Bagot Goat - Livestock showcase - Scottish Smallholder Festival 2020

The Bagot is believed to be Britain’s oldest breed of goat with a documented ancestry. The first recorded account of the breed appears in historical documents from 1389, when Sir John Bagot was known to be the keeper of the original herd at Blithfield, his Staffordshire estate in the English Midlands. The Bagot goat was originally managed as a feral and semi-feral parkland breed in Bagots Park, just three miles from Blithfield Hall. They proved to be extremely self-reliant, which has ensured their continued survival over many centuries.

The Bagot goat is classified as an historical parkland breed and developed over six centuries as a single isolated herd. Intervention was limited to the occasional cull to manage the population, leaving most of the breed’s development to natural selection. Culls conducted during the 20th Century are believed to have been an attempt to create a more uniformly patterned herd, however these efforts proved unsuccessful and these black and white goats still exhibit diversity in their coat patterns.

The Bagot goat’s attractive appearance and fascinating character, together with its long history, has helped it to find favour with its supporters, who appreciate both the value and the importance of conserving one of our rarest native breeds.

Despite the absence of a recognised economic purpose, their keepers gain tremendous enjoyment from their Bagots. Whilst they exhibit the ease of management of a domestic breed, their demonstrative behaviour offers a fascinating insight into the social behaviour of an independent herd species.

Produced by Alyswood Rare Breeds, Meikleour, Perth.

Bagot Goat Society: https://bagotgoats.co.uk/
Aylswood Rare Breeds:   / aylswoodrb  
Rare Breeds Survival Trust: https://www.rbst.org.uk/bagot-goat
Scottish Smallholder Festival: https://ssgf.uk/
Smallholding Scotland: https://smallholding.scot/

Supported by The Scottish Government and SRUC.

Scottish Government: https://www.gov.scot/
SRUC: https://www.sruc.ac.uk