The Hazelwood Flock

The Hazelwood Flock

The Hazelwood Flock started when I went to the Kensington and Smithston reduction sale of 1985. I spent £770 on five very sound old ewews and two ewe lambs. A Kilnbank ewe at £120 from Clitheroe (mother of Carmen, Champion at the Royal, Great Yorkshire and more than 20 local shows) and a stylish ewe with one quarter for £100 from John Bowman, which bred exceptionally well, completed the flock. The flock is free from enzootic abortion so I have not bought in any females since. All the sheep for sale have been vaccinated with Toxovac against Toxoplasma (carried by cats) and with Heptovac P+.

I take small consignments of lambs to several sales, with the strongest pen going to Lazonby until 1999. In 1995 I had the top price ram lamb of the year at £4,200. The following year I had the Champion at £2,100, and my best-ever average at £1,400 with a top of £3,000 in 1997. 1999 was my first year selling at Hexham, when P3 by Parcelstown Nimrod 395/N1 was Champion and I had the top average of £1,050 for 7 ram lambs. I also had Female Champion with a ewe lamb at £380 by Cairn Smiddy at the Monday sale.

My greatest achievement was winning the Jack and John Bell Memorial Trophy in 1995 with Hazelwood 1939/J1 “E”, who was the top price BFL lamb that year at £4,200. It was especially pleasing to see him produce the Hexham Champion at £3,400 and pen of 18 averaging £1,102 for W Wearmouth & Son the next year.

2000 was a vintage show year for us. Hazelwood Leonora, a Carmen grand-daughter by Firth Jasper, was Champion at the Millennium Sbow, where we had a great day right through. We won first and third prizes with the old tups with Penchrise and New Mills. Sheep from Hazelwood or by Hazelwood rams were placed in all the Leicester classes, both morning and afternoon. At the Progeny Show in the morning W Wearmouth & Son were Champion with three ewes by Hazelwood 1939/L2, and we won first prize with Newmills 975/M1 and three ram lambs. We were also first with three gimmers by 2637/M2 Cairn Smiddy.

In 2000 we also won Male Champion at all four major shows – with Penchrise 2154/N013 at the Royal Highland, the Royal and Great Yorkshire, and with Parclestown Neptune “E-plus” (shared with TG & PM Jarman) at the Royal Welsh. We also won longwool male champion at the Great Yorkshire and Westmorland County, half the interbreed pair at the Royal Highland, half the reserve longwool pair at the Royal, interbreed Champion locally, and interbreed group at Gilsland with Hazelwood Pearl and Hazelwood Leonora, who was also the individual interbreed Champion.

In 2002 we won Reserve Interbreed Pairs Champion at the Royal Show with Hazelwood Pasacaglia, who was also Champion at Penrith.

2003 was an outstanding year with Champion at the Royal and Great Yorkshire with the shearling Hazelwood Topaz by Newmills 975/M001. At the Great Yorkshire, Hazelwood Topaz and our Shrewbridge 3114/T001 “E-plus” ram were breed and interbreed longwool Champions. Topaz also scooped the Reserve Supreme title. Hazelwood Poppy by Cairn Smiddy was reserve breed Champion, and the three of them won the Group. The winning streak continued to the Progeny Show, held only at Welshpool that year. Our ewes by Parclestown Neptune “E-plus” were Champions. A 4-crop ewe bred at Hazelwood won the Royal Welsh for Tudor Harris. Our Barlaes ram came to the fore at the sales. His lambs sold to £3,800 and averaged £906 for nine at Hexham.

2004 was quieter. Our Barlaes ram was male Champion at the Royal Show and the Penrith Progeny Show, and in the groups he was second with both his ewe lambs and his tup lambs. He and Topaz shared the honours at the local shows.

In 2005 we were back on form, creating breed history at the Royal Show by winning Champion and Reserve Champion and all the first prizes, with six Leicester flocks showing. The Champion was Hazelwood Robinia, a 4-crop ewe by Newmills, and reserve was Hazelwood Wyethia by Barlaes “E-plus”. We could not get past the Cocklaw ewe at the Great Yorkshire, but Hazelwood Wyethia was Reserve Champion. Hazelwood W10, a shearling ram by Barlaes, and a needle sharp ewe lamb by Shrewbridge also won their classes. The Penrith Progeny Show was Barlaes’s day. His shearling ewes were Reserve Champions, his ewes were second to the Champions, and he won the class with his 3 tup lambs and again with his 3 ewe lambs. The Local shows were extremely successful.

