Ryeland

The Ryeland is one of the oldest of British sheep breeds going back seven centuries when the monks of Leominster in Herefordshire bred sheep and grazed them on the rye pastures, giving them their name. They are still to be found grazing the pastures of the area today [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/88453] .

Queen Elizabeth I's Favourite Stockings

They were considered to have the finest wool of all British breeds of the time. Queen Elizabeth I was given 'Lemster' wool stockings and liked them so much that from then on she insisted only on 'Lemster' Ryeland wool. An Elizabethan observer wrote that 'among short-wools, Ryeland has pre-eminence with Leominster as the centre of its trade'.Fact|date=October 2007

The Ryeland is featured in David Low's book "The Breeds of the Domestic Animals of the British Islands", published 1841 and a famous pioneering work illustrating the forerunners of all of the days' most important breeds of horses, cows, sheep and pigs. David Low was a professor of agriculture at Edinburgh University and was concerned that the relatively simple basic concepts of matching a breed to its environment whilst improving its productivity were not understood by the majority of farmers or breeders. With the help of a government grant from Earl Spencer, Low set up the agricultural museum in Edinburgh and commissioned William Shiels of the Royal Scottish Academy to produce these beautiful paintings of all the significant breeds of economic significance in Great Britain at that time.

Australia

Ryelands were introduced to Australia in 1919 and are classified as an Endangered Breed by the Rare Breeds Trust of Australia and also are one of the nine heritage breeds that were the foundation of the sheep and wool industry in Australia.

Breed Characteristics

Ryelands have wonderful temperament. Docile, sensible, easy to live with sheep with good mothering ability and high fertility. Due to their blocky build [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/437020] they are easy on fences compared to many breeds. They are ideal sheep for small properties. Ryelands are also 'good -doers' - Youatt wrote that Ryelands "endure privation of food better than any other breed" and Sir Joseph Banks wrote "Ryelands deserve a niche in the temple of famine".

Ryelands have a smaller head than most terminal sires which makes them a good choice for maiden or Merino ewes but they have a fast growth rate and early maturity. In Australia the wool is always white and free of kemp.

A coloured gene [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/437006] does occur in UK [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/373204] but appears to be unknown in Australia. The hoofs are black and they are said to have good resistance to footrot. Naturally hornless, the Ryeland was the major breed used in the development of the poll gene in the Poll Dorset in Australia,

Ryeland Surname

Ryeland is also an uncommon surname found in England, Canada and Australia cite web|url=http://www.ryeland.com/tim/tree/ |title=Ryeland Family Tree |accessdate=2007-10-24 |last=Ryeland |first=Timothy ] . The [http://www.ryeland.com/tim/tree Ryeland Family Tree] being researched by Timothy Ryeland of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada has traced this family back as far as James Ryeland born around the year 1788 in Burford, Oxfordshire, England cite web|url=http://www.ryeland.com/tim/tree/ |title=Ryeland Family Tree |accessdate=2007-10-24 |last=Ryeland |first=Timothy ] and lists 592 descendants of James Ryeland and his wife Sarah James. Any connection to the breed of sheep is unknown. cite web|url=http://www.ryeland.com/tim/tree/ |title=Ryeland Family Tree |accessdate=2007-10-24 |last=Ryeland |first=Timothy ]

References