RARE BREEDS TRUST OF AUSTRALIA
powered by TidyHQSheep: Hampshire Down
Sheep: Hampshire Down
Country of Origin 
Hampshire, England
Australian Status
International Status
Uses
Meat, Wool
Breed traits
Hampshire Down wool is white, with a soft, fine texture that can be worn next to the skin. It is text book Downs variety, classified as short wool with a 25-33 micron count and an average staple length of 9cm. Coloured fleece is rare. It is a very elastic, durable yarn that does not felt easily.
History
The Hampshire Down (or Hampshire for short) sheep is named for the county of Hampshire in Southern England where the breed was developed. It evolved around 1829, from a mixture of several sheep that co-existed along the Hampshire County border. These included the Old Hampshire, the Wiltshire Horn, the Berkshire Knot and the Southdown. Mr John Twynam, a Hampshire farmer, developed the breed further by crossing the ewes with his Cotswold rams. In around 1835 the resultant half-bred rams were sold into flocks that were to form the first recognised pedigree Hampshire Down flocks in the United Kingdom.
Mr William Humphrey, is recognised as being the chief developer of the "new" Hampshire breed as he recognised the introduction of some more Southdown blood could create a more compact sheep that was polled, with better quality meat and wool, as well as the ability to mature early and fatten easily. The fleece was longer but not as fine as the Southdown. The resultant mutton was juicy and fine-flavoured with a good proportion of fat.
History in Australia
Much of the information known about Hampshires in Australia is referenced by Ivan Heazlewood, who thoroughly researched the breed. The following information is sourced from his notes.
“It is not known if he was the first importer, but by 1866, Tasmanian farmer, William Hartnoll, had Hampshires on his property, "Leighton" at Evandale in Tasmania. By the 1890's there were several studs in Tasmania and Hampshires were amongst the Lincolns, Leicesters, Cotswolds, Shropshires and Southdowns sent to Melbourne and Sydney by the Tasmanian Longwool Sheep breeders Association. When Vol 1 of the Flock Book for British Sheep in Victoria was published in 1898, three Hampshire flocks were registered. By 1935 there was only one flock registered, by 1960 there were nine and by 1970 there were eleven registered flocks. The lack of popularity for the Hampshire was probably due to the dominance of the Southdown and the aversion to pigmentation that was publicised by the Merino breeders of the time. The fact that the Hampshire survived at all is an achievement and thanks to E.E & R.C. Cotton from Oberon in New South Wales, by the 1980's there were more than fifty flocks. The Cottons had a large flock of over two hundred ewes and they exhibited and promoted the breed with enthusiasm. The Hampshire Down is now distributed worldwide, being very well regarded in the USA and with around one hundred registered flocks in Britain.”
Registered flocks of Hampshire Down are listed on ASSBA at https://www.assba.com.au/members/members_listing.asp?Breeds=HAMPSHIRE%20DOWN
Australian Population
Ewes: 1844; Rams: no number (2021)
Ewes: 1692; Rams: 114 (2022)
Breed Organisation
The Australian Hampshire Down Association http://www.hampshiredown.com.au/
