Photo Gallery
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Saturday 28th July
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We spent an interesting few hours at Farfield Mill, where we were given a tour explaining the history of the mill from the nineteenth century through to the present day. We learnt how life was for those early workers at the mill, both at work and at leisure. We saw old looms from 1903, soaked up the character of the place, including original floors greased by years of fleeces passing through. They had a loom in action, producing fabric for blankets and travel rugs which are them sold through their own shop. For many, the great excitement was seeing craftsmen and women at work in small workshops, producing a variety of things in copper, ceramics, wood, silk, wool, raw fleece, felt, to name but a few. It was inspiring to see what folk with the right talents can do with raw materials which we all have available, and of course some could not resist purchasing examples of stone carvings, throws, felt pictures of rural scenes and the like. All in all it was somewhere with something for everyone and much enjoyed by all.
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The Skulls of Four Horn Sheep
I was honoured to be invited to speak at the Hebridean Society's 20th anniversary Summer Symposium. The topic required some, literal, dusting off of specimens and notes as it was last requested some ten years ago by the Manx Loaghtan breeders group and a workshop of all the multihorn breeds. Due to changes in legislation, no new specimens have been added in the intervening years. Although I do keep Hebrideans, my principal interest is the Manx Loaghtan and so the 4 horn skulls I brought were of this breed. The morphology of the horns is very similar in both breeds
As an archaeologist, I study dry bones, so the angst of breed societies about such soft tissue matters as split eyelids is irrelevant to the skull. Despite this, there is a recurrent suggestion that the split eyelid is a fault in embryological development, mirroring an underlying suture line in the skull. Barbara Noddle, an eminent zoologist who also studied archaeological animal bones, roundly dismissed this concept (Noddle 1980, 162) and I was also able to show the audience that there is no suture line on the skull underlying the site where split eyelids are found.
Before considering the 4 horn sheep, it is helpful to know why wild sheep evolved horns and how they use them. Horns are not primarily a defence against predators but indicators of social ranking within the flock, principally of the rams but to a lesser extent the ewes. Geist (1971) is a very readable study of wild sheep behaviour. Social interactions between males are aimed at establishing a rank order based on horn size. Some of these behaviour patterns are still unaltered in primitive domestic sheep but others have changed for the worst. Wild sheep fight to their equivalent of "Queensbury rules", domestic sheep that I have observed do not always accept the submission but kill a beaten opponent.
One common misconception that I have encountered has been that if there is not a wide gap between the primary horns, the horns will fuse together. This is impossible as the horns grow from the frontal bones, two separate bones with a clear suture line between them. The primary horns can only fuse if the horn buds of the infant animal are surgically manipulated. This technique is used in America (where else!) to produce Angora goat "unicorns" for the circus.
The aesthetics of sheep breeders' groups and societies generally requires the 4 horns to be separate with no contact between the horn sheaths. Unfortunately, such requirements cannot eliminate the fused horns. The two horns on each side of the head both grow from one frontal bone. Noddle (1980, 156) again observed that the two horns on each side are caused by the splitting of the single horn. I can confirm, from my own flock, many variations on the splitting of the one horn into several. I also have specimens with the deep groove on the horn core, which Noddle (1980, 157) identifies as the site of the split on single horn cores. Again, I have a range of skulls where the horn sheaths touched in life but the underlying bony cores were quite separate. I am not a geneticist but I do feel quite strongly that the 4 horn breeds jointly need to fund some research into the mutation that causes the horns to split. All groups need to be much more aware of the distinctions between biology and "attractiveness" when setting standards for primitive breeds.
Another horn formation, discussed by Noddle (1980, 160-62) and generally considered "ugly" is the two primary horns curving forward and the secondary horns appearing only as small scurs. These skulls have massive holes in them along the suture lines of the frontals and parietals. Though these holes look life threatening in the dry skull, in reality during life they are filled with a massive plug of cartilage. All juvenile skeletons are largely composed of cartilage to allow for growth. The bones gradually ossify as adult size is attained. Similarly with these skulls, if the animal is allowed to live the apparent hole becomes solid bone. This is one instance where Noddle was misled by only examining dry specimens, not dissecting fresh heads.
One rare abnormality I have seen in my flock, that is also reported in Navajo and Jacob sheep in America, is "wryneck". This is a deformation of the skull and fusing of the first neck vertebra to the skull. It appears to be associated with the horn formation described above. Similar conditions, but probably with different causes, are also known in horses and humans.
