Southdown Sheep

The Southdown is a British breed of small domestic sheep, a shortwool breed and the basis of the whole Down group of sheep breeds. It was originally bred by John Ellman of Glynde, near Lewes in East Sussex, around 1800, and has since been exported to many countries, with particular importance in New Zealand, where it was used in producing Canterbury lamb. In the twenty-first century it is kept principally as a terminal sire, and it is listed by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust among the United Kingdom's native breeds, having formerly been listed as at risk.