About Border Leicesters
The Border Leicester is an old British breed, dating back to the mid 1700's. It is a lineal descendant of the Dishley Leicesters, which were made famous by Robert Bakewell, of Dishley, Leicestershire. In 1767, the Cully brothers of Fenton, Northumberland, students of Bakewell, introduced these improved Leicesters into their native Northumberland, and began crossing them with Teeswater ewes and perhaps some Cheviot as well, to produce this medium sized sheep.
Border Leicesters became in fact the sheep most prevalent in Quebec, and from the mid 1800's to the mid 1900's was found on every farm throughout the province.
It is easy to fall for this breed as they are so tame, and this is evident in both ewes and rams. Their temperaments are docile but not without spirit. They display much affection for each other, and call to each other constantly.
The ewes make wonderful mothers, have easy births and lots of milk for twins and triplets.
The fleece of the Border Leicesters is of high quality, and was used in the carpet industry in the 1940's and 50's. Now it is highly prized by hand-spinners. It is long and has a lustrous sheen that can sometimes be compared to mohair. These sheep are easy to shear as they have bare legs and faces.
Today, this sheep is a rare breed of Canada, and is teetering on the endangered list. It is still an excellent breed to incorporate into a flock for cross breeding purposes. The cross produces ewes with excellent mothering abilities, and improves the fleece of any low grade ewe.