extensive imports of Cotswold sheep from the flock of William Hewer of Northleach, Gloucestershire, England. Another early contributor to American flocks was the Charles Barton Flock, of Fyfield, Northleach, England, whose owner had family records of Cotswold pedigrees going back to 1640 or before. Like other longwool breeds, the Cotswold was often used for crossbreeding in early times. By 1914 over 760,000 had been recorded in the US and Canada by the American Cotswold Record Association. The breed was seen as a way of adding staple length to other breeds while not reducing the size of the carcase or thickness of wool. The main reason for its early popularity over other lustre longwools in the USA was because it did not require "high feeding" (in other words, large amounts of grain) in order to make good growth. According to Sheep! magazine editor Nathan Griffith's book on the breed, the largest recorded representative of the Cotswold breed in America was Broadfield's Pride, owned by Charles Mattocks during the 1870s. This sheep was born in 1870 on the farm of William Lane of Gloucestershire, England, and attained the enormous weight of . Several of the lambs he sired attained weights of by one year old. Black Cotswold In 1989, the Black Cotswold was recognised as a separate breed in the USA. In that year the Black Cotswold Society was formed to assist farmers in propagating the breed. The Black Cotswold can be any colour, including white if it is related to black sheep. The Black Cotswold is not recognised or bred in the UK. In over 130 years of registering Cotswold sheep, no sheep registered with the American Cotswold Record Association has descended from coloured ancestors. Characteristics The Cotswold is a large tall sheep. Ewes weigh some , and rams about . It is polled in both sexes. The legs and face are without wool and are usually white; it has a pronounced forelock. Use The Cotswold is reared both for wool and for meat. Lambs are commonly slaughtered at some four months old, when they may weigh . The wool is lustrous; fleeces weigh from to . Staple length is approximately , with a Bradford count of 44s–48s. See also Sheep shearing References External links Cotswold Sheep Society in the UK Cotswold Breeders Association in North America American Cotswold Record Assn. in North America Black Cotswold Society worldwide Sheep breeds Sheep