History

Teeswater sheep, indigenous as their name implies to Teesdale in the County of Durham, have for almost two hundred years been bred by farmers in that area of the North. In 1804 Teeswaters were sent to Tasmania from The Duke of Northumberland's Estate. Like all longwool sheep in Northern England they were influenced by Bakewells activities in the 18th century. Until the 1920's the breed was a comparatively rare one and was not found far from its native habitat, but now that the remarkable crossing qualities of the breed have been consistently improved and developed, Teeswater and Teeswater half-breds (Masham) are to be found in almost every part of the U.K. The Teeswater Sheep Breeders’ Association was formed in 1949 with the aim to encourage and improve the breeding of Teeswater sheep and to maintain their purity and particularly to establish the supremacy of Teeswater rams for crossing with hill sheep of other breeds for the production of half-bred lambs. For many years, the Teeswater enjoyed great popularity as one of the leading sires of half bred (Masham) sheep which has formed the basis on lowland sheep flocks. In the past two decades, numbers have dropped due to rising use of the Blue Faced Leicester tups and Swaledale ewes. Despite being challenged by continental rams (Rouge, Bleu de Maine, Texel and Charolais) during the late 80's, the Teeswater is still number one sire on many horned ewes. Since joining the Rare Breeds Survival Trust in 1998, we have had many enquiries from small flock owners from many parts of the country. Despite numbers having reduced from the 1960's and 70's, the Teeswater still has a part to play in the future of sheep farming.

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