South Devon

South Devon is a West Country longwool sheep from southern Devon and Cornwall, historically one of the local types that later fed into the modern Devon and Cornwall Longwool. It is a large, polled, white-faced sheep, valued for a heavy frame, docile grazing temperament, and long curly fleece rather than for sharp color markings. Older South Devon flocks belonged to damp southwestern grass farms where hard-wearing wool, pasture lamb, and useful crossbred ewes all mattered.

For keepers, the South Devon name points toward longwool management: regular shearing, attention to fleece cleanliness, and enough forage to support a big-bodied animal. Conservation flocks may treat it as historic blood within Devon and Cornwall Longwool rather than as a common standalone breed. Buyers should expect regional registry nuance, limited availability, and a sheep kept for heritage, wool, and farmstead meat more than rapid commercial lamb production.