The Whitefaced Woodland is a sheep breed from the Woodlands of Hope an area in the South Pennines in England. It is a combination of two breeds, the Woodland and the Penistone sheep after the

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

town where sheep sales have been held since 1699. It is thought to be closely related to the Swaledale and the Lonk. Substantial commercial flocks of the Whitefaced Woodland are kept in its region of origin, but it is listed as a vulnerable breed by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, since there are fewer than 900 registered breeding females in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

Characteristics

The Whitefaced Woodland is one of the largest hill breeds, with ewes sometimes weighing more the 60 kg (132 lbs) when kept in

lowland Upland and lowland are conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level. In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland or lowland. Definitions Upland and lowland are portions of p ...

pastures. Unlike most Pennine breeds it has a white face and legs and short, fine

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. ...

. The staple length of the wool is between 10 cm (4.7 inches) to 15 cm (7.1 inches) with a spinning count of 50's to 54's. The average fleece weight is 2 kg (4.5 lb) to 3 kg (6.5 lb). Its main use has been as a

meat Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chic ...

breed. However, its wool is used in carpet. Both sexes are horned and the ram horns are heavily spiraled.

References

Sheep breeds Sheep breeds originating in England Animal breeds on the RBST Watchlist {{British livestock, R.1