BLA 45
Mv accredited

Eleanor Stokeld
Old Nunthorpe
Great Ayton
Cleveland

Tel: 07860 363742

Very correct sheep always for sale.
Good white hair on faces.
Good skins, up on their toes, good mouths.
Rams for sale from home, Kelso, and Welshpool.

Sires used 2021 : Spotmains Diamond, Doulton Dandy, Doulton Crazy Horse, Doulton Tom Cat.

We started our flock in 1996 with the purchase of 2 ewe lambs from dispersal sales. These quickly grew into 20, then 30 and now we have 250 sheep.

I was very lucky to find a wonderful mentor, Jim Stobo OBE, who allowed us to use his wonderful ram, Low Milton Referendum, who was purchased for £7,800,  from the Low Milton flock owned by Jim Guthrie, a superb stockman and flock master.
Jim mentored me for many years and taught me almost everything I know about the Border Leicester. He advised me on which lambs to buy, which to keep my distance from and how to turn them out for sales. Without him I believe I would not still be keeping Border Leicesters.

We have tried our best to produce what the end customer wants. We must never forget that the Border Leicester was the sheep industries Great Improver., and whilst it is nice to produce a sheep with “big lugs” and all the other fine attributes, we must remember that the majority of these wonderful sheep go to commercial men. Their flocks quite often lamb outside up on the hills and need lambs which will survive inclement weather. Good tight skins, good conformation and mouths are needed. As one commercial man pure to me “there is no requirement for a lamb whose coat divides in wet weather”.

We try our very best to produce a good end product, one which will do the job required and ensure that the customers come back to the Border Leicester again and again for all the right reasons.

Unfortunately, the Border Leicester has become unfashionable and other crossing sires have taken its place in the last 6 or 8 years. There are many reasons for this happening. Small groups of breeders within the Border Leicesters have chosen to alter the appearance of the sheep, which quite obviously has not been what the commercial wanted. Other breeds have emerged and been marketed very well, against the Borders. Lots of reasons really.
Now we are on the Rare Breed Survival Trust list as we don’t have as many breeding ewes as we should have. Many sheep are being bought to use as show animals and probably never see a ram. I could go on and on but will stop here.

Spotsmains Diamond, son of a Kelso Shearling Champion and out of an exceptionally great ewe, has been with us for two years now and has produced some amazing lambs. he is very long, with a great tight skin, up on his toes and good in his mouth.

Doulton Dandy, son of Doulton Paragon, who had the best skin I have ever seen on a Border Leicester and was exceptionally correct in every way. Great white hair on his face too.

Doulton Tom Cat, son of Spotsmain Top Gun, an amazing ram who produced stunning lambs over the years we had him. He had an amazing length and height to him and was exceptionally correct, with an amazing skin and wonderful mouth which he passed onto his sons and daughters.

Doulton Crazy Horse, a great big ram with a fantastic top on him, up on his toes and good in his mouth, has produced some amazing lambs in the last few years, both male and female. We are looking forward to seeing his lambs this year!

All our sheep are tattooed with the year of birth plus their individual identities within the first 4 months of their birth. They are then tagged with Government approved tags with the correct year of birth.