Kent Trust Web Blog

Here is one of our Lincoln Longwool Ewes with her lambs...

2007 Watchlist; Category 4, At Risk. (information taken from RBST website)

The Lincoln Longwool is the largest longwool sheep, developed over the centuries to produce heavy fleeces of strong wool to make hard wearing cloth. The wool from the sheep of Lincolnshire was the basis of the prosperity of the east of England until the advent of artificial fibres. In the 18th century the Lincoln became an important dual-purpose breed producing both a large quantity of wool and a large mutton carcase.

Many thousands of Lincolns were exported to many parts of the world, particularly to South America, Australia and New Zealand, where they were crossed with the Merino to createnew wool breeds such as the Corriedale and Polwarth.

The breed declined through the 20th century, and by 1971 there were only 15 flocks left containing only about 500 ewes. There was a partial revival in the late 1980s and the ewe numbers increased to 1300 but the breed is again in a precarious position with less than 500 ewes. It has a polled white head with a broad forelock of wool.

The Lincoln is noted for its strong-stapled lustre wool which is used for a diverse range of products. The average weight of a ewe fleece is 6-7 kg, but a fleece clipped from a 27 month old ram at its second shearing weighed 21 kg, and the record length of staple is 80 cm, clipped from a shearling ewe. The Lincoln has a large strong boned frame, and at slaughter at 20 weeks of age the carcase weight will be 20-29 kg and that of a hoggett 35-40 kg with excellent flavoured mutton.