36 
The Sheep Stock of Gloucestershire. 
essay prefixed to Yol. II. of the Flock Book, quotes Mr. W. 
Lane, of Broadfield, to the effect that he could not remember 
a Leicester cross being used later than 1830. 
The following weights of two-year old wether sheep, 
shown by James Cloth er, of Gloucester, at Smithfield in 1808, 
are of interest as showing the development of the Cotswold as 
a mutton sheep a hundred years ago : — 
No. 1. Live Weight 271 lb. Carcass 177 lb. Fat 20 lb. Offal 74 lb. 
„ 2. „ „ 273 „ „ 184 „ 18 „ „ 71 „ 
„ 3. „ „ 272 „ „ 184 „ „ 19 „ ,, 69 „ 
Having produced a breed of sheep which combined the 
superior carcass of the New Leicester with the size, hardiness, 
and heavy fleece of the old Cotswold, the next move was in 
the direction of early maturity. As early as 1838, Mr. H. Lane, 
of Broadfield, by adopting the practice of cutting roots for his 
tegs, succeeded in fattening them out in April (i.g., at fourteen 
months), at the estimated weight of 25 lb. per quarter, but the 
practice was not general until later. 
The development of railway communication, the establish- 
ment of agricultural shows, and the general activity and desire 
for improvement which prevailed in the first half of last 
century, all contributed to spread the fame of the Cotswold 
sheep beyond its own country, and to widen its popularity. 
Pure-bred flocks were established in Wilts, Hereford, 
Worcester, Glamorgan, Norfolk, Kent, and Somerset. 
Mr. John Bravender, writing about 1850, says : “ Our sheep 
are in great demand in all parts of England, as well as Ireland, 
for crossing with other breeds.” Mr. R. Smith, in his prize 
essay on the management of sheep, wrote, in 1847, that 
Cotswold rams were “ much sought after for crossing with 
short-woolled breeds, and with good effect.” 
About this time it was estimated that in Gloucestershire 
alone 5,000 rams were sold and let in a season, at a total price 
of little less than 50,0O0Z. About ten years later the numbers 
had fallen to 4,000. During these years there was a good 
export trade to America, Australia, and the Continent of 
Europe. In the Times report of the Royal Show at Lincoln 
in 1854, it is stated that the breed had found great favour with 
American agriculturists, and that one breeder had sold in 
that year seven rams and ten ewes to a transatlantic purchaser, 
at prices amounting in the aggregate to nearly 1,000Z. 
The records of the Royal Agricultural Society’s Show 
are evidence that the Cotswold men were not behind in the 
showyard, and Cotswold sheep, although not allotted a class 
to themselves until 1862, frequently swept the board in the 
classes for long-wools. In the early days of the Society, the 
names of Large, Carne, Lane, E. Smith, Hewer, Handy, 
