Size increase in Post-Medieval English sheep: the osteological evidence

Abstract

From the end of the medieval period to the end of the 18^th century, the economic priorities of sheep farming over much of England shifted from an emphasis on wool and milk to one which valued meat as never before. With this change in priority came attempts to increase the carcass size and to ’improve’ the conformation, and many present-day breeds owe their origins to this process. A general increase in size of sheep is reported in documentary records from this period, but there is little published supporting evidence from the archaeological record. This paper draws together some biometrical data from post-medieval sheep, and shows the size increase to have been gradual, piecemeal, and a phenomenon of the late 18^th-19^th  centuries.