author
William McCombie
1805–1880
Best remembered as the driving force behind the rise of Aberdeen Angus cattle, he turned careful breeding and practical farm knowledge into an international legacy. He was also a rare figure for his time: a tenant farmer who went on to serve in Parliament.
1 Audiobook
Cattle and Cattle-breeders
by William McCombie
About the author
Born at Tillyfour in Aberdeenshire in 1805, he was educated at parish school and at Aberdeen University, but chose farming over any other career. Working on his family’s land, he built the famous Tillyfour herd and became known for improving black-polled cattle, helping bring the Aberdeen Angus breed to wider recognition.
His reputation spread well beyond Scotland. Contemporary and later accounts describe him as a leading agriculturist and cattle breeder, sometimes nicknamed the "grazier king," and the influence of his stock reached far beyond Britain.
McCombie also entered public life, serving as Liberal MP for West Aberdeenshire after being elected in 1868. He died unmarried on February 1, 1880, but his name remained closely tied to one of Scotland’s best-known cattle breeds and to 19th-century agricultural reform.