CHAPTER LI 



THE HAMPSHIRE DOWN^ 



The native home of Hampshire Down sheep is in south-central 

 England, in the county of Hampshire, or, as it is commonly 

 known in that country, Hants. The county, including the Isle 

 of Wight, contains 1626 square miles, and its south boundary is 

 along the English Channel. Winchester is the county seat, while 

 Portsmouth and Southampton are large and important maritime 

 cities of Great Britain. Like all of south England, the climate 

 is very temperate the year round ; in fact, the Isle of Wight is 

 regarded as possessing the mildest climate on the entire coast. 

 The land is rolling, being crossed by the North and South 

 Downs. The soil is of a chalky character, none too fertile, but 

 producing fair crops of the small cereals and roots and fine grass 

 for sheep pasture. 



The origin of the Hampshire Down sheep traces back to at 

 least two sources, crossed with improved stock. In the counties 

 of Hampshire and Wiltshire and also to some extent in other 

 near-by counties were large, slow-maturing, white-faced, narrow- 

 backed, fine-fleeced sheep with horns, known as Wiltshires. The 

 horns turned back behind the ears and about the cheeks, from 

 which peculiarity they were known as '" crooks." There were 

 no other sheep like them in England, and by 1837, as a result 

 of crossing, they had practically disappeared. In the county of 

 Berks there was also another old type with horns, strong and 

 vigorous, with dark face and legs. Early in the last century these 

 two types were crossed again and again with the Southdown. 

 About 1835 the sheep of Hampshire and Wiltshire generally 

 showed Southdown type and character, and they were exhibited 

 at the Royal Agricultural Society Show at Oxford in 1840 as 



1 In view of the fact that a breed of swine is also named Hampshire, the author 

 feels that the word " Down " may well be used as a part of the name as applied 

 to the breed of sheep. Hampshire Down is also the official title used to-day 

 in England. 



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