"Shepherd's Guide" is the title given to several books, that were published to help

shepherd A shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations; it exists in many parts of the globe, and it is an important part of Pastoralism, pastoralist animal husbandry. ...

s identify stray herds. The books depict patterns of sheep marking, in the ear and on the wool, and name their owner with her/his residence. One of the earliest ''Shepherd's Guide'' was prepared for parts of

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

by Joseph Walker, in 1817. Hosgson's 1849 ''Guide'' was delivered to a list of subscribers, while ''Gate's new shepherd's guide for Cumberland, Westmoreland, and Lancashire'', of 1879, has numerous pages of advertisements. While all of those feature a detailed engraving of sheep (repeated with different marks), the books from the late 19th and 20th centuries have a line sketch. Some were designed as pocket-books, and others were bigger. The later books are attributed to various farmer associations, and cover a wider perimeter. The books are useful as a

genealogical Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

and

local history Local history is the study of history in a geographically local context, often concentrating on a relatively small local community. It incorporates cultural history, cultural and social history, social aspects of history. Local history is not mer ...

resource, and as

collectibles A collectable (collectible or collector's item) is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector. Collectable items are not necessarily monetarily valuable or uncommon. There are numerous types of collectables and terms t ...

Antiques Roadshow ''Antiques Roadshow'' is a British television programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom (and occasionally in other countries) to appraise antiques brought in by local people ( ...

, series 37 episode 19.

List of Shepherd's Guides

* * * * * * * * * *

References

{{reflist

External links

Selections from Daniel Gate's ''Shepherd's Guide'', 1879Full digitized copy of Gate's ''Guide'' (mostly BW)
Agriculture books North East England Handbooks and manuals Sheep farming in the United Kingdom English books