The Soay is the ancestor of all modern sheep breeds, remaining unchanged since the Stone Age, isolated on the islands of Soay and Hirta, off the west coast of Scotland. These animals closely resemble the sheep kept by early Neolithic farmers. They are small, shed their short brown fleeces, and are naturally short tailed. They are almost impossible to round up with sheep dogs, as their instinct is to scatter rather than flock up. The Soay has been used successfully in the reclamation of low fertility grazing, due to its light tread and ability to survive on sparse vegetation.

Once widely spread throughout Scotland, the breed ended up on the northerly Orkney island of North Ronaldsay. It was kept outside the sea wall, which completely surrounds the island, living on kelp, a variety of seaweed. Although there were 2000 animals on the island, an oil slick or disease would have eliminated the entire population. As insurance against disaster the RBST bought the 142-acre island of Linga Holm and moved 178 sheep onto it. Other groups were brought south to form grassland flocks, but they continue to need a seaweed supplement in their diet. Animals have to be at least 15 months old to reach marketable weight, but the meat is lean and full of flavour. Naturally wool shedding, it is suitable for handicraft work and as knitting yarn, and it also felts well.

The Shetland is the smallest of the rare breeds, predominately found in the Shetland Isles. All primitive breeds of sheep have a coarse hairy overcoat to keep out the rain and a fine under wool to keep them warm. The Shetlanders selectively bred the hair out of the fleeces of their sheep, resulting in the formation of the Shetland breed, which has the finest wool of any of our indigenous breeds. However it has retained the primitive habit of shedding its fleece, which enables the islanders to pluck their sheep rather than shear them. Although there is a whole range of colours within the breed, white was selected on the islands to make chemical dyeing possible. Today they have become a popular breed for small flock owners interested in spinning and producing lamb for the freezer.

This ancient breed of sheep is thought to have descended from the multi-horned breeds brought over from Scandinavia by the Vikings and found throughout Scotland and the Western Isles. The breed spread into other parts of Britain as a parkland animal, due to its striking appearance; it is completely black and is capable of growing two, four or even six horns. Sheep and cattle do not shed their horns but continue to grow the same ones all their lives, so that a mature ram might have four horns, weighing approximately 350g each. Today they are popular for conservation grazing due to their foraging ability, capability to thrive on poorer pasture and tolerance of severe weather. They are a long-lived breed and ewes often continue to lamb well at ten years or more.

Like the Hebridean, the Manx Loghtan is related to the short-tailed breeds brought over by the Vikings. Originating from the Isle of Man, the word ‘Loghtan’ means mouse brown in Manx, which accurately describes the fleece colour of this breed. They are a beautiful rich brown when born and when shorn, but the sun bleaches the tips of the wool so that they appear tan in colour for much of the year. The breed is hardy and small in size, with both sexes having two or more horns. It is slow maturing but produces lean, low cholesterol meat of high quality and full of flavour.

The Castlemilk Moorit is the youngest breed you will see at the Cotswold Farm Park. It was developed by the Buchanan-Jardine family in the early 1900’s, to grace the parkland of their Castlemilk Estate in Dumfriesshire. It was intended to be an easy-care breed that would produce top quality moorit coloured (light tan), short, tight wool, suitable for hand spinning by the family. Both males and females develop two strong, uniformly shaped horns, which in the males are heavy and spiralling. Naturally short tailed and long legged, the breed is hardy and reasonably prolific. On the death of Sir John Buchanan-Jardine the flock was dispersed in 1970, with six ewes and a ram bought by Joe Henson at the Cotswold Farm Park. All today’s Castlemilk Moorit’s are descended from these few sheep.

By the twelfth century the church was a major landowner and in the Lake District the Abbeys owned vast tracts of land on which they ran their huge flocks of hardy Herdwick sheep. The Herdwick grows a long coarse hairy fleece, which is used for carpet manufacture. It has adapted to live in the wettest part of the country, on poor and scant grazing, at altitudes up to 3,000 feet above sea level. The breed is renowned for its longevity, born black and becoming paler as the animal gets older.