The Lincoln Longwool is an old British breed of sheep. It is the largest sheep of the United Kingdom, and was bred specifically for wool production. The fleece is coarse, wavy, lustrous and long, and hangs in broad staples that separate easily. The heaviest fleece on record was from a Lincoln ram.
Many were exported to other countries, particularly in the twentieth century, and the Lincoln has influenced sheep husbandry in many parts of the world, often through cross-breeding with Merino stock.
In the twenty-first century it is an endangered breed, categorised by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust as "priority" – its highest level of concern.
History
The county of Lincolnshire has had a strong connection with the wool trade since Mediaeval times: the City of Lincoln was one of the staple towns designated in the Ordinance of the Staple of 1353.
The sheep have been exported to a number of other countries, among them Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, New Zealand, Paraguay, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, the United States and South Africa. The only substantial populations of the sheep are reported by Argentina, with , and by New Zealand, with . In the United Kingdom a total of 675 ewes was reported for 2024, of which 251 were registered in the herd-book. The conservation status of the breed in the United Kingdom in 2025 was listed in DAD-IS as "at risk/endangered", while on the watchlist of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust it was one of six breeds of sheep listed as "priority", the highest level of concern of the trust.
The Lincoln has influenced sheep husbandry in many countries, often through cross-breeding with Merino stock. It has contributed to the development of new breeds including the Corriedale of New Zealand, the Kalinin, the Liski, the Soviet Mutton-Wool and the Tyan Shan of the former Soviet Union, and the Columbia and the Targhee of the United States.
Characteristics
It is a large and massive sheep: ewe weights range from about , those for rams some .
Use
The fleece is heavy – ewe fleeces weigh some greasy. The heaviest fleece on record came from a Lincoln Longwool ram, with a weight of The wool is coarse, wavy, lustrous and long, and hangs in broad staples that separate easily. The staple length of ewe wool generally varies between about , but lengths in excess of are documented. Fibre diameter is from about , equivalent to a Bradford Count of roughly 36s-40s.
References
Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to: The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. . Archived 23 June 2020.
Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. .
Breed data sheet: Lincoln Longwool / United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Sheep). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed August 2025.
Transboundary breed: Lincoln Longwool. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed August 2025.
Breed History. Grange De Lings, Lincolnshire: Lincoln Longwool Sheep Breeders Association. Archived 4 July 2024.
Lincoln Longwool. Kenilworth, Warwickshire: Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Archived 21 December 2024.
Watchlist 2025–26. Kenilworth, Warwickshire: Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Archived 27 June 2025.