A North Country Cheviot ram from the Hammond family’s Branton flock led trading at Hexham’s final show and sale, reaching £1800 as 241 rams went through the auction.
The champion was entered by T W Hammond and provided the day’s highest price. The result placed North Country Cheviot at the top of the sale, with the same Branton consignment also producing two rams at £900 and further animals at £800, £700, £600 and £550.
Prices across the sale
Demand extended across the principal sections. A Texel from RJ and J Raine, Townfoot, was the leading lowland entry at £1600. The Texel section also included two rams at £1300 from Quickening Cote, while Townfoot and Hawthornside supplied further high-value lots.
| Breed or type | Top price | Vendor |
|---|---|---|
| North Country Cheviot | £1800 | T W Hammond, Branton |
| Texel | £1600 | RJ and J Raine, Townfoot |
| Blackface | £1100 | S Herdman, Edlingham Demesne |
| Swaledale | £500 | JT and EF Golightly, Lilswood Cottage |
The Blackface section peaked at £1100 for S Herdman of Edlingham Demesne. A smaller Swaledale section produced a top price of £500 for JT and EF Golightly, Lilswood Cottage.
Other leading entries
The detailed results recorded trade in a broad range of hill and lowland breeding stock. Suffolk rams reached £850 from Flotterton, while Bluefaced Leicester reached £800 from Yatesfield and North Cocklake. Charollais-cross lots made £700 from Woodcroft, and Texel-cross rams reached £550 from Low Castle Dene.
- North Country Cheviot: £1800 at Branton.
- Texel: £1600 at Townfoot, followed by £1300 lots from Quickening Cote.
- Blackface: £1100 at Edlingham Demesne.
- Swaledale: £500 at Lilswood Cottage.
- Suffolk: £850 at Flotterton.
Additional prices included £750 for Texel entries from Townfoot, Hawthornside and Round Meadows, £700 for Texel from Black Heddon and Rouchester, and £650 for animals from Ashtrees, Black Heddon and Edlingham Newtown. Beltex reached £300 from Dotland Park, Bluefaced Leicester reached £750 at Flotterton, and the recorded top prices for Beltex, Bluefaced Leicester, Beltex-cross and other smaller sections completed a varied sale.
The Hexham & Northern Marts auctioneers conducted the sale, which brought together the final show and sale entry of 241 rams and included North Country Cheviot, Blackface, Swaledale, Texel, Suffolk, Bluefaced Leicester, Charollais-cross, Texel-cross, Beltex, Beltex-cross, Bluefaced Dorset and Dorset Suffolk entries.
