The Herdwick Gang

Best-selling image of Lake District Herdwick sheep

The Herdwick Gang

The Herdwick Gang is our name for our best-selling image of Lakeland Herdwicks. It was taken by renowned Lake District photographer Stephen Barber at Yew Tree Farm near Coniston. The sheep have just received their paint markings and are ready to return to the Lake District fells, where Herdwicks have roamed freely for centuries.

Herdwick sheep are unique to Lakeland and the name can be traced back to the 6th century. The original spelling, Herdwyck, is believed to come from the Vikings Old Norse language to mean 'sheep pasture'.

Because Herdwicks roam freely on the Lake District fells, farmers use lug and smit marks in order to identify their sheep. Lug marks are patterned markings in the sheep's ear, and a smit mark is the paint marking on the fleece. Flocks are brought down from the fells by farmers working together. They often get mixed hence the need for marking!

The Shepherds Guide, which has been published for over 200 hundred of years defines which markings each farmer uses to identify their flocks, as well as the method of returning stray sheep. Modern digital technology is also now used for food and health traceability.

Herdwicks are the most hardy of all the breeds of British hill sheep, grazing the fells of the Lake District to over 3000 feet. Bred over hundreds of years to be territorial, each flock is 'heafed', to a fell. They can be safely left in unfenced areas without wandering away from their territorial patch (mostly!).

Herdwicks graze equally on both heather and grass, and also keep scrub and bracken under control. Because of this, Herdwick sheep are extremely important to the maintenance of the landscape of the Lake District.