The farm animals of Anglo-Saxon England were, on the whole, smaller than those we see today and less highly bred. At Bede's World we have animals which are more like those which Bede might have seen on the monastery farms.
Our sheep are from older varieties which have survived in some of the marginal areas of Britain, on land which is unsuitable for the improved breeds which were developed in the 18th century. We now have in the flock Herdwick, Hebridean, Ronaldsay, Manx and Soay varieties.
The two oxen on site are Dexters. This is a old breed, smaller than most modern cows, black in colour. We know from bones found in archaeological work that the Dexters are about the same size and shape as the cows of the Anglo-saxon era.
Our pigs are bred from crossing Tamworth and Berkshires (both old breeds) with wild boar. This produces a much shorter animal than the modern farm pig, with a more slender snout. It also has a curved back, the "hog-back" shape, which it takes from the wild boar. We know from manuscript illustration that this was the shape of the Anglo-Saxon pig.
