It gives Paula and John Wills great pleasure to be able to share with you some of the history of the Ryeland Sheep breed and our own ewephoric coloured Flock and Pjcoth White Flock, now in their 9^th year and still grazing and thriving in West Cornwall’s beautiful countryside.

On this site we will keep you advised of all news pertaining to the flock including details of our show successes and of the continued growth of the flock.  We would thoroughly recommend them to smallholders and anyone else who wants sheep with very placid temperaments.

Also provided is information of sheep we are prepared to consider selling for those looking to expand or start their own flock.

I hope it proves to be informative but if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us:

The Ryeland, one of the oldest British breeds, is said to have appeared in South West Herefordshire in Norman times and, as the name suggests,was bred on the rye-grass growing land on the Welsh border,

The breed was certainly developed some 800 years ago by the Monks of Leominster and it is reputed that the woolsack of the Lord Chancellor is stuffed with Ryeland wool. Another popular story is that when the the Spanish Armada sank of the English coast, some Merino sheep swam to shore and eventually were crossed with the Ryeland breed, hence the heavy fleece.

Ryelands in the 19th century and early 20th became a larger animal, giving a heavy wool clip, but still retained their sound constitution and were popular for their ability to thrive on cold, damp soil and were once described thus: "The Ryeland would endure privation of food better than any other breed" and "The Ryeland deserves a niche in the temple of famine".

The Ryeland's ability to convert grass to meat is undisputed.

The modern Ryeland still excels in wool and meat and the breed characteristics contribute to thier ease of management.

The dense fleece covering, including over the face, helps prevent fly strike and the compact, strong feet are noted for their ability to resist footrot.

As a terminal sire, the Ryeland is an ideal choice for first time lambers, giving an easy birth to a fast maturing prime lamb.

The breed is also a popular crossing sire for some of the hill breeds, especially the Welsh hill ewe. Lambs are vigorous with good wool cover and have good growth rate.

The rams produce excellent quality light to medium weight carcasses, either pure or cross, with high percentage of meat to bone and sufficient fat cover for modern tastes.