The Devon Closewool is a British 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 ...

. It is distributed almost exclusively on

Exmoor Exmoor is loosely defined as an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England. It is named after the River Exe, the source of which is situated in the centre of the area, two miles north-west of Simonsbath ...

in North Devon, in south-west

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It is raised primarily for meat.

History

The Devon Closewool was developed in the second half of the nineteenth century by

cross-breeding A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. ''Crossbreeding'', sometimes called "designer crossbreeding", is the process of breeding such an organism, While crossbreeding is used to main ...

native

ewes with Devon Longwool rams. The oldest known flock dates from 1894. A

breed society Breed clubs are associations or clubs with activities centered on a single, specific breed of a particular species of domesticated animal. The purpose of the association will vary with the species of animal and the goals and needs of the members of ...

– the Devon Closewool Sheep Breeders' Society – was formed in 1923, and a

flock-book A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breede ...

was started in the same year. By 1950 there were close to 230 000 head. In 2009 total breed numbers were estimated to be 5 000. Of these, about 95% were distributed within an area in North Devon some across, coinciding approximately with the extent of

; about 75% are within of the mean centre of distribution.

Characteristics

The Devon Closewool is of medium size, ewes weighing up to about and rams up to . It is solidly built, with strong legs. It is naturally polled in both sexes, white-woolled and white-faced, with black nostrils and short ears. The fleece is dense and of medium length and staple. It is a hardy

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses ( Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur na ...

breed, well suited to grazing on the grasslands and

heaths A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...

of the uplands of its area of distribution.

Use

The Devon Closewool is reared for meat and for

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...

. On lowland grass, lambs may be ready for slaughter at between twelve and sixteen weeks, when they yield a dressed carcase weight of about ; on upland grazing they may take up to twenty-four weeks to reach the same weights. Ewes have good maternal qualities, and a lambing percentage of some 150–160%. Ewes may be put to rams of a terminal breed such as the Suffolk or

Texel Texel (; Texels dialect: ) is a municipality and an island with a population of 13,643 in North Holland, Netherlands. It is the largest and most populated island of the West Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea. The island is situated north of Den ...

to produce

cross-bred A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. ''Crossbreeding'', sometimes called "designer crossbreeding", is the process of breeding such an organism, While crossbreeding is used to main ...

lambs; these grow fast and quickly reach slaughter weight. Ewes may also be put to ram of a breed such as the Blue-faced Leicester to produce more prolific cross-bred " mule" ewes; this is however uncommon. Ewe fleeces weigh some , those of rams The wool is dense and of medium length;

staple length A staple fiber is a textile fiber of discrete length. The opposite is a filament fiber, which comes in continuous lengths. Staple length is a characteristic fiber length of a sample of staple fibers. It is an essential criterion in yarn spinning ...

is , fibre diameter is approximately It is used for carpets or for

tweed Tweed is a rough, woollen fabric, of a soft, open, flexible texture, resembling cheviot or homespun, but more closely woven. It is usually woven with a plain weave, twill or herringbone structure. Colour effects in the yarn may be obtained ...

s and

hosiery Hosiery, also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the feet and legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also known generically as ...

References

Sheep breeds originating in England Sheep breeds Devon {{British livestock, R.1