Evolution Of English Leicester Longwools, Teeswaters,
Border Leicesters & Bluefaced Leicesters

1770 To 1800

Robert Bakewell was an 18th century English Leicestershire (Midlands) farmer. His estate was called “Dishley Grange”. Between 1770 and 1800 he worked extensively to improve a number of breeds of sheep, horses and cattle. Starting with the old longwool English Leicester sheep, which is thought to have descended from a medieval longwool breed which originated from the Cotswold sheep, and crossing it with the old Lincoln sheep, by selected inbreeding over a period of ten years Bakewell was able to permanently fix the characteristics of long, straight backs and extreme luster that he was breeding for. These new Leicesters did not have Roman noses. Unfortunately, Bakewell’s new “improved” English Leicester lost hardiness, had coarse wool, was very fat, (an attribute thought to be appreciated by the working class palate Bakewell was breeding for), short legged with a small head, huge body and fine bones. Furthermore, unlike their hardier ancestors, these “improved” sheep needed good pasture to survive. Bakewell was the first producer to lease rams for large fees to other sheep producers. (Today’s Cotswolds, one of only three breeds sanctioned by the Wensleydale Association as acceptable for their upgrading program, are all large part New Improved English Leicesters.)

In the 1790s, friends of Robert Bakewell’s, the Cully brothers, moved further north near the border between England and Scotland, (Fenton, in Northumberland), and took with them a flock of Bakewell’s “New Improved English Leicester” (also sometimes referred to as “Dishley Leicesters”, so called for Robert Bakewell’s estate “Dishley Grange”),  as they were now called. They began using their New Improved English Leicester rams, one of which was  an enormous and locally very famous New Improved English Leicester ram. This ram was named “Cannonball” and was sometimes referred to by his nickname, “Two Pounder”, (for a particularly large cannon ball.) More than the offspring of any of the Cully brother’s other New Improved English Leicester rams, most of Cannonball’s lambs exhibited all of his outstanding qualities. He soon became greatly sought after as a breeding ram by the local stockmen, and, like their friend Bakewell, the Cully brothers began charging impressive fees for the use of their amazing ram on the local stock, a luster long wool breed which was known as the “Muggs” sheep. (Although the original  “Muggs" sheep have long since been cross bred out of existence, we would recognize them as today’s “Teeswater” sheep, which has since been reestablished, refined and renamed.) Gradually, the offspring of these crossings between the local Muggs sheep and the Cully brother’s New Improved English Leicesters, were bred to one another, and began to breed “true” to type. This new breed began to be called the “English Border Leicester” and  is usually referred to today simply as the “Border Leicester”.


1830s

The English Border Leicester, retained many of the qualities of the New Improved English Leicester (especially the Cully’s outstanding ram “Cannonball”), and also of the Mugg’s (which became known as “Improved Teeswater” or “ English Border Leicester”) wool, after the original Muggs breed became extinct. These new “Border Leicester” wethers fattened quickly and the ewes produced fast maturing lambs. Local stockmen, some of whom were breeders of Scottish Blackface sheep, began using the Cully’s best-bred Border Leicester rams on their ewes. Thus, between the late 1700s and the early 1800s, another local cross-bred sheep began to emerge that was an amalgam of the Cully brother’s “Border Leicester” and the local Scottish Blackface and other local breeds and cross-breeds.) By the 1830s, these various back-breedings, in-breedings, line-breedings and cross-breedings had produced another distinct local breed, known as the Wensleydale. The Wensleydale is one of the few breeds in existence, in which it is known precisely how the breed originated:

