Kirkby Stephen Annual 'Luke Fair' Sale of Cattle

Harrison & Hetherington Ltd Kirkby Stephen held their annual Luke Fair sale of 2500 breeding sheep.

Topping the sale at £1350 was a pair of correct on one quarter broken mounthed ewes Swaledale ewes from Messrs Hutchinson, Valley Farm, Barnard castle and were purchased by Messrs Broughton, South House, Bransdale, York. This same home also sold a pen three two and three crop Swaledale ewes to make £1200 selling to Messrs Richardson, Big Ferney Ford, Buxton, with another pen of three aged Swaledale ewes to make £1000 also selling to Messrs Richardson, Big Ferney Ford.

With another pair of correct on one quarter ewes making £500 selling to Messrs Pattinson, Pinfold House, Bishop Auckland. With the consignment of ten flashy, well bred Swaledales averaging a whopping £1030.

Messrs Rukin, Gatehouse Farm, West Stonesdale sold a pair of 3 crop Swaledale ewes to make £600 selling to make PJ Smith, Roachburn Farm, Brampton.

With another pen of three, three crop ewes making £500 also selling to PJ Smith.

Messrs Beadle, High Blackton Farm, Eggleston sold a pen of three two shear Swaledale ewes to make £300 selling to Messrs Nutter, Manor Farm, Clitheroe. With another pen of eleven, three crops to make £222 and a pen of eight, two crops to make £220 and a pen of eleven, four crops to make £218.

Messrs Birbeck, High Stennerskeugh, Ravenstonedale sold a pen of three, two and three crop ewes to make £250 selling to Messrs Hodgson, Park House Farm, Ravenstonedale.

Messrs Beckwith, New Hall, Barras sold a pen of fourteen 3 crop Swaledale ewes to make £245 selling to Ellis Bros, Cragg House Farm, Ilkley.

Messrs Harker, Puchard Farm, Richmond sold a pen of ten, three crop ewes to make £225 selling to Messrs Ridley, Allenshields, Consett.

G Tunstall, Highfield House, Brough sold a pen of seven, four and five crop to make £220.

Dutch Texel shearlings sold to £285 for a pen of four from Messrs Sowerby, Amos Hill, Slaggyford with this home also selling another two pens of three Dutch Texel shearlings to make £280 and £220 both selling to Messrs Fell, Chapel Farm, Bassenthwaite.

Texel cross ewes sold to £280 for a two shear from Messrs Fawcett, argil House, South Stainmore purchased by Mark Samuels, East Upper Priestside, Annan. With this home also selling another two, three shear texel crosses to make £240 selling to Max Hayllar, Helbeck Farm and Messrs Deighton, Orchard Farm, Bleatarn.

Texel shearlings topped at £275 for a pen of eight from Andrea Neale, Nixon Terrace, Maryport which were purchased by Messrs Bousfield, Glaslyn House, Brough.

Messrs Coulthard, Gill House, Barnard Castle sold texel shearlings to £270 twice and £265.

Messrs Sowerby, Amos Hill, Slaggyford sold a pen of nine Texel cross shearlings to make £260.

Mule ewes sold to £190 for a pen of seven shearlings to 2 shear from Messrs Fawcett, Argill House, South Stainmore selling to Messrs Rukin, Park Lodge Farm, Keld.

All classes of breeding ewes and shearlings were a flying trade selling to a packed ring side of buyers. 701 aged Swaledale 2 crop to broken month ewes sold to average an unbelievable £186.80 up £46.18 on the year. 200 shearlings sold to average £170.20

Gimmer lambs topped at £255 for two pairs of texels from H&B Wharton, Galloper Rise, Tebay.

Swaledale gimmer lambs topped at £168 for a pen of fourteen from Messrs Bland, Cotegill, Gaisgill.

Mule gimmer lambs sold to top at £142 for two pens, with another pen making £140 all from Messrs Hancock, Uldale Farm, Ravenstonedale.

Mule gimmer lambs met extreme demand with buyers from Rugby, Aylesbury to Devon in attendance, an overall sale average of £120.30 (up £20 on the year) being achieved for all running lambs forward. Swaledale gimmer lambs averaged £91.64 (up £18.20 on the year)

Breeding rams topped at £1950 for a three shear Texel ram from I Oldcorn, Sunnyside, Great Asby purchased by Messrs Dodd, Skylin, Temple Sowerby.

Beltex rams topped at £1250 for a shearling from Messrs Chester, Grassgill Lodge, Soulby purchased by Messrs Lee, Carkin Moor Farm, Richmond.

Messrs Somerville, Lansmere, Newby sold a texel shearling to make £1050 from Messrs Handley, Gunnerfleet, Chapel le dale

All classes of tups were in strong demand to average £519.67 for forty more sold on the year.

Leading Prices

Ewes Aged:

SWALEDALE: £1350, £1200, £1000, £500 Valley Farm; £600, £500, £195, £170, £155 Gatehouse Farm; £300, £222, £220, £218 High Blackton Farm; £250 High Stennerskeugh; £245, £200 New Hall; £225, £155 Punchard Farm; £220 Highfield House; £215 Rudd Hills; £202, £192 Easterbeck House; £198 Lainger House; £170, £165, £155, £152 Hoggarths Farm; £162 Palliard: TEXEL: £280, £240,(x2), £162 Argill House,  MULE: £190 Argill House,  £155 Sandford Hall,  £155 Eller Gill Barn,  SUFFOLK: £155 Poppin Cottage,  BLACKFACE: £118, £108 Tullich: HERDWICK: £90 Poppin Cottage.

Shearlings:-  DUTCH TEXEL: £285, £280, £220 Amos Hill Farm: TEXEL: £275, £235 Nixon Terrace,  £270,(x2),  £265, £220 Gill House; £260 Amos Hill Farm,  SWALEDALE: £162 West Friar House, £152 Poppin Cottage,  £142, £130 Arngill House,  £140, £130 High Street,  £135 Mount Pleasant Farm,  £130,South Wellhope.

Gimmer Lambs:-  TEXEL: £255,(x2) Galloper Rise,  £152 West Stoney Keld,  £132 Amos Hill Farm,  ZWARTBLES: £198 Mains House Farm,  SWALEDALE: £168 Cotegill,  £150, £122 New Hall,  £148, £130, £125, £110 Easterbeck House,  £120 Parkside,  £112 Newlands Farm,  MULE: £142(x2),  £140 Uldale Farm,  £138, £126 Ashgill Farm,  £134 Starrah,  £126, £122(x2) Blades Field Farm, £126 Stone Cottage, BLUEFACED LEICESTER: £140,Blades Field Farm,

Breeding Rams

Texel £1950 Sunnyside; £1050, £950, £850, £700 Lansmere; £1000 Starrah; £900 Helbeck Farm; £700 Mill Cottage; £550 Goodlie Hill Cottage; £500 Stripes: Beltex £1250 Grassgill Lodge; £720, £680, £620 Green Farm(Hodgson); £650 Parkside; £600 Lansmere; £600 Starrah; £580 Gillses Farm; £550 Goodlie Hill Cottage; £500 Gill House: Bluefaced Leicester £580, £400 The Lodge; £550 Parkside; £500 Pikestone Farm; £500 Milestone House; £480 Uldale Farm; £450, £400 Low Rigg; £400 Gillses Farm: Dutch Texel £480 Mill Cottage: Hill Cheviot £450 Hilltop Farm: Badgerface Trexel £320 High Ploughlands: Dutch Spotted £300 Croup Farm: Charollais £300 Sewell House: Suffolk £250 Ingledene.