Leicester Longwool

The Leicester Longwool is an English breed of large sheep with lustrous, long-stapled wool. Robert Bakewell developed it in the eighteenth century through selective breeding.

Robert Bakewell: Robert Bakewell was an English agriculturalist who pioneered systematic livestock breeding in the eighteenth century. He developed the Leicester Longwool through deliberate selection for useful traits.
Longwool sheep: Longwool sheep are breeds whose fleece grows into long, lustrous locks suited to worsted textiles. The Leicester Longwool belongs to this broad group of fleece-producing sheep.
Wool production: Wool production is the raising and shearing of sheep to obtain textile fiber. The breed was developed partly for a heavy, commercially useful fleece.
Border Leicester: The Border Leicester is a British longwool sheep breed developed from the Leicester lineage. It is one later breed shaped by the Leicester breeding tradition.
New Leicester: New Leicester is an improved form of the Leicester sheep developed by Robert Bakewell. This name is associated with Bakewell’s refined Leicester stock.
Wool: Wool is the textile fiber obtained from the fleece of sheep and certain other mammals. Its long, lustrous fleece is the breed’s defining product.
Worsted spinning: Worsted spinning makes smooth yarn from long wool fibers aligned by combing. The Leicester Longwool’s long fibers can be prepared for this yarn-making process.
Leicester sheep: Leicester sheep are a family of British longwool breeds descended from stock improved by Robert Bakewell. The Leicester Longwool is one member of this broader breed family.
English Leicester: The English Leicester is a British longwool sheep breed descended from the Leicester sheep improved by Robert Bakewell. It carries the Leicester lineage into a later recognized breed.
Worsted: Worsted is a smooth, durable yarn or fabric made from long wool fibers combed parallel. Long Leicester fibers suit the preparation of worsted yarn.

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Romney sheepCompared with: It offers a comparison with another British breed selected for fleece and meat.