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Bagot Goats Bagots are small to medium sized goats with large curving horns and have a nervous disposition.
The head
of a goat has appeared on the coat of arms of the Bagot family since the year 1380 and the
close association of the family with goats is believed to stem from the presentation of a
herd of goats to Sir John Bagot by Richard II. In the Bagot family church at Blithfield,
the crest with the head of a goat is carved on tombstones and there is a stone frieze of
goat heads at Goat Lodge near Blithfield Park. Available documentary evidence of the continuous existence of a herd of goats in Bagot's Park, which lies close to Abbots Bromley in Staffordshire, is sparse but the colour of the goats which is similar to that of the Schwarzhal goats in Switzerland lends credence to the theory that the Bagot goats are possibly descendants of animals brought back from the mainland of Europe, perhaps by the Crusaders. This makes the Bagot goat one of the oldest breeds of goats in Britain today. The goats arrival at Blithfield around 1380 would
indicate that they probably went first to one of the Royal Parks. The damage they would
have done there, no doubt would have been considerable and the King would have been glad
to get rid of them to another place where they could be enjoyed for hunting. Bagot numbers have fluctuated for a variety of reasons but the breed is now secure as herds exist in many locations, and numbers are increasing, even though it is not a productive breed, except possibly for meat. Purchasers of Bagot stock should ensure that it is pure-bred. At one time a grading up programme was operated to increase numbers and decrease inbreeding. Bagot males were used on any female goat and progeny were backcrossed. With hindsight this programme produced unfortunate results. The Bagot Goat Breed Society has all the pedigrees of registered animals on computer, so that pure breeding may be ascertained. For more details contact: Mr. P. Evans, Ramshill Farm,
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