Downland Shepherds

By David Beer

Eastbourne Local Members Group

For our final talk of the year we welcomed Dr. Sarah Mackenzie who described the history of sheep farming on the South Downs. The talk was illustrated with many photographs of very serious looking shepherds, many of whom were carrying ornate crooks. The South Downs breed of sheep has been with us for a long time and Sarah explained how selective breeding by some of the farmers had changed the morphology of this breed as the market moved away from wool to meat. 

We learnt about the trapping of Wheatears which provided a secondary income for the shepherds. These birds were sent to London to be consumed as a delicacy by the wealthy. Hundreds were trapped each year and this was one of the factors leading to the decline of the Wheatear as a breeding bird on the South Downs.