An outstanding and distinctly colored Border Leicester ram appeared. This ram was a descendant of the Cully brother’s breedings of their Bakewell New Improved English Leicester rams on the local “Muggs” (Teeswater type) ewes, and was known as “Blue Cap” because of the blue-black skin (rather than the typical pink), beneath his white wool (and which was most noticeable on his head where the wool covering made the skin more visible.) It is thought that his genetic makeup may well have also included Scottish Blackface and even perhaps, some Southdown contributions. (Southdowns had black faces covered with white short hair in the 1840s.) Scottish Blackface have horns but today’s Teeswaters have lost this trait, although they have distinctly marked black and white faces (originally, the old “Muggs, also known as old “Teeswaters” had white faces.) It is thought by many that today’s Teeswaters have been heavily influenced by the Scottish Blackface breed, directly and indirectly. Blue Cap was bred back to many local ewes of the “Muggs” type, some of which were known by now as “Improved Teeswaters” (descendants of the Cully brothers original Improved English Leicester rams on the local “Muggs” ewes.) One of these breedings produced outstanding and high-quality lambs of a distinctly unique appearance. They possessed the blue-black skin of their sire, Blue Cap, as well as his size and great length of back. In addition, their wool was bright white and distinctly “purled”, as well as being unusually soft (fine) and highly lustered. This wool grew to an amazing length, often more than a foot per year. It was discovered that when bred back to Blue Cap, the lambs of this breeding exhibited the same traits. Soon these sheep were being bred to one another and became known as Wensleydales, for the region in which they were located.     
   
By 1880, yet another new breed, called the Bluefaced Leicester, had also appeared. It is thought that this breed was the result of the crossing of Cheviots (then and now, a breed common in the border region between England and Scotland) with descendants of the Cully brother’s famous Border Leicester ram, “Blue Cap”. Cheviots have distinctly upright ears and very Roman noses. Today, Bluefaced Leicester rams are used to cross on the pure hill breeds in the UK in order to produce half breed rams, which are then bred to “terminal sires” (purebred rams of such breeds as Suffolks), to produce the ewe flocks which dominate today’s lowland farms in England. This is known as the English “Three Tiered Breeding Program”, and the third generation offspring are called “Mule Sheep”. This breeding program is by far the dominant one in the UK, and for this reason, the Bluefaced Leicester’s place is highly valued and secure there.

Conclusion: Between 1770 and 1800 Robert Bakewell crossed the old long wooled English Leicester sheep with the old Lincoln sheep and through extensive selective inbreeding eventually produced a distinct breed which could reproduce themselves and which became known as“Bakewell’s New Improved English Leicesters” (a.k.a. “Bakewell Leicesters”, a.k.a. “Dishley Leicesters”.

Cotswold Sheep + Local Breeds = Medieval Longwooled Sheep + Local Breeds = Old Longwooled English Leicester Sheep + Old Lincoln Sheep = “Bakewell’s New Improved English Leicesters” (today’s English Leicester Longwool)  (a.k.a. “Bakewell Leicesters”, a.k.a. “Dishley Leicesters”

Then, in the 1790s, in the border region of Northern England between England and Scotland, to which they had moved, (Fenton, in Northumberland), the Cully brother’s “Bakewell’s New Improved English Leicesters” (a.k.a. “Bakewell Leicesters”, a.k.a. “Dishley Leicesters”) began to be crossed with the local breed of sheep known as “Muggs”. One of the most sought after of these Cully brother’s rams, to be used the the “Muggs”, was known as “Cannon Ball” (also known as “Two Pounder”. The resulting breed of sheep, which eventually became fixed (that is, able to reproduce itself when like animals were bred to one another), became known as “Improved Teeswaters” and eventually by the name we know them as today, “Border Leicesters.” 

Cotswold Sheep + Local Breeds = Medieval Longwooled Sheep + Local Breeds = Old Longwooled English Leicester Sheep + Old Lincoln Sheep = “Bakewell’s New Improved English Leicesters” (today’s English Leicester Longwool) (a.k.a. “Bakewell Leicesters”, a.k.a. “Dishley Leicesters”),  which the Cully brothers took with them and introduced to the border region between Scotland and England  and one of which was their famous ram “Cannon Ball”, (s.k.a. “Two Pounder”) + ewes of the local breed of sheep known as “Muggs” = Border Leicesters (originally a.k.a. “Improved Teeswaters”)

Between the late 1790s and the early 1800s, another local cross-bred sheep began to emerge that was an amalgam of the Cully brother’s “Border Leicester” and the local Scottish Blackface and other local breeds and cross-breeds. From these breedings emerged an outstanding and distinctive ram, known as “Blue Cap”.

