American Cotswold Record Association

The Cotswold is a large white-wooled breed of sheep (mature ewes 175 to 230 lbs.; mature rams 250 to 300+ lbs.) whose faces are white, or lightly mottled with either gray or tan hair.  Cotswold sheep are polled (hornless), and normally have black hooves and occasionally small black spots on the ears.

This is how the Cotswold breed of sheep has been described for about 500 years, and depictions in paintings and other artwork confirm it for about 200 years more; allusions to Cotswold traits in ancient histories and archeological artifacts go back 2400 to 3000 years.

For well over 130 years, all legitimately registered Cotswold sheep have answered the above description. However, for about 20 years the Black Cotswold--a separate breed---has also had its own registry and pedigrees.  Between these two breeds, the Cotswold and the Black Cotswold, all requirements in hardy longwool sheep are met.

For many centuries the Cotswold breed of sheep has been famous for these 9 traits:

• Very mild meat flavor!  Cotswold sheep impart this trait even to crossbred lambs.
• Long-fiber high-luster wool--also passing these traits to crossbred lambs.
• Sweet-natured, strong-mothering disposition--"Gentle Giant" of sheep breeds.
• Luxurious pelts with shiny longwool locks that dangle in ringlets.
• High efficiency and healthy vigor, even when bred to non-Cotswolds.
• Respectful of fences to a far higher degree than most sheep breeds.
• Ewe's build (cone-shaped flank muscles), plus small-head lambs give easy births.
• Heavy-milking ewes, plus vigorous newborn lambs equal good survival and growth.
• Most Important: Cotswolds are "the easy-keeping longwool breed" requiring less-than-perfect hay or pastures and little or no grain for good results!

Last Updated: 05/09/2011
©2009 by the American Cotswold Record Association
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