Hawes – 1st October 2026

Hawes – Thursday 1st October 2026

Kindly Sponsored by I’Anson Bros Ltd and Castle Farm Vets

The legendry Hawes Bluefaced Leicester sale once again lived up to its status as one of the most exciting sales in the tup sales calendar in the UK. With the pre-sale show kicking off at 7.15am and the hammer dropping on the final lot at 11.50pm it was safe to say it was an action-packed day. A new auctioneering line up saw Bradley Thompson join Ian Atkinson in the box, with young apprentice Elliot Hutchinson keeping an eager eye out for bids too. There was also the ever-dependable Raymond Lund, the voice of Hawes, taking a stint during the afternoon too. The trade was fast and buyers keen to try to buy their picks from some great pens of tups, and although trade did drop off a bit towards the end, there was a great atmosphere throughout the day. 635 sheep went through the ring, with 501 tup lambs averaging £2934, up £346 on the year, reflecting the healthy trade for the mule gimmer lambs.

Over the past few weeks rumours have been swirling around the Bluefaced Leicester community of a star lamb from the Hewgill stable and from its first public outing in the pre-sale show it didn’t disappoint, full of power and style with a sharp head on it, it stood out head and shoulders above the rest, with the judge Malcolm Coubrough having no hesitation in putting him to the top of the line. The anticipation built up during the afternoon as the Hewgill flock neared the ring and the old ring, which has some history over the years, was full to capacity. Bradley started the bidding at £2000, which then shot away in the blink of an eye it raced to £50,000 before pausing slightly whilst everyone caught their breath, bidding flew again to £82,000 with several groups bidding, but then it slowed and finally edged up until Bradley dropped the hammer at £88,000, with a local consortium of breeders, WM Hutchinson, Kirkby Redgate, W Richardson & Son, Ghyll House and Robbie Hallam, High Birkwith, joining forces to bring in these genetics. The lamb himself is by Marriforth V34 bought out of Carlisle last year for £3200, proving to be a sound investment and his mother is by the old V45 Hewgill which proved a consistent breeder for the Lord family over the years. The whole pen enjoyed a cracking trade, with the next two lambs, again by the Marriforth, each making 5 figures. The second one sold for £12,000 to Midlock and Marriforth with the third into the ring, a long stretchy sheep, fetching £14,000, selling to the Riddings and Sealhouses flocks. The Lords ended their run with an astonishing average of £16,800 for 8 tups sold.

It was down to the last alley of the famous “Golden Acre” before the Midlock flock went through the ring. Once again they brought with them a wonderful pen of lambs, full of power and breeding. They topped out with a bid of £32,000 for a powerful lamb by the homebred V7, which is by the £32,000 Hewgill T1, has been one of their main mule getters, going back to MIdlock F80, which was Champion at the Highland Show On its mothers side it goes back to the Midlock F70 ewe which also as well as proving to be a top breeding sheep also was a Highland Show Champion herself. He was knocked down to Obie Sharp, Newbigging Walls, who had been chasing hard on the Hewgill lamb, and the Campbells from the Happrew flock. Midlock also saw a bid of £20,000 for a lamb by the V1 Cottage, which was purchased for £28,000 last year out of Hawes, with its mother by the Shitlington. Taking this smart boy home, back into the Lake District, were the Hodgson-McGills flock from the Micklemoss flock near Windermere.  There was also a bid of £11,000 for a Midlock son of the V1 Bennand, selling to Paul Brown, Oakbank to help the Midlock pen level at £8608 for their 12 lambs.

The Riddings flock is one of the most respected within the breed, consistently breeding good sheep which go on and breed well and their mule gimmers are some of the first people go and study at the Hawes gimmer lamb sales. This year they had a great run of mules and won the prize for the best run of 100 lambs and interest in their pen of lambs was always going to be high. Their first lamb was by the £10,000 Steel, a son of Midlock Magic, which stood Champion at Hawes last year and out of a ewe by the Skeughdale tup, which the sire behind their record breaking tup a few years back. He was sold in a £28,000 deal with Jimmy Bell & Rachel Buckle from the Cottage flock teaming up with Finlay Robinson from the Beeches flock to acquire his services. Another lamb from the Riddings by the T16 Midlock, which is proving to a great breeder, went on to make £16,000, selling to A MacGregor and G McDougall. The Riddings flock sold 10 lambs to level at £8070.

It was a great day for Alec & Anders Brown as they produced a cracking lamb which went on to make a personal best for them, selling for £24,000. He is by V14 Hewgill which they bought off the Lords privately last year, he has crossed well, with 5 lambs in their top pen at Castle Douglas, which took reserve Champion place. He is out of one of their best ewes, a daughter of the N14 Hewgill, which also bred the tup lamb sold to Martin Allan and Will Sedgley last year. He sold to Messrs Pye, Emmetts and Chris Hewitt, his full brother will be headed to Carlisle later this week. They also sold another for £10,000. This was a son of the S6 Carry House selling to Messrs Fallows at Burnton.

Following on from a successful year on the show circuit this year and in the sales ring last year the Cottage flock from Jimmy Bell & Rachel Buckle continued their good run, selling to a top of £22,000 for W2 Cottage, a son of Tarnithorne S5, a tup they bought privately from the Ayrton family. He is the full brother sold to Asby Hall & Gragareth flocks last year, out of a homebred ewe by P24 Riddings. He sold to Stephen Pedley, Yore House and Shaun Procter. Cottage also sold to £12,000 for a son of the T2 Drummuck and levelled out at £6340 for their 10 lambs.

The Hunter family from Steel have enjoyed a good run at Hawes over the past few years, taking the Champion over the last couple of years. This year they had to settle for the Reserve Champion. As over the last few years it is Midlock Magic behind their tups, with the Reserve by Magic and out of a ewe bought at the Carry House by Ronaldo. He sold to the Judge, M Coubrough, M Thornborrow and the Ridley family, Shitlington. Steel sold their pen of 8 ram lambs for a very healthy average of £8875

Special mentions must also be made for Beeches Wingman, the four year old tup which was bought out of Hawes in 2022 for £14,000, he is a son of the Riddings P2 and was looking in great shape and sold for £12,000 to Aaron Troughton, Gavin White and James Middleton. The female Champion also enjoyed a great trade. This smart four year old ewe from Neil & Mary Marston by Highberries M1 and out of a ewe sired by the legendry Z4 sold for £6000 to Clive Metcalf of the Silver Hill flock.

Once again Hawes provided the annual highlight for the breed, setting the standard and the showing the depth of quality on offer within the breed from all over the UK. Until next year…….