Stories from Lochan Mor Farm: The Leicester Longwools

While winter winds and snow continue with a vengeance, lambing here at Lochan Mor Farm has begun.  Every spring my husband scolds me over the timing of when the lambs and kids (baby goats) start arriving – especially when there is a chance that they will take up temporary residence in the house if the temperature goes too low. I try to explain that our sheep and goats are, mostly, seasonal breeders, and I really have no say! He just shakes his head and turns away muttering.

Soon after we started Lochan Mor Farm (with Colored Angora Goats) I was exposed to the Livestock Conservancy and their sheep conservation list.  Being that I’m a huge history buff (in particular the American Revolution time period) and the family historian, down the rabbit hole I went. It was difficult for me not to be intrigued, in particular, by the Leicester Longwool Sheep breed.

Establishing the Leicester Longwool Sheep Breed in the US

Leicester Longwools, the foundation stock for so many of today’s modern breeds, were once raised by both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. As the path of so many popular things, Leicester Longwools fell out of favor as more modern breeds emerged. When establishing the Colonial Williamsburg flock, it took the folks there a long time to find a Leicester Longwool sheep. That is until they finally found Willoughby, a Canadian Leicester Longwool ram who they purchased at an animal auction. Sadly, he was brutally killed by vandals in 1988 behind Wetherburn’s Tavern.  The positive side of this tragic event was that it raised awareness, and funds.  Donations from children, as well as large philanthropic foundations, enabled Colonial Williamsburg to search worldwide for their foundation stock.

From Tasmania to the US

Ivan Heazlewood¹, a third-generation Leicester breeder in Tasmania, personally took on the considerable task of organizing a flock of sheep for export to Colonial Williamsburg. He selected ewes from four different flocks (including his own Meltonvale flock) and had them bred before exporting the ewes and a ram to North America. After clearing all the standard health inspections in Australia, the sheep arrived in Canada for a quarantine period and the final portion of their trip. In February 1990, after many long and anxious months, eight beautiful Leicester Longwool ewes, six lambs, and one ram arrived at Colonial Williamsburg.

Keeping the stock going

To grow, and make the most of the available genetic material, Dr. Phillip Sponenberg² designed a breeding plan for Colonial Williamsburg. He also helped avoid inbreeding and other pitfalls of working with a small population of sheep. Following two successful breeding seasons, Colonial Williamsburg established satellite flocks. Three ewes and one ram, that were genetic matches, were loaned to experienced sheep farmers. These farmers understood the genetic importance of the Leicester program. To ensure their expectations were met Colonial Williamsburg retained ownership of the original sheep and reserved the right to move any of them if they found it necessary. The farmers benefited in that they retained ownership of half of the lambs produced by their loaner flock.

Want to Know More about Leicester Longwools?

There is so much more you can learn more about this breed, its fleece characteristics, qualities… the list goes on. A great location to start is the Leicester Longwool Associations website.

In Conclusion

I so enjoy working with this breed and its wool. It has been fun to explore the different techniques related to handling the Leicester Longwool fleece. From dyeing the locks to using various forms of preparation before spinning. I have learned a lot on this journey, and hope to continue to. I enjoy being able to share the knowledge I gain with all of those interested. Thank you for taking the time to read about my beloved Leicester’s (this is not to say that I don’t love my goaties, my Romeldale/CVMs or my Romneys too!).  They are like children, each having their own endearing qualities.

Oh, and a side bar…. while doing some of my family genealogy (after I had my Leicesters), I found out that not too far down my family tree I have ancestors from Leicestershire – birthplace of the Leicester Longwools – Now how cool is that?!

[1] Sadly, Mr. Heazlewood passed away in 2015, but his family continues his legacy and their support for the American effort in the preservation of this amazing breed.
[2] Technical coordinator for the Livestock Conservancy