| Bagot | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | Critically endangered |
| Country of origin | England |
| Traits | |
| Wool color | White |
| Face color | Black |
| Goat (Capra aegagrus hircus) | |
The Bagot goat 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. It is considered "critically endangered" by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, as there are fewer than 100 registered breeding females in the United Kingdom.[1]
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.[2] 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.[3]
A flock is still kept by the Bagot family in the deer park of Levens Hall, Cumbria.
Examples can also be seen at Birmingham Nature Centre; at Aldenham Country Park in Hertfordshire; and at the South of England Rare Breeds Centre.
In January 2005, the breed was featured on a British postage stamp.