This is an endangered breed of sheep. In 1985 numbers were critically low, with something under a hundred ewes known. In 1970 the Castlemilk flock was sold, with only one tup and 10 ewes surviving. This docile sheep is a cross between the Shetland, Soay and Manx and possibly Mouflon sheep, resulting in a small-bodied, long-legged, elegant animal, really only kept for its decorative value. The fleece, which is short and tight, is light tan to reddish brown, the colour known in Shetland sheep as moorit. It is darker closer to the skin. The ewes carry horns which turn back and out while the rams, or tups, have heavy, spiral horns. The breed was established by the Buchanan-Jardine family on their Castlemilk estate in Dumfriesshire in the late 1800s. The wedders produce small joints of meat which is often thought to be venison. The fleece makes good tweed.
