Ryeland Fleece in Herefordshire

I’m currently finishing off my dissertation which focuses on the value of British wool in sustainable textiles and how regional and regenerative textile systems can put value back into the land. A lot of my research has been based around local textiles and ideas such as Fibershed.

A Fibershed is a geographic region which supports and connects natural textile resources. In this region, a Fibershed organisation connects growers and landowners with designers and manufacturers to support every element of a textile system. Similar to a foodshed or a watershed, the geographical nature of the Fibershed allows all processing stages to be executed within a certain locality. The aim of the Fibershed is to recognise the importance of the textile system as whole, ensuring that ideas such as regeneration, transparency and connectivity are at the heart of all processes. From the growth of the fibre to the disposal of garments, it focuses on soil-to-soil textile systems. 

In turn, this has bought me got thinking how I can approach these ideas in my practice. The nearest Fibershed to Herefordshire is South West England Fibershed, not too far away. I would however like to explore materials even closer to home, one which has long been a part of Herefordshire’s history; the Ryeland Sheep.

The Ryeland sheep originated in Herefordshire, it was once known as ‘Lemster Ore’ for large amounts of gold it was traded for. It is thought to have been derived from Spanish Merino, giving it a fine quality wool. Although the quality of Ryeland fleece has declined due to it being favoured for meat, it still has a soft and lofty wool, suited to woollen spinning. 

I will be sourcing Ryeland fleece to hand spin, but I've also been thinking about how it could be approached on a larger scale. I’m continuously inspired by projects such as Bristol Cloth and Cambrian Wool and although Herefordshire does not have the textile infrastructure of other regions, I would love to see the development of a local yarn or cloth.

The first step is to get an accurate picture of what is happening with Ryeland fleece in Herefordshire currently. So if you own/keep Ryeland sheep, please take my survey below. It will take just a few short minutes and would be immensely helpful.

And even if you don’t own Ryeland sheep, please share it. I would love other from others who have similar interests in local and regenerative textiles!