South-western England is the Red Devon's natural habitat, particularly the counties of Devon, Somerset, Cornwall, and Dorset. Even red cattle were reportedly there when the Romans took control of the region in 55 B.C. There is some proof that during their expeditions in search of tin, the seafaring Phoenicians may have carried some ancestral red stock to south-western England from northern Africa or the Middle East. Early in the nineteenth century, Red Devons were imported to New Zealand for use in haulage teams and to produce meat and milk. The kind character of the breed is well known. Ruby Reds are the name given to Red Devons in the UK, where they have appeared on Rick Stein and other British chefs' cookery shows.