My 2005 reduction sale exceeded expectation with 10 ewes averaging £434 with a top price of £700. The shearling ewes averaged £530 for 19 with a top price of £1400. Sheep from both the 2005 and 2002 reduction sales have been winning major awards and have produced top price lambs.

2006 has been my best year ever at the major shows. Hazelwood Rosemary, a five crop ewe by Penchrise 2154/N001, was Royal Show Champion on her first outing. Shrewbridge 3114/T001 E+ was male champion and together they went on to win Reserve Supreme pair. My second prize ewe Tamara joined them to win the BFL group (see photos).

Show history was made at the GYS when we won first prize in every class. Rosemary was Champion and a home-bred shearling son of Barlaes won Male Champion and Longwool Interbreed Male Champion. He is to be retained in the flock.

The BFL Progeny show at Penrith was a big turn out. We won half the classes, Rosemary was singles champion and Penrith Interbreed Reserve. Three Barlaes shearling ewes were reserve group.

Skelton was totally successful with Rosemary Reserve Interbreed again.

2007 has been a very good year. We started the season with a Championship at the Northumberland County Show with Hazelwood Xenon. Hazelwood Wythea was Champion at the Great Yorkshire and Penrith Progeny Show. Hazelwood Xact E+ was Male Champion at the Great Yorkshire, and Hazelwood Verity (Reserve Champion at the Royal) joined them to make up my First Prize Group of Three at the Great Yorkshire. All this year’s Champions are by Barlaes E+, who has unfortunately died. For photos of the show winners see the Photo Gallery.

Hazelwood Xact E+ and Rossiebank E+ X003 achieved Elite Plus classification at the Penrith Progeny Show.

Reference to Hazelwood Sires

468/E1 Walton “E”, sire 584/C5 Middle Dukesfield, grandsire 111/Z22 Old Parks.

Progeny Show Champion 1998, lambs to £4,200 and £3,400

2637/M2 Cairn Smiddy “A”, sire 2125/K30 Linkins, grandsire 110/H3 Woodcroft.

Excellent breeder of females and crossing sheep

395/N3 Parclestown Neptune “E+”, sire 2785/M1 Ayside, grandsire 111/L13 Old Parks.

Progeny Show Champion group 1999,2002, Sire of female of Interbreed Pairs Reserve Champion Royal Show 2002, lambs to £2,100

2154/N001 Penchrise sire 975/M001 Newmills, grandsire 1521/J001 Teviot E

Purchased Kelso 1999 top price £4200. Sire of Hazelwood Rosmary.Hazelwood Rosmary.

975/M1 Newmills “A”, sire 1521/J1 Teviot “E”, grandsire 2154/G1 Penchrise.

Top price Kelso at £3,000, lambs to £4,200

3138/R64 Beeston, sire 3138/P15 Beeston, grandsire 209/M1 Rosehill.

Bought privately, he has bred a consistently good crop of lambs

1070/T001 Cernyw, sire 281/R001 Carry House “E+”.

Half share bought privately in 2002. First with his ewe lamb at Welshpool Progeny Show for E Owen Cernyw

3114/T001 Shrewbridge “E+”, Sire 2743/N001 Lybury Marcus E+, Sire of Dam 468/K001 Walton, originally purchased in partnership with Messrs RD Archer & Son Carry House at Carlisle 2002. He was the top price lamb at £4,500. Breed and Interbreed Male Champion at the Great Yorkshire as a shearling. He has proved to be a breeder of top class females. He was unwell in the Autumn of 2003 but we have a great crop of lambs by him this year.

2217/T005 Barlaes “E+” has proved to be an exceptional bargain, purchased at Castle Douglas in 2002 for £1,600. His dam was by £3,400 Hazelwood K1 by Walton E001 “E” sire. The doubling up on this blood line has been very successful. He was the only tup used in 2003. Read more about him under the Hazelwood Flock heading.

840/X003 Rossiebank “E+” was purchased for £3000 at Carlisle in 2005, he is stamping his lambs with very good heads.

1939/X006 Hazelwood Xact “E+” sire Barlaes “E+”, dam Hazelwood Lucia, sire of dam Firth Jasper 1574/J001 (longtime Scottish record holder). Male Champion Great Yorkshire Show 2006 and 2007. Only used on 5 ewes in 2006, but I will use him on everything not too closely related in Autumn 2007. All his lambs were nice and blue with extremely good skins.

3989/X041 Clennell purchased at Kelso 2006 and shared with Sid Ivinson and Mervyn Roberts. We were all impressed with his extremely correct conformation, which he is passing to his lambs.