We moved to Higher Grawley in March 1999. The cottage sits on the edge of its 16 acres, along a bumpy track a mile from the nearest road. The only noises are the lowing of cattle and the bleating of sheep.

Our experience of sheep was limited to an old ewe, a whether and a goat left by the previous owners and some bottle lambs reared for our neighbour. After we saw Hampshire Downs in 2000 at our local Show, we established our own flock with ewes from Margaret Etherington's Holemoor flock and a ram from Henry Derryman's Yarcombe flock.

We kept the best ewe lambs and in 2003 bought a further ram Yarcombe Gaffer from Henry Derryman. This big ram gave us females with excellent conformation all of which we retained. In 2004 we joined the Hampshire Down Sire Reference Scheme. Our aim is to produce higher growth rates and better carcases. This will improve the breeding potential of our flock and enable us to produce high performance rams for the commercial farmer.

In 2005 we purchased two rams

Kelsey Captain 18U 04 444

Scan Weight EBV + 4.73 kgs

Muscle Depth EBV + 0.81 mm

Fat Depth EBV - 0.60 mm

Index 260 (top 10%)

Genotype ARR/ARR

Owslebury Viceroy 56R 05 534

Scan Weight EBV + 4.72 kgs

Muscle Depth EBV + 1.98 mm

Fat Depth EBV + 0.07 mm

Index 239 (top 25%)

Genotype ARR/ARR

These rams will continue the progress we have made in growth and carcase quality.

In 2007 Yarcombe Montgomery joined the flock, a Kelsey Duke son with great conformation and a lovely temperament, he produced excellent  lambs in 2008, some of the rams  being exported to Holland in November 2008 and Romania in February 2009. His 2009 lambs are showing great promise there being some very nice rams and ewes amongst them with good length and conformation.

Also in 2007 we had Owslebury Xeres on loan, a Billbury Oak grandson, this ram has introduced some New Zealand blood into the flock as we have retained a couple of his ewe lambs to add to the flock

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Owslebury Xanadu, an Owslebury Wonder son, was also purchased in 2007 but owing to movement restrictions we were unable to use him for the 2008 lambing, he has since produced lambs which have height and length and look very promising.

Parkstock Chancellor joined the flock in 2009, a son of Belton Chance ( Parkstock Supreme) he produces fast growing quality lambs with good bone, length and height, his offspring look very promising.

2010 saw the introduction of Millfields Merlin into the flock,  a son of Parkstock Pride ( sire of Millfields Muscleman)  he also has Owslebury Stirling in his back pedigree on his dams side.

In 2010 and 2011 we used a couple of rams of our own breeding, namely Higher Grawley Harry  (Yarcombe Montgomery) and Higher Grawley Icarus (Owslebury Xanadu) both these rams have produced good quality lambs, increasing our confidence that we can sell our rams on and that they will produce what the commercial man or pedigree breeder require.

HDSBA  Flock competitions.

 2004. 

I visited the Higher Grawley flock in September 2004 to judge the HDSBA flock competition, and placed the flock second in the small flock section. Rose bought good foundation stock and her flock improves every year. Joining the Sire reference scheme has helped her to judge where her strengths and weaknesses lie.

Jennifer Atkinson HDSBA

2005.

Henry Derryman awarded the Higher Grawley flock first place in the Small Flock section.

2006.

John Davis awarded the Higher Grawley Flock third place in the Small Flock section.

2007.

There was no Flock Competition owing to the Foot and Mouth outbreak.

2008.

John and Olive Mercer awarded the Higher Grawley Flock first place in the Small Flock section.

Also in 2008 we were very proud to be awarded the Eblex BRP Progressive Flock Award for the Hampshire Downs, this is an award to the flock that has made the greatest improvement in breeding potential in the past year based on records analysed by Signet.

2009.

Tim Hunter awarded the Higher Grawley Flock first place in the Small Flock section, we were also thrilled to be awarded Second place for the best Shearling Ewes and Reserve Champion Flock over all.

2010.

Jim Cresswell awarded the Higher Grawley Flock second place in the Small Flock section.

 2010 also saw  65W-08-10 Higher Grawley David, who we exported to Holland in 2008, being judged by Robert Vincent  Dutch National Champion ram 2yrs or older,  .