The Romney, formerly called the Romney Marsh sheep but generally referred to by the local farmers as the Kent, is a breed of sheep originating in Kent, England. The breed developed from a native European white-faced, long-tailed sheep. The Romney developed to survive the harsh conditions of marshy wetlands.
History
The breed evolved from medieval longwool types of which the Romney and Leicester breeds are early examples.ML Ryder, The history of Sheep Breeds in Britain, Ag. Hist Rev, 12,1 1964 pp 65-82 The first record to sheep keeping in Romney Marsh dates back from a charter in 697 or 712 AD.Romney Marsh: Environmental Change and Human Occupation in a Coastal Lowland (ed. J. Eddison, M. Gardiner and A. Long), OUCA Monograph 46, 1998, 191-207 During the 13th century, wool production became a prominent industry for Romney Marsh. In 1275, the government introduced a 6s 8d tax on bags of 1kg wool leaving England. The smuggling of wool was known as ‘Cowling’ and typically happened in France for an exchange of French brandy. Reported in 1671, shipments containing smuggled wool from Kent and Sussex were guarded by a group of armed men. The breed was recognised as "Romney Marsh” or “Kent” in 1800. The first confirmed export was from England to New Zealand in 1853. The shipment was of 16 ewes and 4 rams from Kent aboard the Cornwall. In 1872, the Romney was first introduced to Australia. The New Zealand Romney Marsh Association was formed in 1904 and Alfred Matthews became the first president. The same year, the breed was imported to North America by William Riddell and Sons of Monmouth. Between 1900 and 1955, 18,000 rams and 9,000 ewes were exported from England to 43 other countries. In 1965, around three-quarters of the New Zealand flock was Romney Sheep.McKenzie Anna. A Century of the NZ Romney, New Zealand Sheep Farmer 2000: 7: 14-19 The breeding of Romneys is not limited to England and New Zealand, and has also been established in Patagonia, Australia, Portugal, Brazil, Canada, and Southern California. Attributes The Romney is farmed for both meat and wool. They are open-faced and have long wool that grows over their legs. The Official Description of the typical Romney sheep is as follows:
Wool
The Romney produces a high-yielding heavy fleece that hangs in separate locks. The wool is resilient to harsh rainfall and is versatile in use. Typically, the wool is used in carpet making, needle felt, blankets, throws and yarn. Natural wool colours range from white, grey and near black. A healthy and mature ram can yield 10 kg of wool from shearing per year while the average yield of wool for breeding ewes is typically above 5 kg. The Romney’s fleece quality was historically improved by cross breeding with Bakewell's English Leicester.
Breeding
Within their first year, they reach breeding age. Gestation typically lasts 5 months, and produces twins or rarely triplets. The breed has a reputation of strong mothering and easy lambing. Lamb survival is positively correlated with the live birth weight of the lamb.Studies on the genetics of ovine behaviour in a Western Cape resource flock aimed at improving animal welfare (2019) by Marelee Burger Traits such as thicker skin is found to be heritable and improve survival outcomes in lambs. Flocks in New Zealand achieve more than 1.7 lambs per ewe, which is more than observed in England.
Foot Rot
A 1918 American text noted that "It is said that foot rot and liver fluke seldom affect Romney Marsh sheep".Coffey, Walter C. Productive Sheep Husbandry Philadelphia, J.B. Lippincott Co 1918 p.165 A later book is more circumspect: "Romneys are said to be somewhat resistant to foot rot, liver flukes and other problems that often plague sheep in damp pastures."Simmons P, Ekarius C Storey’s Guide to Raising Sheep. North Adams MA, Storey Books, 2001 p. 68 Compared to four other sheep breeds (Dorset Horn, Border Leicester, Peppin Merinos and Saxon Merino) the Romney showed the lowest risk of D. nodosus infection and had a resistance to the severe forms of foot rot.
Media For the Lord Of The Rings, the Hobbiton was constructed on the 1,250-acre romney sheep farm owned by the Alexander Family. The breed is featured on an episode of Countryfile where Matt Baker meets a family that has been farming Romney Sheep for 130 years. In an episode of Great British Railway Journeys, presenter Michael Portillo discovers Romney Marsh Sheep. In season 2, episode 5 of Marcus Wareing's Tales from a Kitchen Garden, Marcus decides to go to Romney Marsh to meet a shepherd and his flock. See also
Bradford system Sheep shearing Wool classing
References
External links The Romney Sheep Breeders Society American Romney Breeders Association North American Romney Association