Viking Invaders
More than 1000 years ago, Viking settlers brought their sheep to the Western Isles and Highlands of Scotland. What these sheep were like we can only speculate but some things seem certain: they would be small; most would have horns, some of them more than two; they would have short tails - certainly reaching no lower than the hocks; they would be hardy sheep able to withstand the poor conditions and minimal management; and they would be a variety of colours, the least common being white. We can be confident about these things because the Hebridean breed of sheep we know today is related to the other North European breeds (e.g. Shetland, North Ronaldsay, Manx Loghtan, Icelandic) which, between them, show similar characteristics.
Towards the end of the eighteenth century and into the nineteenth, this variety of small, thrifty sheep still provided the mainstay for shepherds in these regions. But gradually the agricultural revolution of the period, the development of new breeds of sheep and the clearance of many farming families from the land began to take its toll. With government and landowners' support the sheep were replaced by "improved" breeds such as the Blackface and Cheviot. By early in the twentieth century, these sheep, which had been present in the region for almost a thousand years, had all but disappeared.
At Home with the Aristocracy
By the end of the nineteenth century, flocks of Hebridean Sheep (often romantically referred to by their owners as "St. Kilda Sheep") had begun to appear in the parklands of large country estates both in Scotland and in England. The sheep in these flocks were uniformly black in colour. How they came to be on these estates and how and when black sheep had been selected from the original mixture of colours is uncertain. Sheep were often walked long distances from remote grazings to markets nearer centres of population. They had to be rested during the journey and sometimes payment was made to the local landowner in kind rather than cash. It is easy to imagine that the owners of these estates might have selected the black sheep from among the flock as payment, because of their distinctive appearance. Because the black colouration in Hebridean sheep is a recessive characteristic, once black sheep had been selected, all their future lambs would be black as well. It is also easy to understand how these attractive additions to the parkland in front of the large country house might have been coveted (and subsequently bought) by other estate owners.
Perhaps, though, the selection of black animals had already begun before the sheep found their way to estates. The celtic peoples of the west of the British Isles have always had a liking for black domestic animals. This is probably not just cosmetic. Black horned feet are harder, grow more slowly and are more resistant to rot. They are thus particularly suitable for the boggy, peaty conditions to be found over large parts of the west of Britain.
Had it not been for the existence of these parkland flocks, the breed would not have survived into the mid-twentieth century. In 1973 the Rare Breeds Survival Trust identified Hebridean sheep as a breed in danger of extinction. Only a few parkland flocks remained and there were no sheep discovered in their homelands of the west of Scotland. Fortunately, these parkland flocks had been virtually feral, with little if any management, and so the characteristics of the sheep had probably changed very little since their arrival.
Old Breed for New Times
Over the centuries, Hebridean ewes have been selected by natural systems for hardiness in all weathers, ease of lambing, milkiness and good mothering instincts. Today, when extensification provides the only viable option for many of our harsher regions, the Hebridean ewe is, once again, finding a role in European agriculture.
Because Hebrideans have not been modified by artificial selection they remain a small, economically efficient breeding ewe with a surprising ability to produce quality cross-bred lambs.
Hebridean ewes and their cross-bred lambs are able to thrive on grazing that would be considered poor quality for other breeds. In addition, their grazing preferences give them an unrivalled ability as conservation tools in delicate ecosystems. As a result, they are able to provide conservation management and a useful crop of meat lambs at the same time.