Have ewe ever wondered where our favourite smiling ovines come from? Then settle down, class, and gather round: Uncle Herdy’s got a fascinating story for you.

Prehistoric Herdwick Sheep

Herdwick sheep have been in the Lake District for quite a while (understatement). Their progenitors come from the earliest-known domestication of sheep, so we're talking about 10,000 years ago. This was when sheep from southwest Asia, an area that includes modern-day Turkey, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran and the Caucasus, migrated into Europe.
Through genetic analysis we can accurately deduce that the Herdwick descends from the Northern Pin Tail or Northern European short-tailed group of sheep, probably introduced to the British Isles around 5,500 years ago, or roughly 3,500BC, by Neolithic farmers.
They were often small sheep with two coats, naturally moulted, and brown (much like the modern-day Soay sheep breed, which has remained largely unchanged). Beyond that, these ancient sheep probably descended from the ancestor of all domestic sheep: the Mouflon (see the photo above).
Unfortunately we don’t have much evidence about the story of early sheep farming methods in Neolithic times, but recent studies have shown that the prehistoric Herdwick was probably isolated from other sheep breeds due to the geography of the Lake District.
As a result, the modern Herdwick exhibits many characteristics of primitive wild sheep, that is:

• Smaller, stocky bodies;
• Curled, spiral horns;
• Able to live on low-quality, rough plant materials;
• Two coats of wool: an undercoat and a “jacket”.

Viking sheep

Local folklore and myth has long linked the Herdwick to the Vikings, who played a large role in influencing the culture and language of the Lake District around the 9^th century AD. Another theory posited is that the modern Herdwick was influenced by sheep that came to the country courtesy of a shipwrecked Spanish Armada ship off the Cumbrian coast.
In actuality, gene studies have shown a rare genetic trait shared with Texel sheep from the island of Texel in the Wadden Sea, off the coast of the Netherlands. Historically, the Wadden Sea was a Viking trading stronghold, so the evidence suggests that the modern Herdwick may indeed be a result of Viking intervention.
To lend weight to this theory, a Herdwick farming tradition shared with the Scandinavians is the practice of lug marking, where notches are clipped from the sheep’s ears at an early age. These identification marks are recorded in the Shepherd’s Guides (first published in 1817) and allow stray sheep to be identified and returned to their owners.
Even the name “Herdwick” comes from the language of the Vikings, Old Norse. Herdwyck is recorded in documents from the 6^th century AD, referring to “sheep pasture”. It remained as a name in the Lake District to describe farms with sheep; a “Herdwick of sheep at Lawson Park” is recorded in 1564, where sheep were let with the farm and in time became associated with the mountain sheep on these farms. James Clarke, in his work A Survey of the Lakes (1787) noted:

“There is a kind of sheep in these mountains called Herdwicks these sheep lye upon the very tops of the mountains in that season (winter) as well as in summer.”

Beatrix Potter’s favourite

The children’s author, Beatrix Potter, is of course well-known for her world-famous children’s books but she is perhaps less known as a fearsome conservationist and respected Herdwick sheep breeder. She attended all the Annual Meetings of Herdwick Sheep Breeders’ Association from 1926 onwards, and exhibited her prized sheep at local shows. One of her most treasured sheep was a Herdwick tup called Saddleback Wedgewood (tup/tip is Cumbrian dialect for “ram”).
In 1943 Beatrix Potter/Mrs. Heelis was voted the HSBA President-elect for 1944, but sadly died from complications with pneumonia and heart disease before she was able to take up office. Upon her death she left 4,000 acres of land, twenty-one farms, and numerous cottages to the National Trust on the stipulation that Herdwicks should remain on these farms. To this day her gift remains one of the largest the National Trust has ever received.

Herdwick sheep: a new chapter

In 2007 two designers from the city, Diane and Spencer Hannah, were walking in the Langdales of the Lake District when they spotted a Herdwick ewe a short distance away. The creature suddenly looked up at them and seemed to be smiling. Spencer quickly snapped a photo of that smiling face and the rest, as they say, is history…