152 WESTMORLAND AGRICULTURE, 1800— 1900 



at 4I years old from 9 to 11 lbs. per quarter. They have a thick 

 matted fleece of short wool, which, though coarser than that of any 

 of the other short-wooled sheep, is yet much finer than the wool of 

 the black-faced heath sheep, with which variety they seem to have 

 been crossed, as we suspect, from some of the rams having small 

 horns, and from some kempy hairs being intermixed amongst the 

 wool." In 1794 Bailey and CuUey describe them in their report, 

 they say : " The ewes and wethers are ail polled or hornless, and also 

 many of the tups ; their faces and legs speckled ; but a great portion 

 of white ; with a few black spots on those parts, are accounted marks 

 of the purest breed, as are also the hornless tups ; they have fine, 

 small, clean legs ; the wool is short, and forms a thick matted fleece, 

 much finer than that of the black-faced heath sheep, with which 

 variety they seem to have been crossed, from some of the rams having 

 spiral horns, and from some kemps or hairs being intermixed amongst 

 some fleeces of the wool." 



The average weight of the fleece is 2 lbs., and the wethers killed 

 at 4I years old average 10 lbs. a quarter. 



Wm. Youatt, in 1837, describes them as small, active, polled 

 and their faces and legs speckled, having a great proportion of white, 

 with a few black spots strewed upon it. Their fleece is considerably 

 finer than that of the common black-faced sheep. "The cross between 

 the Herdwicks and the native mountain sheep is variously coloured 

 about the head and legs, some being white and others speckled, and 

 not a few perfectly black. They are horned, high shouldered, narrow 

 backed, flat sided, and with coarse and rather long hair." In 1849 

 T. Rowlandson, a great worshipper of the breed and one who did 

 much to bring it to the notice of agriculturists, says : " The Herdwicks 

 of the present day are characterized by being poUed, and have brownish 

 or speckled black and white or mottled faces ; some few have black 

 faces, and also some have horns, but neither of these are considered 

 genuine ; as they get older, they assume a white or grey appearance 

 about the nose and legs (in the shepherds' phrase they grow raggy). 

 The ewes should aways be polled ; on a few wethers and rams small 

 smooth horns make their appearance — a proof of intermixture of 

 blood ; the wool is fine, only about the neck and fore-quarters often 

 intermixed with kemps. The wool on the body is open and kempy, 



