A.A. Milne: The King's Breakfast

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In this A A Milne poem the cow mentioned is an Alderney. Is an Alderney the same as Jersey cow? There can't be that many cows on Alderney, can there? I think Jersey cows are brown, I'm not sure.

 

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Alderney is an old term for Jersey. Jerseys were commonly called Alderney cattle before the late 18th century.

 

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So presumbably all Channel Island cows were called Alderneys?

 

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I think so. There were also Guernsey cattle, as well as imported Ayrshire, Short-horn, Holstein and Friesians, but the general overall name for the Jersey/Guernsey breed would have been Alderney. Eventually the names would have become interchangeable.