The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Harebell on January 18, 2015, 05:24:58 pm
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Hello, I've been looking through some old photos of the family farm - we've been in south Wiltshire for a few generations. I came across these sheep photos and wondered what the breed was. I was thinking Dorset Down, but not sure. I'm sorry the scan isn't very good! I think the photos are from 1940s.
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Hampshire Down?
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Llanwenog?
modified: from second scan, yes definitely not a Llanwenog ::) :sheep:
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I can't quite make up my mind whether the ewe's face is white or dark. If white, then perhaps Southdown? If dark(er) then either Dorset or Hampshire Down, being geographically nearest. I don't know to what extent farms would have had the local breed back then... :thinking:
The lambs look darker, maybe Suffolk X ?
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I love the pen they're in! :thumbsup:
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Llanwenog?
not Llanwenog I don't think ... Llanwenog lambs come out black and there seems to be too much wool under chin.
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I can't quite make up my mind whether the ewe's face is white or dark. If white, then perhaps Southdown? If dark(er) then either Dorset or Hampshire Down, being geographically nearest. I don't know to what extent farms would have had the local breed back then... :thinking:
The lambs look darker, maybe Suffolk X ?
Yes, I'm thinking either Dorset or Hampshire Down, just can't decide which! I've attached another photo of the same ewe and her lambs which is a better scan I think.
Someone in the village gave us these photos a couple of years ago as his grandfather was the shepherd when my great-grandfather was in charge of the farm.
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And there's also this photo of a white faced sheep - which I have no idea about...lleyn? - taken in the same period, sometime in 1930s/40s we think.
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Looking at sheep breeds in the 40's/50's the dark sheep could be DORSET DOWN - HAMPSHIRE - SHROPSHIRE - OXFORD all looked pretty similar , with woolly heads /faces / legs brown faces , tight fleeces and horizontal medium brown ears . Probably which ever breed was nearest which from the map in my book is oxford ?? The white sheep is classic CHEVIOT
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Oh, yes the white faced sheep definitely looks like a Cheviot - perhaps they were popular in south Wiltshire back then!
I looked at a few old black and white photos of Down breeds and am erring on the side of the ewe being a Dorset Down, but difficult to tell
Photos from Museum of Rural Life:
Dorset Down ram 1961
https://www.reading.ac.uk/merl/research/countrysideimages/merl-PFSPH1_K86537.aspx (https://www.reading.ac.uk/merl/research/countrysideimages/merl-PFSPH1_K86537.aspx)
Hampshire Down ram lambs 1959
https://www.reading.ac.uk/merl/research/countrysideimages/merl-PFSPH1_K77601.aspx (https://www.reading.ac.uk/merl/research/countrysideimages/merl-PFSPH1_K77601.aspx)
Oxford Down and Suffolk rams 1957
https://www.reading.ac.uk/merl/research/countrysideimages/merl-PFSPH1_K69373.aspx (https://www.reading.ac.uk/merl/research/countrysideimages/merl-PFSPH1_K69373.aspx)
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Dorset would be the nearest geographically to South Wilts, I assume? And there seems to be no reason to think it's not a Dorset Down...
The white ewe doesn't look at all like a Cheviot to me, but I guess I am more used to the North Country type, which has much longer ears and a much more rounded (convex) nose. Looking at pics for the Border / South Country type, she could be... :thinking:
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:wave: hampshire or shropshire be my guess for this one
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Dorset would be the nearest geographically to South Wilts, I assume? And there seems to be no reason to think it's not a Dorset Down...
The white ewe doesn't look at all like a Cheviot to me, but I guess I am more used to the North Country type, which has much longer ears and a much more rounded (convex) nose. Looking at pics for the Border / South Country type, she could be... :thinking:
The Hampshire border is just a couple of miles to the east and the Dorset border is a few miles further away to the west, so geographically they are both quite close!