edition, Revised, by Mrs. Robert M. Reinhardt and Alice Hall. Thanks to Alice Hall for permission for reprinting the information, photos, and material.

Early History Recap

The Nubian or Anglo-Nubian, is a man made breed. The Nubian was created crossing the common English goat with "exotic" bucks from Africa and India. The name Nubian is associated with the long, droopy ears and convex nose of this type of animal. It has nothing to do with the location of where the animals was imported from.

The name "Nubian" originated in France. Three animals of this type were imported into England before the English begun their Nubian breeding program. Aida and Arabi Pasha went to England from France in 1878, and Ali Baba followed in 1891. It was thought that these early animals might be a combination of Zaraibi and Syrian, and they did not play an important role in the creation of the modern Nubian except to contribute to their name.

The "recognized" Anglo-Nubian is dated from 1896 when Mr. Sam Woodiwiss imported a young Jumma Pari he named Sedgemere Chancellor from India. This buck and three other imports were the "exotic" bucks which the Nubian breed evolved.

The Common English Goat was the kind of doe the "exotic" bucks were crossed with to produce the Anglo-Nubian. This doe, as a breed, was no longer recognized after 1939. It was the influence of this animal that put the word "Anglo" on the name of the new Nubian Breed.

The Jumna Pari was the first of the "exotic" bucks imported, in about 1896, to start the breeding program towards the Anglo-Nubian. The first buck of this breed imported, Sedgemere Chancellor, was horned and did a lot to form the Anglo-Nubian breed. Jumna Pari was bred for meat and milk in India.

Mr. Woodiwiss imported another buck in 1904 he called Sedgemere Sanger. This buck was of the Zaraibi type, as it is seen below, & he was horned, also.

A Typical Zaraibi

A Zaraibi, from Africa, is tall, rangy, slender, & usually very undershot. The coat, short & sleek except on the thighs, is any color or combination of colors. The production is said to have been quite high. 10-12 liters a day or 16-22 lbs.

Also in 1904, Mr. Ravenscroft imported two bucks, one horned, a Chitral and one horn less, breed unspecified. He named them Bricket Cross and Bricket Zoo. Bricket Cross the Chitral, was probably the most successful of the four imports and influenced the new breed the most. Bricket Cross won several awards, including the British Goat Society "Best Stud Goat" award.

The Chitral, such as the one pictured on the right, contributed greatly to the Nubian breed through the powerful impact of Bricket Cross.

The early Nubian in England, along with everything else expected of it, was suppose to produce adequate milk at from four to ten percent butterfat.

Some facts on the Anglo-Nubian in England

In 1919, the registry began in England, This is when the breed was recognized.
In 1911, modifications were made to the standards.
In 1913, the standards were again modified.
In 1933 a rule against horned or disbudded animals was a hardship on the Nubian breed.

Only four imported goats, all males, have been recognized by the British Goat Society as Nubians, two of these coming from India.

The descriptions of these goats, as contained in the Herd Book, are as follows:

No. 1 Sedgemere Chancellar. Nubian (Jumna Pari) Horned, Imported 1896
No. 2 Sedgemere Sangar. Nubian (Zaraiby) Horned. Imported 1904.
No. 3 Bricket Cross. Nubian (Chitral) Horned. Imported 1904.
No. 4 Bricket Zoo. Nubian. Hornless. Imported 1904.

The early Nubian was expected to grow very large and fast and for that reason especially bucks were used for draft purposes.

English Breed Standards

Short coat of any color as long as it had no white streaks on the side of the face, as those markings were thought to indicate Swiss blood.
The early Nubian could be horn less or have small horns that curved out and down rather then up.
Young animals were to be plump and meaty, and the head and ears were described as they are today, except that the muzzle was to be tapered.

Nubians In America

Some facts on the Anglo-Nubian in America

Nubian -type goats imported as early as 1896, most of these had no impact on the Nubian breed we know today.
Ramses II was one of the animals imported into Virginia is 1902, but he was only used on Saanen does, so he was lost to the breed.
In 1906 Anglo -Nubians that had been imported were lost due to AMGRA entering them into the herdbooks on the basis of pedigree rather then breed, so none were registered here as Nubians.
The 1909 importation by Mr. J.R. Gregg of California of three animals, buck Holly Lodge Shingle, and does Wigmore Brownie and Wigmore Pansy actually formed a nucleus from which Nubians in America descended.
In 1913 Mr. Gregg brought in another buck, Scriventon Bellerphone and another doe Luxor Butane.
Between 1909 and 1918, Anglo was dropped from the name and 40 were registered as Purebred Nubian by the United States.

In 1917, Major D.C. Mowat took five Anglo-Nubians into British Columbia, Canada. The bucks were Harborough Volunteer and Edenbrook Cyrus, a pure white horn less sire of many fine Purebred Nubians, including Spring Beauty (AR#7). The first Nubian to qualify for an AR

There were many more imports that influenced the Nubian as we know it today and the following pages will elaborate more on the individual herds and animals.

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