A SMALL offering of females sold at Penrith and District Farmers’ Mart, where Swaledale entries from John Richardson, of Ghyll House, led the way. 

Top seller at £3100 was a gimmer by a Valley Farm ram, bred from a ewe by the £30,000 Christine Whitehead. She sold to Mrs Bainbridge, Oswalds Farm, Richmond, scanned with twins to a Bull and Cave ram. 

The same Valley Farm ram was behind the two-shear Swaledale ewe from Ghyll House which sold to J Elliott, Oak House, Ravenstonedale, for £2500. Scanned with twins to a Richard Harker ram, she is out of a ewe by the David Allison tup known as Frosty. 

Herdwicks set a breed record of £1100 when Messrs Lightfoot, Gillside, Patterdale, sold a three-shear ewe to J Benson, Harry Place, Great Langdale. She was by a £5000 Turner Hall tup and scanned with twins to a Stanley Jackson ram. 

Bluefaced Leicester females reached £1800 three times, with the first being the champion from the Lord family’s Hewgill flock. That was a ewe hogg by the H45 Hewgill which sold to Slievegallion Blues, Draperstown, Northern Ireland. 

A hogg from the Hutchinsons’ Kirkby Redgate flock matched that when sold to S Bell, Ballynahinch. Reserve champion at the ore-sale show, she is by the G17 Marriforth. 

Also at £1800, G and H Shields, Skeughdale, sold a hogg by the H25 Hewgill to JR Ireland and Sons, Stock Howe Hall.