It would be fair to say that most people are not familiar with Kerry, a village in Powys, Wales. A quiet place today, this area is steeped in ancient history. Fiber folk may know it better than most, though, since it is perhaps known best for its namesake ovine – the Kerry Hill sheep.

Kerry, or Ceri in Welsh, is a rural village in Wales, surrounded by farmland and rolling hills. With a population of only around 795, this area’s history belies its small population. Likely settled since the Neolithic era, Kerry has seen the Romans arrived to settle and build a fort, followed by Christian missionaries from Rome and other parts of Europe. The first church was built in the 7^th or 8^th century, which would later be rebuilt by Norman settlers into what today is known as the St. Michael and All Angels Church that became the center of the Kerry parish, an area that included the towns and villages surrounding Kerry. The area saw some conflicts between Llewelyn the Great and King Henry III of England in the early 13^th century, and by later in the same century Wales was conquered by the English king, Edward I.

Farming and raising livestock have been a way of life in the valleys and hills around Kerry for as long as people have lived there. As in much of the U.K., sheep were important for the people of Kerry and the larger area. Not only did the local sheep provide fertilizer for the fields, meat, milk, and wool for local families, they also provided wool for the wool flannel industry in nearby Newtown. The sheep of the Kerry area were well regarded for their quality of wool and were in demand enough that the first public auction of sheep in Wales occurred in Kerry in 1875. This auction still continues to this day, making it the oldest annual sheep auction in Wales.

The sheep of the Kerry parish came to be known as the Kerry Hill breed, with the earliest recorded mention of the breed being from records made in 1809. For millennia, it was common for farms and shepherds to let their sheep wander the hills during spring and summer, bringing them back in the fall to overwinter close to home and farm for protection from the weather. However, formerly shared grazing areas became fenced off and deeds assigned to owners during a process called enclosure. This process started in the 1700s, but increasingly affected land in Wales under the acts passed by parliament, including the General Enclosure Act of 1801 and the Enclosure Act of 1845. Although the benefits and disadvantages of these acts to small farmers and landholders were intensely debated, it did mean that farmers in the Kerry area began to breed to improve their sheep with greater intent. After all, it was easier to control which rams and ewes bred if they were not wandering free.

Initially, farmers in the Kerry area bred from their own stock. Farmers from that time later expressed their opinion that the native sheep breed of the area was something between the Clun Forest and Radnor breeds. However, many soon began to take note of the sheep breed improvement techniques being used by other farmers in Britain. Clun Forest and Shropshire rams were popular among farmers breeding to improve Kerry Hill sheep, although it is likely that a smattering of other breeds was also used. In 1899, the first Kerry Hill Flock book was published by the Kerry Hill Flock Book Society. With stunning large black spots on the nose and eyes, and black spotting on the legs, the wool of the improved Kerry Hill sheep was kept white – the desired color for wool used for textiles. At the time, Kerry Hill wool was considered to be among the most comfortable of English wools, perfect for the wool flannel production of the area.

Like many breeds of sheep in England, the Kerry Hill sheep underwent a decline during WWI and WWII. This was due to a number of factors, including changes in the use of land, available food for livestock, and a demand for larger sheep that produced both greater quantities of wool and meat. For a long time, it was on the U.K.’s Rare Breeds Survival Trust watchlist. However, with growing interest in the breed, it was removed from the watchlist in 2006. The Kerry Hill breed society largely attributes this to the unique look of the Kerry Hill sheep, which made it quite attractive to small farms interested in raising sheep for specialty markets. Today, the Kerry Hill is still mostly found in Wales, but interested farmers have also brought the breed to England and other countries such as Ireland, Holland, Canada, and the U.S. Farmers raising sheep for wool have also been experimenting with cross-breeding Kerry Hill sheep with other breeds such as Bluefaced Leicester to get a yarn with a longer staple and even softer wool.

Kerry Hill wool from a purebred sheep has a staple length of around 3-4 inches, with just a slight amount luster to it and a mild crimp. Although at 30-33 microns in diameter this wool technically falls into the medium to medium-coarse categories of wool, it is surprisingly soft.. Used alone as a single breed yarn, it is great for outerwear and blankets. When Kerry Hill sheep are bred with Bluefaced Leicester the wool is even lovelier, and can be worn very comfortably next to the skin. Bluefaced Kerry Hill is longer staple wool that resists pilling and has the fine softness of Bluefaced Leicester, with the crimp and subtle luster of Kerry Hill wool.

Ready to try some out? While purebred Kerry Hill wool top or roving has been a challenge to find (never fear, intrepid fiber folk - we are still looking!), we have found a yarn brand that uses Bluefaced Kerry Hill wool! Check out West Yorkshire Spinner's Retreat Twist, stocked up right now in our shop. We think you'll love it!