Theakston Brewery company acquired and closed down the Lightfoot Brewery, also in Masham. Theakston's expanded into Cumbria in 1974 buying the Carlisle State Management Brewery. The brewery had been owned and operated by the government since 1916. However, the site was a financial drain on Theakston's and led to the company being taken over in 1984 by Blackburn based brewer, Matthew Brown plc. Matthew Brown was itself taken over by Scottish & Newcastle in 1987. Paul Theakston (Managing Director since 1968) left Theakston's in 1988, and in 1992 established the Black Sheep Brewery in the old Lightfoot Brewery premises - located adjacent
Black Welsh Mountain sheep of 3 rams and 13 ewes by Mr. Tom Wyman of New York, the fleece from the Black Welsh Mountain has generated special interest among hand spinners and weavers. As only 2 rams survived quarantine, the US flock is genetically descended from these 2 sire lines with only an additional importation of frozen sheep semen in the late 1990s to add some genetic diversity to the US herds. Nine ewes formed the foundation population. Apart from being wholly black, the Black Welsh Mountain is like other Welsh Mountain sheep – small and hardy with no wool on the face or