In English folklore, the Dun Cow of Dunsmore Heath was a savage beast slain by Sir Guy, Earl of Warwick. A huge tusk, probably that of an elephant, is still shown at Harwich Castle as one of the horns of the dun-cow.

The fable is that this cow belonged to a giant, and was kept on Mitchell Fold (middle fold), Shropshire. Its milk was inexhaustible; but one day an old woman who had filled her pail, wanted to fill her sieve as well. This so enraged the cow, that she broke loose from the fold and wandered to Dunsmore Heath , where she was slain by Guy of Warwick.

Isaac Taylor, in his Words and Places (p. 269), says the dun cow is a corruption of the Dena Gau or Danish settlement in the neighbourhood of Warwick. Gau, in German, means region, country. If this explanation is correct, the great achievement of Guy of Warwick was a victory over the Danes, and taking from them their settlement near Warwick.

(From the 1898 edition of Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable).

Note, this entry is related to the Warwickshire Dun Cow. Not the Dun Cow that was involved in the foundation of Durham.

The Pub

There is a pub in Shrewsbury, Shropshire called the Dun Cow. It is located on Abbey Foregate and was famous for its pies. Now it is still famous, but for the serving of exotic meats such as Bison, Swordfish, Kangaroo and Wild Boar.

Pub Website - Latest menu of strange meats here!

See also

• English folklore