Ryeland sheep are one of the oldest native sheep breeds. Thought to be developed from Merino sheep imported from Spain they became popular when Queen Elizabeth I championed the wool after receiving a pair of stockings made from Ryeland yarn. Prized for their yarn and meat Ryeland sheep became very popular in the 1920s and continued until the Second World War, being exported to Australia and New Zealand. However, after the Second World War the breed declined with the introduction of commercial hybrid breeds. However, work by the breed societies and the Rare Breed Survival Trust have improved the number of these squat fluffy sheep, with many more small flocks now living across the UK.
A small flock of Coloured Ryeland sheep By Adrian Cable, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14274920
Ryeland sheep are squat with short legs and a well rounded body. They don’t have any horns, are docile in nature and are good mothers. Ryeland lambs are born black but fade to tan, grey, brown or white with time. Their fleeces are fairly long (8-10cm) so are good for machine or hand spinning. A fleece weighs on average 2-3kg and produces a fluffy, light and fairly dense yarn with the unique colours of the fleeces in their range of subtle colours and tones.
