The history of the Ryeland is a colourful and fascinating mix of myth, economics and the triumph of tradition over commerce. Although not “officially” recognised until 1909 when the first flock book was published, it has been claimed that the Ryeland is the oldest of the British sheep breeds.
There is documentation from the 12th century to support the evolution of the breed in the Marches of Herefordshire in the area known as Archenfield. These downlands form the border between England and Wales and have been vulnerable to attack from both sides. They have been held by the Welsh, the Danes and the English, and were also the scene of the most significant of the battles during the Wars of the Roses in 1461.
The monks of Leominster, however, prospered throughout the instability of the medieval period, thanks to the excellent wool from their sheep. These fleeces came to be known as “Lemster Ore” (Leominster Gold) because they brought so much money to the town.
The breed grew and grew in popularity throughout England, Ireland and Scotland. Also known as the “Hereford”, the “Archenfield” and the “Ross breed”, the Ryeland even received a royal blessing from King George III who stated that he would rather improve the sheep of England and in particular his “true Hereford” flock than acquire any foreign sheep.
However, in the early 19th century Ryeland numbers were declining due to increasing economic pressure to produce large-bodied beasts for slaughter. The imperative was to feed the growing population, rather than to produce fine wool. The decline continued into the early 20th century when, in 1909, the first flock book was published by the Ryelands Flock Book Society.
The book listed only 14 purebred flocks and the breeders set about promoting the breed with such gusto that it was recognised world-wide within a decade. By 1920, the number of purebred flocks in the flock book was nearly six times larger than the decade before.
Meanwhile Ryelands had been travelling: they were introduced to New Zealand in 1901 (and by 1924 there were more than 4,000 of them there), then to Australia. The flock book reported further exports to Argentina, Europe, and South Africa. It also noted interest in the breed from the USA, Canada, Italy, Spain, Russia and even Japan.
And so the revival continues: in 1986, the purebred Ryeland lost its rare breed status to become listed as a “minority” breed in the UK. There are still some fluctuations in the trend, though – there has been a recent resurgence of the larger-bodied Ryeland in response to the demands of the commercial market for meat-lambs.
True to form, the Ryeland is weathering the storm. The many shows and competitions for livestock retain the tradition of holding the quality of the wool as at least equal to the quality of the meat, thus reinforcing the status of a breed that has been with us for many hundreds of years.