The Lonk 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 ...

domestic 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 ...

. It belongs to the group of black-faced hill breeds of northern England, and is found in the hills of the central and southern

Pennines The Pennines (), also known as the Pennine Chain or Pennine Hills, are a range of highland, uplands mainly located in Northern England. Commonly described as the "Vertebral column, backbone of England" because of its length and position, the ra ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

and

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

. It is documented from the mid-eighteenth century; a

flock book A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry, the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders wh ...

was started in 1905.

History

The Lonk has been reared on the

fells A fell (from Old Norse ''fell'', ''fjall'', "mountain"Falk and Torp (2006:161).) is a high and barren landscape feature, such as a mountain or moor-covered hill. The term is most often employed in Fennoscandia, Iceland, the Isle of Man, parts ...

and

for several hundred years; a herd with records going back to 1740 is still in existence. It is particularly associated with the area around

Haslingden Haslingden is a town in Rossendale, Lancashire, England. It is north of Manchester. The name means 'valley of the hazels' or 'valley growing with hazels'. At the time of the 2011 census the town (including Helmshore) had a population of 15,9 ...

, and is also known as the Improved Haslingden. The origin of the word 'Lonk' is unknown; it may derive from the , , with meanings including 'proud' and 'bold'; it may be a word for the coarse grazing of its area of origin; or it may derive from 'lanky'. A

breed society Breed clubs are associations or clubs with activities centered on a single, specific breed of a particular species of domesticated animal. The purpose of the association will vary with the species of animal and the goals and needs of the members ...

, the Lonk Sheep Breeders' Association, was established in 1905, and a

was begun in the same year. Like other traditional breeds, the Lonk was threatened by the mass slaughter of flocks during the

2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom in 2001 caused a crisis in British agriculture and tourism. This epizootic saw 2,000 cases of the disease on farms across most of the British countryside. Over 6 million cows and ...

; some genetic material was placed in storage. In 1999 the total breed population was reported to

DAD-IS DAD-IS is the acronym for the Domestic Animal Diversity Information System, a tool developed and maintained by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as a part of its programme for management of animal genetic resources for ...

at 3645 head. In 2003 a survey found that there might be close to 40 000 head of unregistered stock, but by 2012 this figure had fallen to 20 000. In 2021 the breed was listed by the

FAO The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition ...

as "not at risk"; in 2021 it was reported to DAD-IS as "endangered", and was listed on the watchlist of the

Rare Breeds Survival Trust The Rare Breeds Survival Trust is a conservation (ethic), conservation charity whose purpose is to secure the continued existence and viability of the native farm animal genetic resources (FAnGR) of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1973 b ...

as "at risk".

Characteristics

The Lonk is of medium size, though larger than most upland breeds. The face and legs are clear of wool; the legs are mottled black-and-white, the face may be mottled or black; the fleece is white. Both sexes are horned. It is strong-boned, agile, long-lived and hardy, and is well adapted to the environment of its area of origin and to the poor grazing of the fells. It can be kept year-round on upland pasture.

Use

Like most other British sheep, the Lonk is reared for its

meat Meat is animal Tissue (biology), tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of vertebrates, including chickens, sheep, ...

and for its wool. Lambs can reach a killing weight of approximately on moorland pasture alone. Ewe fleeces weigh about ; the wool is rather less coarse than that of many other moorland breeds, with a

Bradford count The Bradford system (also known as the English Worsted Yarn Count System or spinning count or Bradford count) is a way to assess the fineness of wool. To measure the fineness of sheep wool fibre before microscopes and lasers were used, English ...

of 44s–56s. It is almost entirely free of kemp. Ewes kept in lowland conditions may be mated to

terminal sire Terminal may refer to: Computing Hardware * Computer terminal, a set of primary input and output devices for a computer * Terminal (electronics), a device for joining electrical circuits together ** Battery terminal, electrical contact used to ...

rams, producing fast-growing hybrid lambs that may be ready for slaughter in twelve weeks.

References

{{British livestock, R.1 Sheep breeds originating in England Sheep breeds