Cotswold Sheep + Local Breeds = Medieval Longwooled Sheep + Local Breeds = Old Longwooled English Leicester Sheep + Old Lincoln Sheep = “Bakewell’s New Improved English Leicesters” (today’s English Leicester Longwool)  (a.k.a. “Bakewell Leicesters”, a.k.a. “Dishley Leicesters”),  which the Cully brothers took with them and introduced to the border region between Scotland and England  and one of which was their famous ram “Cannon Ball”, (s.k.a. “Two Pounder”) + ewes of the local breed of sheep known as “Muggs” = Border Leicesters (originally a.k.a. “Improved Teeswaters”) + Scottish Blackface and other local breeds and cross-breeds = “Blue Cap”

Blue Cap was bred back to many local ewes of the “Muggs” type, some of which were known by now as “Improved Teeswaters” (descendants of the Cully brothers original Improved English Leicester rams on the local “Muggs” ewes.) Some of these breedings produced outstanding and high-quality lambs of a distinctly unique appearance. They possessed the blue-black skin of their sire Blue Cap, as well as his size and great length of back. In addition, their wool was bright white and distinctly “purled”, as well as being unusually soft (fine) and highly lustered. This wool grew to an amazing length, often more than a foot per year. It was discovered that when bred back to Blue Cap, the lambs of this breeding exhibited the same traits. Soon these sheep were being bred to one another and by the 1830s became known as Wensleydales, for the region in which they were located.     

Cotswold Sheep + Local Breeds = Medieval Longwooled Sheep + Local Breeds = Old Longwooled English Leicester Sheep (today’s English Leicester Longwool) + Old Lincoln Sheep = “Bakewell’s New Improved English Leicesters” (a.k.a. “Bakewell Leicesters”, a.k.a. “Dishley Leicesters”),  which the Cully brothers took with them and introduced to the border region between Scotland and England  and one of which was their famous ram “Cannon Ball”, (s.k.a. “Two Pounder”) + ewes of the local breed of sheep known as “Muggs” = Border Leicesters (originally a.k.a. “Improved Teeswaters”) + Scottish Blackface and other local breeds and cross-breeds = “Blue Cap” + Border Leicesters (s.k.a. “Improved Teeswaters”) + local breeds and cross-breeds = Wensleydales.

Or:

Cotswold Sheep + Local Breeds = Medieval Longwooled Sheep + Local Breeds = Old Longwooled English Leicester Sheep + Old Lincoln Sheep = “Bakewell’s New Improved English Leicesters” (today’s English Leicester Longwool) + “Muggs” = Border Leicesters + Scottish Blackface and other local breeds and cross-breeds = “Blue Cap” + Border Leicesters (s.k.a. “Improved Teeswaters”) + local breeds and cross-breeds = Wensleydales.

By 1880, yet another new breed, called the Bluefaced Leicester, had also appeared. It is thought that this breed was the result of the crossing of Cheviots (then and now, a breed common in the border region between England and Scotland) with descendants of the Cully brother’s famous Border Leicester ram, “Blue Cap”. Cheviots have distinctly upright ears and very Roman noses.

Or:

Cotswold Sheep + Local Breeds = Medieval Longwooled Sheep + Local Breeds = Old Longwooled English Leicester Sheep + Old Lincoln Sheep = “Bakewell’s New Improved English Leicesters” (today’s English Leicester Longwool)  + “Muggs” = Border Leicesters + Scottish Blackface and other local breeds and cross-breeds = “Blue Cap” + Cheviots + local breeds and cross-breeds = Bluefaced Leicesters