Breaking New Ground

Reconnecting People with The Brecks

Sheep in the Brecks Project Starts

Our Sheep in the Brecks project, in partnership with the Breckland Society is just starting, with the first event coming up in September.

The project offers the chance to get involved in researching and understanding one of the most interesting aspects of livestock management in the Brecks, and how it has affected the landscape.

The research aspect will focus on several areas:

  • Investigating the beginnings of shepherding from the Bronze Age to Anglo-Saxon times, looking for archaeological evidence 
  • The importance of sheep to medieval landowners - how did wool make the Church rich?
  • The impact of grazing on poor sandy soils - did the presence of sheep worsen the land for agriculture whilst creating the right conditions for rare plants?
  • How was the local sheep, the Norfolk Horn, bred and managed and what is its future today?
There will be archival training days, fieldwork skills and three practical workshops including how to make a stick or shepherd's crook, how to make a shurdle or sheep pen and general sheep husbandry.
The first event for this project is the sheep husbandry workshop to be held at West Stow Country Park on September 10th 
To get involved, please contact sheepinthebrecks@gmail.com

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