Lincoln
History & heritage
One living story. Knowledge kept together.
Wind Valley 1718, Grand Champion Lincoln Ewe at the 2018 Keystone International Livestock Exposition. · Keystone International · CC BY 2.0 · License terms
Follow the story behind the name.
Lincolns belong to England’s longwool sheep tradition. Their influence spread widely through sheep breeding, while the survival of the purebred population is a separate matter from the popularity of descendants and crosses.
Lincoln is one of England's major longwool breeds and had a large international influence through sheep improvement. Widespread use in crossing contrasts with the rarity of today's purebred resource.
Large body size, long wool, and a generally calm disposition characterize the breed. The Conservancy describes suitability for cool climates and good maternal ability. Its fleece offers a clear comparison with fine-wool, hair-sheep, and Downs populations.
A longwool breed with influence beyond its own flocks
The National Lincoln Sheep Breeders Association describes the improved Lincoln as the product of nineteenth-century selection and exchanges involving earlier Lincoln and Leicester sheep. Breeders sought meat quality while retaining strong wool suitable for combing and worsted production.
Lincoln animals were subsequently exported for crossbreeding. The association names Corriedale, Polwarth, Columbia and other populations among breeds developed using Lincoln parents. This influence explains why a breed can have a substantial historical contribution without maintaining equally large purebred numbers.
The American association began in Michigan in 1891. Colored Lincoln registration began in 1984, adding an explicit place for those fleeces within the American population. Preserving Lincoln sheep therefore maintains both a distinct longwool resource and a source population connected to the development of other breeds.
Sources for general species learning
Sources behind the breed’s story.
The original history, identity and conservation teaching above draws on these cited accounts. Official links open the full material for further study.
Keep learning from official information.
These research portals help locate further material. A search link is a route for exploration; it is separate from the sources used for the article above. Domestic breed information, wild-species assessment, historical books and new research need their own context.
- FAO DAD-IS · Domestic breed information
- IUCN Red List · Species assessments
- Biodiversity Heritage Library · Historical literature search
- USDA National Agricultural Library · Research search
- Google Scholar · Scholarly literature search
- Open Library · Book catalogue search
- HathiTrust · Digitized catalogue search