The Castlemilk Moorit is a rare breed of
domestic sheep
Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...
(also known as Moorit Shetland, Milledge Sheep, or Castlemilk Shetland
[
]) originating in
Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries or Shire of Dumfries (''Siorrachd Dhùn Phris'' in Gaelic) is a historic county and registration county in southern Scotland. The Dumfries lieutenancy area covers a similar area to the historic county.
I ...
in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
.
[
]
Created as a decorative breed in the 1900s to adorn the
parkland of
Sir John Buchanan Jardine's estate, it is a mixture of several primitive types:
Manx Loaghtan
The Manx Loaghtan ( ) is a rare breed of sheep (''Ovis aries'') native to the Isle of Man. It is sometimes spelled as ''Loaghtyn'' or ''Loghtan''. The sheep have dark brown wool and usually four or occasionally six horns.
The Manx Loaghtan is ...
,
Shetland,
Soay Soay (pronounced "soy") is the name of several Scottish islands. It is Sòdhaigh (sometimes anglicised "Soaigh") in Scottish Gaelic, and comes from the Old Norse ''so-ey'' meaning "island of sheep". It may refer to:
* Soay, Inner Hebrides off sout ...
and
Wiltshire Horn.
[
] The breed's name refers to the Castlemilk Estate on which they were bred, and the
Lowland Scots word "moorit" refers to the light tan or reddish-brown colour of their fleeces.
The Castlemilk Moorit is one of the
Northern European short-tailed sheep
The Northern European short-tailed sheep are a group of traditional sheep breeds or types found in Northern Europe, mainly in the British Isles, Scandinavia, Greenland and the area around the Baltic. They are thought to be derived from the fir ...
group of breeds, having a short, triangular tail. It has horns in both sexes and a fleece that is usually
moulted or ' (plucked) rather than needing
shearing
Sheep shearing is the process by which the woollen fleece of a sheep is cut off. The person who removes the sheep's wool is called a '' shearer''. Typically each adult sheep is shorn once each year (a sheep may be said to have been "shorn" or ...
.
All Castlemilk Moorits are descended from a single flock of ten ewes and two rams, and the British
Rare Breeds Survival Trust lists the breed as "at risk", having a maximum of 1500 registered animals. An important offshore population of Castlemilk Moorits in the Netherlands (flockbook VSS) and Belgium (flockbook SLE) helps to guarantee the future of the breed. The main use of this breed is hobby farming.
References
External links
Castlemilk Moorit Sheep SocietyCastlemilk Moorit Rasvereniging BelgiëHet Castlemilk Moorit schaap Nederland
Sheep breeds originating in Scotland
Sheep breeds
Animal breeds on the RBST Watchlist
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