848 
Robert Bakewell, 13sq< 
for he rarely sold any of them, though he let them at 
high prices for the season.* 
Celebrated and excellent as Mr. Bakewell’s breeds 
of horses and cattle were, still more so was his breed 
of sheep. Perhaps at no period of titne, certainly not 
in his, was such an improvement made in this valuable 
animal. In the present day cultivators of flowers are 
continually producing new species, but Mr. Bakewell 
was before-hand with them, for he may truly be said 
to have been the producer of a new variety of sheep. 
Combined efforts frequently produce great improve¬ 
ments ; for practical men, by condensing their energies 
into one focus, may bring forward important results. 
But Mr. Bakewell’s was a master-mind; his own skill 
and genius overcame obstacles that to others appeared 
to be insurmountable; and his long-woolled sheep be¬ 
came the pride of Leicestershire. It was entirely his 
own work, and the time he took to complete his won¬ 
derful improvement was incredibly short. In our day 
the South Downs have been brought to the highest state 
of perfection by Ellman, Grantham, Webb, the Duke of 
Richmond, and others, the superiority of whose flocks 
do honor to the agricultural interests of the country; 
but they were brought to this state of perfection by the 
union of several parties : Mr. Bakewell stood alone, 
and to him we are solely indebted for that beautiful and 
useful animal, the new Leicester sheep. 
It was not on a sudden that Mr. Bakewell attained 
his high celebrity as a sheep-breeder. It is recorded 
of him that the first ram he let out he drove himself to 
Leicester fair, and obtained bnly 16s. for the use of him 
for the season. About 1760 his rams did not sell for 
more than from two to three guineas each, and after this 
time he did not receive for their hire more than from 
15s. to a guinea per head. He now gradually advanced 
his terms, and in 1770 he let some of them for 25 guin¬ 
eas. Mr. Bakewell used to tell an anecdote respecting 
the difference of judgment in respect to the value of 
cattle. . He was once attending Loughborough Tup- 
market, where he had a ram which he had let for 25 
guineas. Soon after the agreement was concluded, 
another farmer offered to purchase the animal, and 
Mr. Bakewell jestingly fixed the price at 25s. The 
farmer considered this too much, and offered 18s., 
and eventually they parted for 2s. This was some¬ 
thing on a par with the judgment of some Leicester¬ 
shire farmers respecting a heifer which had been pur- 
chased for 80 guineas, and which they, a few days after- 
priced at 81. This may be considered as the first dawn¬ 
ing of his fame and fortune. The reputation and 
prices of his stock so rapidly increased, that in a very 
short time 400 guineas was given for the use of a ram 
for the season. One, called the Two-pounder, pro¬ 
duced him in one season 800 guineas, besides the pro¬ 
duce of bis own ewes that were put to him, so it may be 
fairly calculated that the profits of the produce aver¬ 
aged him 1,200 guineas for one season. 
The ardent mind of Mr. Bakewell was first brought 
into action about the middle of the last century, and 
from that time we may date the improvement of the 
Leicester sheep. About that period he engaged John 
Breedon for his head shepherd, and it appears that he 
soon became his confidant. There is little doubt that 
he entered actively into his master’s plans, for he had 
the entire control over the formation of the new breed, 
* Mr. Bakewell had, at Dishley Farm, several car¬ 
cases of the different breeds preserved whole in pickle, 
which distinctly shewed the thickness of the flesh and 
fat, and also the smallness of the offal. He had like¬ 
wise skeletons, with distinct portions of the bones, 
heads, ribs, See. of the animals. 
under the direction of Mr. Bakewell, but they kept the 
manner in which it was accomplished a profound se¬ 
cret.* This seems somewhat strange, as Mr. Bake 
well was a liberal minded man, and in after years the 
knowledge of his process might have been of essential 
service to his country. But his whole mind was devot¬ 
ed to the science in which he had engaged, and while 
he was practically working out his plans, it is probable 
that if any of his schemes proved failures, he wished 
them to be kept as secret as possible. In this he acted 
wisely, for too frequently the observations of “ good na- 
tured friends” tend to damp the spirit, and check the 
energies of a man who risks his reputation on the suc¬ 
cess of his experiments. Hence it is that we are so 
little acquainted with the crosses he used to form his 
beautiful flock. Conjectures have been various : some 
have considered that the principal crosses he made were 
between the old long-woolled Leicesters, and the ill- 
formed animal that in those days fed upon the grassy 
hills of Chorwood forest; but, after all, conjecture is not 
proof. It may be taken as a fact denying dispute, that 
all his crosses were made from the best individuals of 
the different flocks, and these he in all probability, 
crossed again with some of another breed. His great 
object was to gain the greatest weight of meat upon 
the smallest quantity of bone, and to combine this with 
symmetry of form, early maturity, fine quality of flesh 
and a propensity to fatten. Some breeders consider the 
size of the animal to be too small, but Mr. Bakewell’s 
opinion was, that a greater quantity of mutton would 
be procured from a given quantity of acres, grazed by 
a larger number of small sheep, than from a smaller 
quantity of larger animals possessing less appetite. 
Arthur Young, who is no mean authority, informs us 
that Mr. Bakewell was very curious in the breed of 
his sheep, and he considered both his rams and his ewes 
to be perfect specimens. He describes their appear¬ 
ance thus :—“ Their bodies are as true barrels as could 
be seen—round, broad backs, and the legs not above 
six inches long; and a most unusual proof of kindly fat¬ 
tening is their feeling quite fat just within their fore¬ 
legs on the ribs—a point in which sheep are never ex¬ 
amined in common, from common breeds never carry¬ 
ing any fat there. In his breed of sheep he proceeds 
exactly on the same principle as with oxen—the fat¬ 
tening in the valuable parts of the body, and the living 
on much poorer food than other sorts. He has found 
from various experience in many parts of the king¬ 
dom, as well as upon his own farm, that no land is 
too bad for a good breed of cattle, and particularly 
sheep. It may not be proper for large stock, that is, 
large-boned stock, but undoubtedly more proper for a 
valuable well-made sheep, than the usual wretched 
sorts found in most parts of England on poor soils, 
such as the moor sheep, the Welch ones, and the Nor- 
folks ; and he would hazard a moderate stake that his 
own breed, each sheep of which is worth several of 
those poor sorts, would do better on -those poor soils 
than the stock generally found on them ; a good and 
true shape having been found -the strongest indication 
of hardiness.” 
According to Mr. Young, the breed of the sheep was 
originally Lincolnshire, which was wonderfully im¬ 
proved by Mr. Bakewell; and another person, who 
* Probably the invariable custom of Mr. Bakewell 
not to engage his servants for a term of less than four 
years, might have contributed to prevent the secrets 
of his system being known. The well-used servant 
naturally becomes attached to his master, and the 
honest one will never betray the confidence that has 
been reposed in him. 
