86 MODERN SHEEP: BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 



THE COTSWOLD. 



The Cotswolct is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, of British 

 sheep in existence and certainly is among the largest. Camden 

 says of it : "The Cotswolds are the largest breed of domestic sheep 

 in the world." Modern Lincoln breeders might see fit to challenge 

 this authority's assertion, since a Lincoln succeeded in capturing 

 the premier prize for heavy weights at the Chicago International 

 two or three years ago. In Queen Elizabeth's day the Cotswolds 

 were described as being "long-wooled and large boned," and un- 

 surpassed as producers of the most desirable class of wool. Their 

 frame was large and coarse ; they were slab-sided and stood on long 

 legs. The Cotswold has been alluded to by the poet and spoken of 

 by historians, especially in consideration of its wool. Evidently 

 the breed was always noted for its size and fleece since Youatt 

 remarks : "Changed only with the change of sheep farming, the 

 Cotswold sheep are what they have been from time immemorial." 



The home of the Cotswold is in the counties of Gloucestershire, 

 Oxfordshire and Herefordshire in England. Running through 

 Gloucestershire is a range of hills known as the Cotswold Hills and 

 no doubt from this range of hills the Cotswold took its name. One 

 writer gives his. opinion that it is more likely that the hills got 

 their name from the sheep rather than the sheep from the hills. 

 In old English Cotswold is spelled Cotteswold. Cote was the term 

 applied to portable sheep shelters in olden times and Wolde meant 

 in old English a tract of upland. "Cote for flocks" is mentioned 

 in the second book of the Chronicles, as also is sheepcote in the 

 first book of Samuel. No doubt the Romans brought the original 

 blood of the Cotswold with them, at least that is a pretty safe 

 conjecture according to historic writings. 



Tacitus, the famous Roman historian, makes mention of the 

 manufacture of woolen cloth at Cirencester, in Gloucestershire, as 

 far back as A. D. 75. There is a good deal in history relating to 

 the manufacture of woolen cloth in Gloucestershire from the wool 

 of the sheep raised on the Cotswold Hills. In the Saxon era men- 

 tion is also made of the fame attained by the Gloucester woolen 

 mills, and it is stated that the king and his nobles were presented 

 with some of its cloth on their visiting those mills. During the 

 reign of Henry VI an act prohibiting the export of sheep or wool 

 was passed, and on this account the king of Portugal petitioned the 

 king of England for a royal warrant enabling him to export sixty 

 sacks of Cotswold wool that he might manufacture, at Florence, 

 cloth of gold for his royal household. About the year 1468 King 

 John, of Aragon, was presented with twenty Cotswold ewes and 

 rams, descendants of which are. said to be in existence in Spain. 



The modern Cotswold is not only one of the largest, but one of 

 the most beautiful of all breeds of sheep. Its immense size and 



