Shelters
Many of the recorded sheepfolds in north Wales are simple single-cell or two-cell structures. They will have served a variety of purposes, such as sheltering animals on the higher ground when they were injured or to allow the farmer or shepherd to select and handle a small number of animals at any one time. Some are built onto the walls surrounding fields. Many would have been built in the 18th or 19th centuries, but some pre-date this. Quite a few of the single-cell sheepfolds would have acted as cynefin sheepfolds, described below. The walls of sheepfolds have to be at least 5 feet 9 inches high to prevent sheep jumping over them.
Multicellular Sheepfolds
Multicellular folds have 4 or more cells. Their use is described here.
One of the largest, Buarth Mawr y Braich in Cwm Caseg, is shown here. It has an estimated 0.5km of walling. Most of the large multicellular sheepfolds are based in the common grazing areas of the northern Carneddau, and allow the various farms using the grazing to reclaim their sheep. They probably date from the 18th or 19th centuries. The size and shape of each sheepfold could change over time as the farms using the sheepfold changed. Larger flocks would require larger cells, and so on.
Multicellular sheepfolds in a flower shape, like this one, have only been recorded in four areas of the world. More information on these can be found here.
In the more southern parts of the Carneddau, especially around Nant y Benglog and Capel Curig the multicellular folds are smaller and are attached to individual farms, such as this one near Llyn Ogwen.
Cynefin Sheepfolds
Cynefin is a welsh word with no direct english equivalent. It describes a habitat or area and in the context of sheep it is the area of the hills beyond which the sheep will not usually stray. Its boundary is not necessarily a wall, but may be a ridge or river. Ewes on the Carneddau all know their own cynefin and this knowledge is passed down to their lambs. However, when new sheep were introduced into a flock, they had to learn where the flock's cynefin was, a process that could take up to six weeks. In some cases, rope was attached to each new sheep so that it was unable to stray too far. At night, the new sheep were put into the cynefin sheepfold and then released again the next day to be watched over by the farmer or shepherd. The picture shows a small cynefin sheepfold near Tryfan and Llyn Ogwen.
Cynefin sheepfolds are no longer used because the sheep numbers on the Carneddau are decreasing, rather than increasing and there is no need to buy in new sheep to expand the flocks.
Cynefin sheepfolds were also used by the quarrymen who were often smallholders. During the week as they walked to work they left their sheep on the commons near Talyfan and then on the way back from work they would pen them up for the night in the cynefin sheepfolds.
Wash Pens
Many sheepfolds were built next to a river. This was to enable the sheep to be washed, which had to be done a week or so before summer shearing. Sheep were washed to get rid of parasites like lice and to clean the lanolin from the fleece. In the early days, dirty fleeces affected the combs in the wool mills, so farmers were paid a premium of up to 25% for a clean fleece. Attached to the multicellular sheepfolds were pens leading down to the river, like this sheepfold in Cwm Llafar.
In some cases single-cell folds were built near rivers whose sole purpose was to act as a wash pen. In welsh such a pen is known as a golchfa. This one is near Mynydd Llandygai. Sluice gates were built into the river and, when closed, the river backed up and formed a lake by the pen, into which the sheep would be sent to be washed by rolling them over on their backs.
Washing of sheep finished in the 1970s and early 1980s. Washing was no longer required as mechanical shearing took the place of hand shearing and wool faced increased competition from man-made fibres which cut the price paid to the farmers for their wool. In addition, the British Wool Marketing Board introduced a single set price for each fleece, ending the premium paid for washed fleeces. In the Carneddau, once washing was stopped, the annual date for shearing had to be moved a week later in order to make shearing easier. Today, a fleece can fetch under 50p, while at the start of the twentieth century the sale of wool would often raise enough for farmers to pay the rent on their farm for a year.
A 1980s sheepfold
The Buarth Fedw sheepfold was built by Dafydd Pritchard of Glanmor Isaf farm in the mid 198os, and is still in use today. The sheepfold was built during winter when the ground was soft, which made it easier to set the slate pillars in place.
The sheep are driven into the collection pen (1) and then sent to the holding pens (2, 3 and 4).
The sheep are then sorted and released a few at a time back to pen 3 and a gate (5) is positioned to direct the sheep through the top race (6) or the bottom race (7).
Once the sheep are in the races they can be marked, weighed, injected against disease, or sorted by sending some back to pen 2 and the rest back to pen 1.
The sheep are also sheared in this fold.
Fox Traps
This picture was taken by Arwel Roberts and is courtesy of Jane Kenney, Gwynedd Archaeological Trust.
Foxes were - and are - a major problem for sheep farmers. Many sheepfolds had fox traps attached, or they were built as standalone structures. Looking like an igloo without a full roof, they would be baited by the farmer with a dead sheep. The fox would jump in but would then be unable to escape because of the overhang at the top of the wall. The farmer could then despatch the fox at leisure. Fox traps are difficult to identify now as the overhanging stone on the top tended to fall in, leaving the trap looking like an ordinary sheep shelter.
Cytiau Myn - Feral goat enclosures
These were first identified in the 1980s and at least two are still remaining. When feral goats had their kids in early Spring, the farmer would capture one or more of the kid goats and trap them in the rear enclosure. The mother would come into the enclosure, attracted by the bleating of the kid, and remain there. The farmer could then come along and milk the goat, leaving half the mother's milk for the kid and taking half for his own family.
Shepherd Shelters
A number of these survive and some have been turned into huts used as shelters for mountain walkers. This one, on the summit of Llwytmor Bach, is small and would have been used as a shelter and not overnight accommodation. Around the shelter are a number of small sheepfolds.
Farmers often paid shepherds a few shillings a week to look after their sheep in the mountains. Two of the more famous shelters are Cwt (meaning hut) Dafydd Ross, on Foel Grach, and Cwt Jacob in Pant Mawr near Bera Bach above Abergwyngregyn.