The Shropshire is an easy-to-handle dual-purpose sheep ideally suited to commodity fleece and lamb production. However, its unique foraging behaviors have opened up a new role for this breed: vegetation management around trees and grapes. History The Shropshire is a breed of the Industrial Revolution in England. Among its earliest ancestors were several now-extinct native breeds: the Long Mynd.. The Shropshire sheep is a dual-purpose breed that belongs to the Down family of sheep. The breed was developed in the 19th century in England, where local horned black-faced sheep were crossed with white-faced breeds like Southdown, Leicester, and Cotswold sheep. Recognized in the mid-1800s, it spread to Europe and North America for its good grazing ability and quality wool. In 1923, the.
In the late 1930s and 1940s Shropshire breeders followed a fad and bred for compact wool-blind sheep. Their prestigious position was lost. During the 1950s a few progressive breeders thought that the Shropshire needed to return to the characteristics that earlier made them so popular.. Shropshire Sheep Characteristics The Shropshire sheep is a medium to large sized breed with stylish carriage. It's body is covered with fine and dense wool. It is a robust animal as indicated by width and depth of the chest, strength and formation of neck and by bold active movement. Fleece of these animals is of good length, dense and elastic to touch.