Jacob (sheep) - History

History

The origins of the Jacob are obscure, but it is certainly a very old breed. Piebald sheep have been described throughout history, appearing in works of art from the Far East, Middle East, and Mediterranean regions. A piebald breed of sheep probably existed in the Levant, specifically in the area that is now known as Syria, about three thousand years ago.

Among the many accounts of ancient breeds of piebald sheep is the story of Jacob from the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. According to the Book of Genesis (Genesis 30:31–43), in what may be the earliest recorded attempt at selective breeding, Jacob took every speckled and spotted sheep from his father-in-law's (Laban's) flock and bred them. The Jacob is named for the Biblical figure of Jacob. The resulting breed may have accompanied the westward expansion of human civilization through Northern Africa, Sicily, Spain and eventually England. However, it was not until the 20th century when the breed acquired the name "Jacob sheep".

A limited amount of circumstantial evidence from the historical record lends support to a related theory that the Jacob is a descendant of the fat-tailed sheep, another ancient breed from Mesopotamia. The earliest records of the fat-tailed sheep are found in the Sumerian cities of ancient Uruk (3000 BC) and Ur (2400 BC) on stone vessels and mosaics. Another early reference to this breed is found in the Book of Leviticus (Leviticus 3:9), where an animal sacrifice is described which includes the tail fat of sheep. Despite the scant evidence from the historical record, a recent genetic analysis has provided compelling evidence supporting a direct link between the Jacob and certain unimproved breeds in Southwest Asia and Africa rather than other British breeds. Using retroviruses as genetic markers, the authors found that sheep dispersed across Eurasia and Africa via at least two separate migratory episodes. Descendants of the first migrations include the Mouflon, as well as other unimproved breeds, such as the North Ronaldsay sheep, Soay sheep, and the northern European short-tailed sheep. A later migratory episode shaped the great majority of present-day breeds.

Some people believe that the Jacob is a descendant of a subarctic breed of sheep introduced by Vikings to the British Isles during the Middle Ages. Norsemen are believed to have introduced certain robust types of sheep to Northern Europe and the British Isles between the late eighth century to the middle of the eleventh century. However, the sheep introduced by the Norse were of a short-tailed variety native to an area stretching from the British Isles to the Baltic, known as the northern European short-tailed sheep. In fact, all Scandinavian breeds belong to the Northern European short-tailed group of sheep. The northern European short-tailed sheep are a group of sheep breeds and landraces which includes the Finnsheep, Icelandic, Romanov, Shetland, Spaelsau, and several other breeds. The Jacob bears little resemblance to these. The Jacob is a long-tailed breed, and is therefore unlikely to be related to any breeds introduced by the Vikings.

One persistent legend holds that the Jacob washed ashore from shipwrecks in England after the destruction of the Spanish Armada in 1588. Despite the fact that there is little if any reliable evidence to support this claim, the Jacob was referred to as the "Spanish sheep" for much of its early recorded history. It has been bred in England for at least 350 years, and spotted sheep were widespread in England by the mid–18th century. By that time, Jacobs were often kept as ornamental animals grazed in parks, which probably kept the breed extant. In recent years, Jacobs have been used as guard sheep in Gloucestershire, in the manner of guard dogs, to protect farm property from vandalism.

Jacobs were first imported into parks and zoos of North America in the early 20th century. Some individuals acquired them from zoos in the 1960s and 1970s, but the breed remained rare in America until the 1980s. Most of today’s population of American Jacobs is descended from those imported at that time. The Jacob Sheep Breeders Association (JSBA), organized in 1989, was the first breed association to be established in North America. Jacobs have become popular among small flock holders as well as handspinners and weavers.