Southdown sheep 1.5 to 2.5 inches (4-6 cm). An estimated 110,000 sheep were in Sussex as early as 1341. At the time, their wool was second only to the Hereford sheep in fineness and quality. In 1780, John Ellman realized the potential of these animals and set out to standardize the Southdown breed. In the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries, they were found in large numbers, especially in the South Downs near Lewes. In 1813, Arthur Young estimated 200,000 ewes were kept on the eastern South Downs and commented, "the amazing number they keep is one of the most
Southdown and Eridge Hunt including Henfield. At Uckfield, the country extends north, to include Crowborough and Royal Tunbridge Wells and East to the A21. The hunt's best centres are Albourne, Chailey, Hadlow Down, Lewes and Mark Cross. Its terrain consists of wooded weald, well-fenced vale, and the open downland of the South Downs. The hunt is linked to three separate branches of The Pony Club, with the Southdown hunt founding a pony club in 1936, but which split in 1976 to form the Southdown Hunt West and Southdown Hunt East Pony Clubs, and the Eridge Hunt establishing a branch in 1935. Southdown and Eridge