From an archaeological viewpoint, 4 horn sheep are infrequent finds but I have seen single instances from a range of Roman and medieval sites in the north of England. The Vikings are generally credited with moving and introducing sheep to the islands on the west coast of Britain. However, Noddle (1980, 159) noted the prevalence of 4 horn sheep in pre-Viking Christian Ireland. Much more recent archaeological work in Ireland has confirmed the widespread association of 4 horn sheep with early Christian settlements. It is therefore possible that the early Celtic Christian missionaries, founding sites such as Whithorn and Iona, may have moved sheep too.
A principally 4 horn flock, such as my own, is a modern phenomenon. Which brings me to one last pet bugbear, the constant advice that one should not keep breeding 4 horn to 4 horn but should cross with 2 horn. WHY? What monitored trials have shown this to be a Good Thing or, conversely, 4h x 4h to be a Bad Thing? In my usual pig-headed way, I have spent over 20 years trying to breed a flock with at least some homozygous (not carrying 2 horn) 4 horn animals. I have never used a 2 horn ram and have sold all but one 2 horn ewe. I have yet to encounter any Bad Things beyond the normal expectation of an inbreeding programme. I am achieving a high proportion of 4 horn heads of the type required by the breed standards.
References
Geist, V. 1971. Mountain Sheep: A Study in Behaviour and Evolution. University of Chicago Press.
Noddle, B. 1980. Polycerate Sheep: Past History and Present Problems. The Ark Vol. VII, No. 5.
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We were proud to welcome Lawrence Alderson, Chairman and founder member of the RBST as our guest of honour for the evening. Lawrence was instrumental in the laying down of the basic principles of genetic conservation of domestic breeds of livestock during the early 1970’s, which have undoubtedly saved many of our traditional breeds from extinction.
In my introduction of Lawrence after an excellent dinner, I thanked him on behalf of the Society for his unwavering support of our breed and his keen interest in our progress over the past 20 years. A twenty year period since the Hebridean Sheep Breeders group was formed in 1987.
By 1994 the numbers of registered sheep had grown sufficiently for us to take responsibility for our own registrations. The decision was considered a brave one at the time and there had been much discussion on the matter. There was no going back to the Combined Flockbook and the strength of support from Lawrence and the RBST was most appreciated at the time. The Hebridean Sheep Society as we are now known was born. Both Lawrence and the RBST shared our vision that one day there would come a time when we should become totally responsible for our breed. It was decided that it would be much easier to make that bold step while still on the Trust’s priority list and receiving full support and advice, rather than when numbers had increased sufficiently to remove us from the trust’s umbrella. The last sentence was a direct quote from The Black Sheep No9, April 1993.
What a sense of vision and faith our committee had at that time. In 2007, though still receiving the full support of the RBST, we had officially come off their watch list and had in deed become fully responsible for our own destiny. How appropriate it was therefore that Lawrence should be our guest on this auspicious occasion.
After thanking me for my kind introduction, Lawrence went on relate his undisguised personal pride and pleasure in the improved status of the Hebridean sheep, in becoming fully fledged members of the mainstream sheep sector. He went on to compliment the Society on its achievements over the past twenty years, before proposing a toast to our continued success.
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Sunday 29th July
The picturesque town of Hawes in Wensleydale provides the setting for the production of a cheese catapulted to fame by “Wallace & Gromit” generating sustained increased sales which have contributed to the wealth of the dale in recent years. This part of our summer event was sheep free, an educational and enjoyable visit to the Wensleydale cheese plant. Cheese production has been a feature here for many years, from herds of cows grazing on the lush pastures around the dale and their uniquely rich sweet milk.
Interest in the cheese plant is marked and it has become a “must see” feature for tourists. However, in spite of its popularity amongst visitors, the focus remains on the quality of the cheese of which the workforce is tangibly proud. For most of us the concept of living so close to one’s place of work and working amongst a community known to us and living around us, is part of a by-gone age. This is not so in Wensleydale where whole families are employed by the cheese plant and others tell of generations who have gone before them in the service of Wensleydale cheese. |
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Historical delights can be seen at the plant in an endearingly small and effective display which tells the story of the cheese factory and how it has been saved for years to come. This was far too enjoyable to be called a museum. There were plenty of items which many of us could recall as being everyday pieces of household and kitchen equipment, rather wishing we couldn’t as we lamentably showed our collective ages!
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