Scottish Blackface

A British breed and the UK's most common sheep. Despite its name it originated south of the Anglo-Scottish border and only reached the Highlands in the late 18th century. Several types exist: Perth, Lanark, Galloway (Newton Stewart) and Lewis.

Always horned; face and legs black, sometimes with white markings. On hill pasture ewes weigh about 50 kg and rams about 80 kg. The wool is very coarse (28–38 µm) and used for mattresses, carpets or tweed.

Kept mainly for meat via cross-breeding: with Bluefaced Leicester rams it gives the Scotch Mule, with Border Leicester the Greyface. These ewes keep the dam's hardiness and mothering and gain fertility and meat quality from the sire.