Herdwick sheep being herded across Lingcove Bridge over Lingcove Beck in Eskdale, Cumbria. Photo by Philip Halling - from geograph.org.uk
Initially I was not going to include this breed of sheep in my survey because it is not typically listed being among Northern European Short-Tailed Sheep breeds, due to its having a longer, muscular tail. (Ryder, Sheep & Man, 1983) However, a more recent “Featured Research” article in Science Daily speaks of a new study which proves a strong genetic link between the Herdwick of Britain and flocks in Scandinavia and Iceland (giving credence to the tales that they were brought to England by the Vikings). (Bowles, Carson, Issac.)
Ryder has suggested that an examination of Norse wools from Scottish sites show a predominantly hairy fleece type that is different than the native Soay (and also different than the wools found at Roman sites) and believes that this provides a further link between the Herdwick and the sheep brought to the area by the Vikings.
Coupling this research and the fact that I have managed to obtain a sample of Herdwick wool, I have opted to include the breed among my other descriptions here.
Ryder has suggested that an examination of Norse wools from Scottish sites show a predominantly hairy fleece type that is different than the native Soay (and also different than the wools found at Roman sites) and believes that this provides a further link between the Herdwick and the sheep brought to the area by the Vikings.
Coupling this research and the fact that I have managed to obtain a sample of Herdwick wool, I have opted to include the breed among my other descriptions here.
 | The Herdwick is a hardy breed of sheep native to Britain and lives in the highest mountains of the Lake District. The name comes from Herdwyck or Herdvyck, has Saxon roots and means “sheep pasture”, and can be found in documents dating back to the 12th century when their wool was already important to local abbeys for the production of carpets. (Herdwick Sheep Breeders Association; Ekarius and Robson, 266; Dohner, 124) While we now understand that these are most likely sheep descended from Viking stock interbreeding with British sheep, there are other interesting tales of how they arrived in Britain, including one talks of forty small sheep that managed to swim ashore after the wreck of a Spanish galleon around 1588. (Wrightson, 91) These exceptionally hardy animals can withstand cold, harsh weather and exist solely on forage. Beyond that they are both long-lived and prolific, making them a favorite of local farmers. |
Their lambs are born solid black, with the face and ears whitening by their first year. After that, the fleece changes to a dark brown and eventually, over years, fades to gray or even white. (Ekarius and Robson, 225) Rams are horned and ewes are naturally polled.
Herdwicks have a dual coat, much like that of other primitive breeds (and is described by Ryder as having a Hairy fleece type). The outer coat is comprised of guard hairs, kemp and heterotype hairs. Heterotype hairs, upon close inspection, appear to be a hybrid between the guard hairs and the wool with tips looking like the root end looking like the latter. This special type of fiber actually changes properties during the year to be more warm and insulating in the winter and more like hair to repel water in the summer. (Ekarius and Robson, 267; Piggot and Thirsk, 369; Burns) Additionally, the heterotype hairs are also present in some other members of the North European Short-tailed group of sheep, giving the Herdwick another connection to those breeds. (Ryder, Sheep & Man, 192)
The heavy outer coat is coarse, often suited for use in carpet weaving. And the while the undercoat is fine in comparison (and purportedly good for spinning to knit for sweaters), the sample I had had the staple length of both coats was so similar that it was hard to separate the types of fiber. (Unlike dual coated breeds such as the Spaelsau or Icelandic where the hairy coat is quite long compared to the soft under wool, making it easy to grasp the tips and pull the fleece types apart.) Beyond that, even the undercoat, in my samples, was more coarse than I would even care to use for an outergarment, though I can certainly see the appeal of the nice tweedy shades that it would produce.
Herdwicks have a dual coat, much like that of other primitive breeds (and is described by Ryder as having a Hairy fleece type). The outer coat is comprised of guard hairs, kemp and heterotype hairs. Heterotype hairs, upon close inspection, appear to be a hybrid between the guard hairs and the wool with tips looking like the root end looking like the latter. This special type of fiber actually changes properties during the year to be more warm and insulating in the winter and more like hair to repel water in the summer. (Ekarius and Robson, 267; Piggot and Thirsk, 369; Burns) Additionally, the heterotype hairs are also present in some other members of the North European Short-tailed group of sheep, giving the Herdwick another connection to those breeds. (Ryder, Sheep & Man, 192)
The heavy outer coat is coarse, often suited for use in carpet weaving. And the while the undercoat is fine in comparison (and purportedly good for spinning to knit for sweaters), the sample I had had the staple length of both coats was so similar that it was hard to separate the types of fiber. (Unlike dual coated breeds such as the Spaelsau or Icelandic where the hairy coat is quite long compared to the soft under wool, making it easy to grasp the tips and pull the fleece types apart.) Beyond that, even the undercoat, in my samples, was more coarse than I would even care to use for an outergarment, though I can certainly see the appeal of the nice tweedy shades that it would produce.
