The animal was born in March 1796 and was bred by
Charles Colling of Ketton Hall,
Brafferton in
County Durham,
north east England. Colling, together with his brother
Robert, who farmed at nearby
Barmpton, was a pioneer of the cattle-breeding movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. After a visit in 1784 to
Robert Bakewell, a successful breeder of
Longhorn cattle, Colling began using Bakewell's techniques to develop and improve the Shorthorn breed. The animal eventually known as the Durham Ox was the grandson of Colling's original bull Hubbach or Hubback, and became known as the Ketton Ox when he was exhibited in
Darlington in 1799. He was painted as such at the age of five years in 1801 by George Cuit of
Richmond. A dedication accompanying a 1802 painting of the ox by
John Boultbee (1753–1812) gave details of the animal's measurements and estimated its weight as , but later estimates ran as high as , although there may be some confusion, as the stone was not a standardised weight at the time. Whilst his size and weight partially account for the admiration he attracted, he was also regarded as a particularly fine and well-proportioned example of his type, at a time when the concept of selective breeding for specific characteristics was becoming established in agriculture. On show in
Oxford during February 1807, the ox damaged his hip as he was getting out of his carriage. The injury failed to heal and on 15 April 1807 he was slaughtered. His weight after death was reported to be . ==In popular culture==