Herdwick Sheep

Herdwick Sheep have been roaming across the fells of the Lake District since at least the 12th century when the name appears in writings as Herdwyck or Herdvyck, which is Norse for "Sheep Pasture" which gives credibility for the theory that these originated in Scandinavia, having being with bought here by the Vikings.

Top right: young sheep about 1 year old           Top left: Ewe and newborn lamb
Bottom: Mature rams

The Herdwick sheep, at the time of writing, is in the Rare Breeds Survival Trust category 6:  "Other UK Native Breeds" (over 3000) registered breeding ewes and they are usually found across the Lake District, although there are a few small flocks now appearing in other locations in the UK, probably as a result of interest from hand spinners in the unusual fleece and also as a safety net for the future of the breed should we ever have another outbreak of foot and mouth disease, which drastically reduced the number of flocks during the last outbreak in 2001. They are an instantly recognisable breed and an icon of the Lake District, especially with tourists.  Individual sheep tend to be hefted to a specific part of the mountain or fell and will remain there, often where they were born, without the need for fencing.

In the later part of her life, the children's author Beatrix Potter, who is well known for having moved out of her parents home in London following the death of her publisher and intended husband Norman Warne, bought herself Hilltop Farm in the Lake District in 1905.  She loved the area so much that as farms came up for sale she bought them to prevent the land falling into the hands of developers who wanted to build on the land and thus preserving the beauty of the Lake District as we know it today.  She went on to marry William Heelis in 1913. She was also involved with keeping and breeding Herdwick sheep and for a time was even President of the sheep breed association and won a number of prizes for ewes at shows between 1930 and 1938.  Upon her death in 1943, she bequeathed 15 farms, totalling around 4,000 acres, to the National Trust to be preserved for the grazing of Herdwick flocks.  When William died in 1945 the remainder of the land was given to the National Trust.

The Herdwick is a medium build sheep with a white head and legs.  They are regarded as the most hardy of all of the British breeds and can survive on the highest ground.  Their fleece sheds water more efficiently than other fleeces and also dries out more quickly. Lambs are born totally black but their faces, ears and legs soon turn white and by the time they are 1 year old their fleece has become dark brown.  The fleece becomes lighter year on year and the oldest sheep can reach the point of having an all white fleece.  They should have a strong ruffle or mane around the neck and top of the shoulder and this generally contains more coarse fibres than the rest of the fleece. Rams are usually horned, ewes are polled.

They produce a medium size fleece of 1.5-2kg in weight that contains an undercoat of relatively soft wool, guard hairs, heterotypic hair which change with the season so are more wool like for warmth in winter and more hair-like for shedding rain in the summer and then there is kemp.  Sometimes there is a lot of kemp.  It is easier to prepare when it is long because although these fibres are happy to hang out together if you want to separate them then its easier to do so when the fleece is longer.  It is also easier to spin this if the fibres are longer than short. 

The staple lengths can range 3-10 inches (7.5-25.5cm) but are generally 4-8 inches (10-20.5cm).  The locks are dense and clumpy and tend to contain a mix of the four fibre types with the mane area being the coarsest.  They are usually grey, although lambs are black through to brown so you might be able to get black or brown fleece if you can get a lamb or shearling fleece or you may be able to get a tan brown fleece from a sheep being sheared for the second time. The kemp fibres will not show dye much, if at all, and darker fleece won't show any colour but the lighter grey fleeces may show dye, although it will be like undyed wool and be tweedy.

This fleece can be spun from teased locks.  Combing may separate some of the fibre types and carding is best for shorter fleeces.  If you intend to spin all the fibre types into your yarn then you need to use the lightest touch to keep them well blended otherwise they will be effectively filtered by your hand and spun separately.  You need enough twist to hold it together but not much that you make rope.

Yarns spun from Herdwick fleece are definitely suited to household items and upholstery, especially if all fibre types have been spun together.  If you have separated the soft undercoat out from the rest of the fleece and spun that then those yarns might be suitable for hats, sweaters and such like but still not likely to be used for next to skin wear.  

I have bought this breed in as 100g of pre-prepared fibre.  I also had a 25g sample that I got with another pack from the same supplier so split the 100g in half to make two shorter lengths and then with the 25g I split it down along the length to make two thinner long lengths and then pulled it out until it was the same length as the 50g half.  I then pre-drafted the fibre together.  This evens out any slight difference in colour there may be between them.

My finished yarn is of very sturdy to the touch of the hand but doesn't feel too rough, but then again I did sit and remove a lot of the kemp in both black and white and you can still feel the prickly hair and kemp if you put it up to your neck (the best place to test a yarn for the tickle factor because the skin there is quite sensitive).  I have 117g/237m of sport weight yarn.  My knitted piece for the project took 24g/49m so I have some left to do whatever with.