[3] In 1624, the first cattle – three heifers and a bull – were brought by Edward Winslow from the county of Devon in south-west England to the Plymouth Colony, in what would later be Massachusetts.

[4]: 244  Over the next two centuries a population of cattle of this type was built up, and gradually spread along the east coast as far south as Florida.

[8][3] From the early nineteenth century, British cattle were imported to New England with the aim of upgrading the Devon.

[4]: 244  A herd-book was first published in 1855,[3] and a breed association, the American Devon Cattle Club, was formed in the latter part of the nineteenth century.

[4]: 244 [9] It is physically hardy, with good resistance to harsh weather, and does well on a low-input diet high in forage.