Sale of the Steepdown Flock

Dispersal Sale of the Steepdown Flock of Pedigree
Southdown Sheep

Held at Titch Hill Farm, Sompting, Worthing, West Sussex on

Saturday, 14th September 2002

The photographs and captions are from Farmers Weekly, Oct 11-Oct 17, 2002, reproduced by permission

The dispersal followed the death of the well-known breeder Sheila Colman, who established the Steepdown Flock at Titch Hill Farm in 1973. A previous winner of the Royal Show and Southdown Flock Competitions, the Flock set the standards for many years, having pioneered the introduction of French-bred Southdown blood into the breed.

The sale held on the farm attracted breeders from all around the United Kingdom and top price on the day was 340 guineas, paid for the leading ewe, ram lamb and stud ram. The top price ewe, Steepdown W30 of 1999, was scrapie genotyped ARR/ARR and caught the eye of D.S. & P. Humphreys, who purchased the ewe for their nearby East Dean Flock. Leading ram lamb at 340 guineas was Steepdown A41 of 2002, another ARR/ARR genotyped ram, sired by the stock ram, East Dean W40 of 1999. The purchasers were Leconfield Estates, Petworth, West Sussex. The stud ram, East Dean W40 of 1999, purchased from the Humphreys in 2001, changed hands for 340 guineas, finding a new home with Messrs. Gorringe for their flock at Henfield, West Sussex.

The trade for the older ewes was exceptional, with averages for the 6 lamb ewes at £141.75, selling to a top of £220.50; 5 lamb ewes levelling at £131.25 to a top of £178.50; and the top section average was for the 9 4-lamb ewes on offer, selling to a top of £294 to level at £216.41. Buyers were particularly keen to bid for any highly rated Scrapie genotyped ewes and the original descendants of the French-bred importations were again in great demand. A quieter trade for the ewe lambs on offer, which struggled to mirror the quality of the flock ewes, with the 28 selling to a premium over commercial trade to level at £60.22.

Southdown sheep are almost a rare breed these days, so when a well known flock comes up for sale it draws a
fair crowd.

Preceding the sale of the sheep was the dispersal of the sheep-related deadstock and equipment, which saw a lively trade for livestock trailers, with the small Ifor Williams trailer selling to £480, with the larger version selling at £1,320. The sale averages are reproduced below:-

	Average	No.		Range
Older ewes	£36.75	3		£36.75
6-Lamb ewes	£141.75	9	£84.00	£220.50
5-Lamb ewes	£131.25	2	£84.00	£178.50
4-Lamb ewes	£216.41	9	£78.75	£294.00
3-Lamb ewes	£212.62	12	£84.00	£346.50
2-Lamb ewes	£180.92	13	£94.50	£357.00
1-Lamb ewes	£188.12	12	£115.50	£315.00
Ewe lambs	£60.22	28	£26.25	£110.25
Ram lambs	£116.45	11	£36.75	£357.00
Stud rams	£206.49	3	£57.50	£357.00


John Heritage (left) was shepherd at Titch Hill Farm, Steepdown, for 21 years. A sad day for him, pictured here with his daughter Sarah and son Mark	Auctioneer Alan Mummery of auctioneer Lambert and Foster, knocks down another lot. He said the sheep sold to "value" most of the day. "The best sheep of each section sold extremely well."

A true local character...Mark Brennan (right) and Mark Heritage share a joke.	Irving Pallister, a retired stockman from Haywards Heath, Sussex, helped get the sheep ready for the sale.

TOP PRICES

Ewes	Lot 40	£357.00	D.S. & P. Humphreys, East Dean, West Sussex
Ewe lambs	Lot 86	£110.25	Goodwood Estate, Goodwood, East Sussex
Ram lambs	Lot 100	£357.00	Leconfield Estates, Petworth, West Sussex
Stud ram	Lot 103	£357.00	T. Gorringe, Henfield, West Sussex

PRICES in Guineas:

EWES
(All Steepdown except where mentioned)

K23 of 1992 - 32
K 38 - 35
M64 of 1994 - 35
P11 of 1995 - 120
P17 - 130
P 20 - 145
P21 - 160
P26 - 80
P27 - 180 ARR/ARR
P37 - 90
P40 - 210 ARR/ARR
P48 - 100
S 32 of 1996 - 170
S44 - 80
T16 of 1997 plus lamb A 72 - 260
T 19 - 75
T 43 - 270
T 44 - 180
T 56 - 150
T 60 - 190
T 62 - 240
T77 - 210
T4140 Thomas pure bred French Southdown - 280
U 1 of 1998 - 170
U 3 - 230
U4 - 290 ARR/ARR
U111 - 200
U15 - 160
U22 - 290
U41 - 210
U54 - 130
U56 - 250
U58 - 90
U60 - 330
U32 - 80
W1 of 1999 - 90
W4 - 250
W5 - 210
W10 - 110
W30 - 340 ARR/ARR
W33 - 160 ARR/ARR
W34 - 130
W35 - 110
W44 - 130
W47 - 140
W54 - 220
W55 - 160
W61 - 190
X101 of 2000 - 110
X111 - 270
X112 - 210
X131 - 110
X139 - 180
X140 - 170
X144 - 140
X145 - 170
X150 - 130
X153 - 130
X165 - 300
X167 - 230

EWE LAMBS

A5 of 2002 - 60
A13 - 35
A18 - 45
A19 - 55
A20 - 90
A21 - 60
A22 - 65
A24 - 30
A26 - 100
A27 - 30
A30 - 32
A31 - 48
A34 - 80
A35 - 48
A36 - 50
A37 - 70
A38 - 64
A40 - 70
A43 - 60
A44 - 72
A45 - 46
A46 - 48
A50 - 48
A51 - 23
A55 - 30
A15 - 105
A29 - 42
A49 - 98

RAM Lambs

A1 of 2000 - 2000 ARR/ARR
A2 - 100 ARR/ARR
A3 - 60
A4 - 35
A6 - 60
A7 - 100
A25 - 70
A32 - 130 ARR/ARR
A33 - 45
A39 - 80
A441 - 340 ARR/ARR

STOCK RAMS

Steepdown L 33 of 1993 - 50 guineas
Steepdown S 38 of 1996 - 200 guineas
East Dean W 40 of 1999 - 340 guineas

All prices are in guineas. Auctioneers: Lambert and Foster, Alan Mummery MRICS


	"That's a right mouthful, dad." Richard Wood, with his father, Arthur from Newick, East Sussex. Leading ewe was W30, a Group 1 scrapie- genotyped, which sold for 340 gns.
	Left: Bob Johnstone of Ewhurst, Surrey, (sitting) a retired stockman aged 77, with Don & Jo Masters, Southdown and Hampshire Down sheepbreeders from Kent.


It's thirsty work... but some dog has to do it.	Standing well...X167, a shearling ewe sold for 230 gns. Top price ram lamb was another Group 1 tup that sold to Leconfield Estates for 340 gns.

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Dispersal Sale of the Steepdown Flock of Pedigree Southdown Sheep