Alternatively, it may have been meant to evoke the fierceness of certain breeds of actual Scottish cattle, such as Highland cattle, or may have referred ironically to a herd of Scottish cattle owned by a local mine-owner in the early 19th century. Their name may also have been a pun on 'scotch' as a verb meaning 'to stop', or may have referenced the stationing on the coalfield during the strike of 1822 of a troop of soldiers known as the Scotch Greys.
The phrase could also imply the ferocity of certain Scottish cattle breeds, such as Highland cattle, or it might be an ironic reference to a local mine-owner's herd from the early 19th century. The name may also be a pun on "scotch" as a verb meaning "to stop," or it may have referenced the coalfield presence during the 1822 strike of the Scotch Greys soldiers.