We discovered this wonderful breed while searching for rams to improve our flock of Suffolk and Dorset crosses. We needed a breed that would produce meatier lambs with less feed. The Border Leicester is popular throughout the world for crossbreeding, especially in the British Isles, where it has been responsible for the establishment of many commercial ewe breeds. Border Leicesters have also been used in the development of several distinct Breeds such as the Coopworth, Texel, and the DLS (Dorset, Leicester, and Suffolk).
The Border Leicester breed was founded in 1767 in England. They are said to have been introduced to the United States by George Washington, who kept a small purebred flock and used the rams extensively in his flock of 800 at Mount Vernon in Virginia.