The Cheviot (

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

: ''A' chaora mhaol'') is a British

breed A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...

of white-faced

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

. It originated in, and is named for, the Cheviot Hills in north Northumberland and the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by West Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian, and East Lothian to the north, the North Sea to the east, Dumfries and Galloway to the south-west, South Lanarkshire to the we ...

. It is still common in this area of the United Kingdom, but also in north-west Scotland, Wales, Ireland and the south-west of England (especially

Dartmoor Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, South West England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers . The granite that forms the uplands dates from the Carb ...

and

Exmoor Exmoor () is loosely defined as an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England. It is named after the River Exe, the source of which is situated in the centre of the area, two miles north-west of Simons ...

), as well as more rarely in Australia, New Zealand, Norway (2%), and the United States. It is a dual-purpose breed, raised both for wool and for meat.

References

External links

Cheviot description as a rare breed in AustraliaAmerican Cheviot SocietyThe United Kingdom Cheviot Sheep SocietyCheviot Sheepbreeders' Association Australia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheviot Sheep Sheep breeds originating in Scotland Scottish Borders Sheep breeds Sheep breeds originating in England Cheviot Hills