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Sheep
Cotswold
2008 Watchlist; Category 4, At Risk.
The Cotswold, like other longwool breeds, probably originated from sheep kept on large estates by settling Romans. By the Middle Ages the breed was at the height of its popularity and contributed significantly to the English wool trade, creating the wealth to build the churches and manor houses in the Cotswold area at that time.
Adapted to the often harsh conditions of the Cotswold limestone hills, they were fed on fodder crops and roots at a high stocking density to prepare and fertilise the ground for the next arable rotation. Competition from other breeds forced the breed into decline until, in 1950, there was only one purebred flock remaining.
The Cotswold is a large, polled, long-woolled sheep capable of producing heavy-weight quality lambs. The face, head and legs are white and the fleece is of a very good quality, suited to most uses.