32 BRITISH SHEEP AND SHEPHERDING. 



SHROPSHIRE. 



The Shropshire was the first recognised evolution resulting 

 from the crossing of a native heath breed with the Southdown ; 

 in other words, it first received Royal status as a Down breed, 

 although the county with which it is associated is far distant 

 from the chalk downs ; it, however, illustrates very clearly the 

 prepotency of the Southdown on allied breeds, and the aptitude 

 of the resultant breeds to maintain Down characteristics when 

 away from the indigenous factors of the Sussex Southdowns. 

 The breed more directly sprang from animals which were indigenous 

 to some of the richer tracts of land in Shropshire and Staffordshire, 

 of which the Morfe Common and Cannock Chase are respectively 

 typical. The native breeds of both sheep were small, horned, 

 and relatively unthrifty before the Southdown was brought in. 

 More or less indiscriminate breeding went on for some time, as it 

 did with all breeds when they were in the melting-pot a century 

 or so ago, when the two great early-improved races, the South- 

 down and the Leicester, were influencing the sheep throughout 

 the country. Shrewd men on the best sheep land noticed that 

 their sheep were better than their neighbours' on less suitable 

 land ; and in that early wave of enthusiasm paid attention to 

 breeding as their forebears had not. Gradually the crosses, by 

 selection, began to take type, and, where skilfully handled, laid 

 the foundation of new breeds. The Shropshire emerged in this 

 way. 



Mr. Meire and Mr. Adney were specially notable as early breeders, 

 though they adopted rather different lines of breeding, and Mr. 

 Meire bought or hired freely Southdowns from Mr. Ellman; and 

 Prof. Coleman, writing on the sheep nearly forty years ago, stated 

 that Mr. Meire introduced the Leicester blood with great judgment, 

 and then fixed the type by close breeding. In 1853, at Gloucester, 

 Mr. Meire and Mr. Foster secured all the prizes from sheep 

 descended from Mr. Meire's stock. Mr. Smith, afterwards highly 

 successful, founded his flock on Mr. Meire's, and later both he 

 and Mr. Foster used the Oxfordshire Down. Lord Chesham, 

 who was so successful at the end of the 'seventies, purchased a 

 good many sheep from Mr. Smith, so a considerable percentage 

 of Meire's blood must have existed in his sheep. The 'seventies 

 brings us to the time when Mr. Mansell and Mr. Evans made their 

 mark on the breed, and did much to develop modern type. 

 How well these selectors handled the several types involved 

 in bringing the thriftless native sheep to the excellence it has 

 attained in modern times needs no comment, but it stamps them 

 as breed makers of first excellence. By the use of the several 

 bloods they incorporated they have produced a breed which 