 Herdwick sheep, by Mark Fosh of Watford, UK |  Herdwick ewe - photo from WikiMedia Commons |
Fiber Info
 Herdwick Fleece sample from The Fibre Mine. Note the range of color in one fleece. The pale grey/white fibres are the most coarse (with the white fibres being kemp). |  This is a sample of commercially processed roving I purchased at Pennsic 42. I am holding it in hopes that it better shows how coarse the wool is. There is farm more kemp in this sample than the sample I purchased from the Fibre Mine. |
 Herdwick locks. Mine fall within the typical staple length of 4-8 inches that is listed in the Fleece and Fibre Sourcebook. |  Top - Commercially processed Herdwick roving. Below - My hand combed Herdwick wool from the Fibre Mine fleece sample I purchased. |
Samples of spun Herdwick. Top is the hand combed wool from the Fibre Mine and below is the commercially processed wool.
(Are you wondering where I get some of my rare wool samples? I have friends in Norway who have provided some but most of them I get from The Fibre Mine on Etsy! Please check out her shop at some point, the selection is amazing!)
Resources:
Burns, Marca. “The development of the fleece and follicle population in Herdwick Sheep.” The Journal of Agricultural Science, Volume 44, Issue 4. Cambridge University Press, 1954.
Dianna Bowles, Amanda Carson, Peter Isaac. “Genetic Distinctiveness of the Herdwick Sheep Breed and Two Other Locally Adapted Hill Breeds of the UK.” PLoS ONE, 2014.
Dohner, Janet Vorwald. The Encyclopedia of Historic and Endangered Livestock and Poultry Breeds. Yale University Press, 2001.
Dýrmundsson, Ólafur and Niznikowski, Roman. “North European short-tailed breeds of sheep : a review,” 59th Annual Meeting of the European Association for Animal Production. 2008
Ekarius, Carol and Robson, Deborah. The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook: More Than 200 Fibers, from Animal to Spun Yarn. Storey Publishing, LLC, 2011.
Herdwick Sheep Breeders Association: http://www.herdwick-sheep.com/
The Herdy Company Blog. http://www.herdy.co.uk
Piggot, Stuart and Thirsk, Joan. The Agrarian History of England and Wales: Volume 1, Prehistory to AD 1042. Cambridge University Press, 2011.
Ryder, M. L. “Medieval Sheep and Wool Types.” Agricultural Review, Vol. 32, No. 1, 1984.
Ryder, M. L. Sheep & Man. Gerald Duckworth & Co., 1983.
Ryder, M. L. “Changes in the fleece of sheep following domestication (with a note on the coat of cattle”.
Ryder, M. L. "A Survey of European Primitive Breeds of Sheep," Annales de Génétique et de Sélection Animale. 13, no. 4: 381−418, 1981.
Ryder, Michael L.. "The History of Sheep Breeds in Britain." The Agricultural History Review, 12, no. 1: 1−12, 65-82. 1964.
Visit Cumbria. http://www.visitcumbria.com/herdwick-sheep/
Wrightson, John. Sheep: Breeds and Management. Vinton Publishing, 1898.
Resources:
Burns, Marca. “The development of the fleece and follicle population in Herdwick Sheep.” The Journal of Agricultural Science, Volume 44, Issue 4. Cambridge University Press, 1954.
Dianna Bowles, Amanda Carson, Peter Isaac. “Genetic Distinctiveness of the Herdwick Sheep Breed and Two Other Locally Adapted Hill Breeds of the UK.” PLoS ONE, 2014.
Dohner, Janet Vorwald. The Encyclopedia of Historic and Endangered Livestock and Poultry Breeds. Yale University Press, 2001.
Dýrmundsson, Ólafur and Niznikowski, Roman. “North European short-tailed breeds of sheep : a review,” 59th Annual Meeting of the European Association for Animal Production. 2008
Ekarius, Carol and Robson, Deborah. The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook: More Than 200 Fibers, from Animal to Spun Yarn. Storey Publishing, LLC, 2011.
Herdwick Sheep Breeders Association: http://www.herdwick-sheep.com/
The Herdy Company Blog. http://www.herdy.co.uk
Piggot, Stuart and Thirsk, Joan. The Agrarian History of England and Wales: Volume 1, Prehistory to AD 1042. Cambridge University Press, 2011.
Ryder, M. L. “Medieval Sheep and Wool Types.” Agricultural Review, Vol. 32, No. 1, 1984.
Ryder, M. L. Sheep & Man. Gerald Duckworth & Co., 1983.
Ryder, M. L. “Changes in the fleece of sheep following domestication (with a note on the coat of cattle”.
Ryder, M. L. "A Survey of European Primitive Breeds of Sheep," Annales de Génétique et de Sélection Animale. 13, no. 4: 381−418, 1981.
Ryder, Michael L.. "The History of Sheep Breeds in Britain." The Agricultural History Review, 12, no. 1: 1−12, 65-82. 1964.
Visit Cumbria. http://www.visitcumbria.com/herdwick-sheep/
Wrightson, John. Sheep: Breeds and Management. Vinton Publishing, 1898.
RSS Feed