Starting in mid-March the Coach & Livestock Department will be featuring Rare Breeds at Market Square. We will be bringing some of our Leicester Longwool Sheep to the market 5 days a week from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Other livestock like chickens, cattle and horses may also make appearances!

While the roughly 45 ewes and rams in our breeding flock earn their keep by producing lambs, four wethers (castrated males) have been chosen to become animal ambassadors for CW. These four wethers were all born here last year and have been training to go to Market Square for the past two months. These guys will give guests, especially children, an opportunity to get up close and personal with this uncommon breed.

Sheep in the 18th century were not usually named, so ours typically don’t get named either. Instead, they all have unique ear tags engraved with ID numbers based on the year and order of their birth. However, some sheep stand out enough to get more personal identifications—like our adorable triplets last year guests dubbed Yorkie, Willie, and Jamie (after the Historic triangle).

I should point out that a few 18th-century sheep did have names, like Robert Bakewell’s prized Leicester Longwool ram, Two-Pounder (this ram even had his portrait painted). We think our animal ambassadors are good candidates for names too, and we need your help! Leave your suggestions in the comments section below the blog and be sure to indicate which name goes with which sheep. We’ll announce the winners on March 7.

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO… MEET OUR SHEEP!

15-04: He’s the bad boy of the group and is the oldest and biggest of the four…. Click here to see him!