Fleece & Fiber

The Bluefaced Leicester History

Bluefaced Leicester sheep were developed near Hexham in Northumberland, England, at the beginning of the 1900's. They are descendents of Robert Bakewell's improved Dishley Leicester.

They were bred to produce top quality cross-bred ewes from the "native" Blackface and Swaledale draft ewes. It was found that a darker colored ram, with a finer skin and wool produced a better cross-ewe from the Blackfaced hill ewes, a cross traditionally called the "mule".

From its original home in the Northern Pennines, the Bluefaced Leicester has spread throughout the upland areas of England, Scotland and Wales and into Northern Ireland. In the 1970's there was an importation into Canada and from there they have migrated down into the USA.

Recent interest in the Bluefaced Leicester in the USA has given way to importing frozen semen from the United Kingdom to expand the genetic base of the Bluefaced Leicester in the USA and Canada. With that has come new interest in the breed and expansion from a handful of small flocks to a rapidly expanding membership association with an ever increasing number of new registrations from the East to the West coast.

General Appearance

• The Bluefaced Leicester should have a broad muzzle, good mouth, a roman nose, bright alert eyes, and long erect ears. The color of the head skin should be dark blue showing through white hair, with no wool on the head or neck. Both sexes are polled.

• There should be a good length of neck laid into broad shoulders, a good "spring of rib", a long strong back, with no weakness behind the shoulder.

• The hindquarters should be broad and deep, the legs clean, well positioned and strong boned. Black hooves, and no evidence of low pasterns.

• The rams have a proud, stately carriage and the ewes exhibit a feminine look.

• The wool should be tightly purled, fine, dense, semi-lustrous and opening cleanly to the skin.

Color

The Bluefaced Leicester, though predominately a white wool breed, does carry a recessive black gene and natural colored lambs do appear. On a white animal, small black spots are permissible on the face, ears, neck and legs. Lips and nostrils are preferably black, mottled gray is acceptable.

Wool

The Bluefaced Leicester is classified as a Longwool breed with a staple length of 3"-6", a fleece weight of 2 1/2-4 1/2 lbs., and a fiber diameter of 56-60 count, or 24-28 microns, creating high quality luster yarns with beautiful drape.

Size

The adult Bluefaced Leicester has one of the largest body weights of the British breeds. In spite of this size, when mated to the smaller hill type ewe, the ewe is able to carry and lamb its cross-bred progeny without the slightest difficulty. A ram at maturity should weigh 200-250 lbs. They have an excellent disposition and are quite manageable despite their size. Ewes will usually weigh 150-175 lbs. at maturity.

In Leicesters . . . blue is finer

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Last Updated Jan 03, 2012