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 Black Welsh Mountain sheep The Black Welsh Mountain sheep (, ) is a colour type of the Welsh Mountain sheep, bred for sheep farming in Wales. It occurs occasionally in flocks of other colours, but is now often maintained as a separate strain. Like other Welsh Mountain sheep it is found mainly on the hills in Wales, but is also kept elsewhere. The worldwide population of Black Welsh Mountain sheep is approximately 10000. A breeders' society for Black Welsh Mountain Sheep was formed in 1920 at the Smithfield Show. Introduced into the United States in 1973 through a single importation