Bagot goat
A Bagot goat
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| Conservation status | Vulnerable |
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| Country of origin | England |
| Traits | |
| Wool colour | White |
| Face colour | Black |
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The Bagot goat /ˈbæɡət/ is a breed of goat which for several hundred years has lived semi-wild at Blithfield Hall, Staffordshire, England. It is a small goat, with a black head and neck and the remainder of the body white. In 2010 it was considered "critically endangered" by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, as there were fewer than 100 registered breeding females in the United Kingdom, but by 2012 had been upgraded to "vulnerable".
Bagot goats were introduced to England at Blithfield Hall in the 1380s. They were probably brought back to England by returning Crusaders, and probably trace their ancestry to goats of the Rhone valley. The goats were said to have been given to John Bagot of Blithfield by King Richard II of England to commemorate good hunting the King had enjoyed at Blithfield.
As of March 2017[update], there were said to be less than 200 registered breeding females.
A flock is still kept by the Bagot family in the deer park of Levens Hall, Cumbria. Examples can also be seen at:
An illustration of the species by Harry Titcombe featured on the cover of a 1982 book of British postage stamp, issued from vending machines, at a price of 50p. In January 2005, the breed was featured on a first-class British stamp, one of a set of ten, in a se-tenant block, designed by Rose Design using linocut illustrations by Christopher Wormell.
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Wikipedia