The Cheviot is a British breed of white-faced hill sheep. It originated in, and is named for, the Cheviot Hills in north Northumberland and the Scottish Borders. It is still common in this area of the United Kingdom, but also in north-west Scotland, Wales, Ireland and the south-west of England (especially Dartmoor and Exmoor), as well as more rarely in Australia, New Zealand, Norway (2%), and the United States.
References
Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to: The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. . Archived 23 June 2020.
Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. .
Breed data sheet: Cheviot / United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Sheep). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed January 2026.
Transboundary breed: Cheviot. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed January 2026.
Tim Elliot ([n.d.]). The Cheviot Sheep: History. Thornhill, Dumfriesshire: Cheviot Sheep Society. Archived 5 January 2026.
Watchlist 2025–26. Kenilworth, Warwickshire: Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Archived 27 June 2025.
External links Cheviot description as a rare breed in Australia American Cheviot Society Cheviot Sheepbreeders' Association Australia