Hi,
There was an article in The Dalesman May and June 1978 entitled 'Cowkeepers from the Pennine Dales' by P J Mellor.
Apparently about 4,000 head of cattle were kept within the Liverpool boundary at the beginning of this century (Last century now!). The owners of the milk houses were predominately from Westmorland, Cumberland and Yorkshire Dales farming families. Often they went in order to make enough money to set up on their own farm back home.
The article says that this movement of people probably started about the 1860s when the lead-mines were closing down and there was a period of agricultural depression. One family moved in the 1870s as farm rents had been raised for three successive years.
The houses in Liverpool were "Constructed of brick, they comprised a large house with dairy, shippon, hay loft over stable, trap shed, muck midden and a cobbled yard, within high walls and wooden gates".
There are details about cowkeeping and about the families from the area - the whole article runs to nearly 8 A4 sheets.
There is a further references at the end of the article:
Harris, Alan: The Milk Supply of the East Riding 1850-1950. East Riding Local History Society
Brie
