author
William McCombie
1805–1880
Best known as the “grazier king,” this Scottish farmer transformed cattle breeding in the 19th century and helped shape the Aberdeen-Angus breed. He also brought the practical world of agriculture into public life as a member of Parliament.
1 Audiobook
Cattle and Cattle-breeders
by William McCombie
About the author
Born in Aberdeenshire in 1805, William McCombie became one of Scotland’s most influential agriculturists. He built his reputation at Tillyfour, where his careful breeding of black polled cattle made his name closely linked with the rise of the Aberdeen-Angus breed.
McCombie was widely admired for his skill as a stock breeder and feeder, and his success earned him the nickname “the grazier king.” Beyond farming, he entered politics and in 1868 was returned unopposed as Liberal MP for the western division of Aberdeenshire, noted as the first tenant farmer to represent a Scottish constituency in Parliament.
He died in 1880. Although he was not known primarily as a literary author, his life and work left a lasting mark on agricultural history, especially in the improvement of cattle breeding in Scotland.