Lincoln Longwool
The Lincoln Longwool is an old British breed of sheep. It is the largest sheep of the United Kingdom, and was bred specifically for wool production. The fleece is coarse, wavy, lustrous and long, and hangs in broad staples that separate easily. The heaviest fleece on record was from a Lincoln ram.
Many were exported to other countries, particularly in the twentieth century, and the Lincoln has influenced sheep husbandry in many parts of the world, often through cross-breeding with Merino stock.
In the twenty-first century it is an endangered breed, categorised by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust as "priority" – its highest level of concern.
History
The county of Lincolnshire has had a strong connection with the wool trade since Mediaeval times: the City of Lincoln was one of the staple towns designated in the Ordinance of the Staple of 1353.The sheep have been exported to a number of other countries, among them Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, New Zealand, Paraguay, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, the United States and South Africa. The only substantial populations of the sheep are reported by Argentina, with, and by New Zealand, with. In the United Kingdom a total of 675 ewes was reported for 2024, of which 251 were registered in the herd-book. The conservation status of the breed in the United Kingdom in 2025 was listed in DAD-IS as "at risk/endangered", while on the watchlist of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust it was one of six breeds of sheep listed as "priority", the highest level of concern of the trust.
The Lincoln has influenced sheep husbandry in many countries, often through cross-breeding with Merino stock. It has contributed to the development of new breeds including the Corriedale of New Zealand, the Kalinin, the Liski, the Soviet Mutton-Wool and the Tyan Shan of the former Soviet Union, and the Columbia and the Targhee of the United States.