Sheep “Scauping”

Abstract

In 1961 I published a note to put on record a declining custom in which young sheep are hit on the nose in the belief that this would cause an improvement in their condition. A report from Shap, Westmorland, which illustrated the routine ‘scauping’ of a sheep with a sharp tap of the knuckle gave the explanation that the blow broke a membrane under the skull which could press on the brain. These explanations appear to ignore the original association of the practice with a condition known as ‘double scaup’ (scalp) which is common in growing sheep on poor grazings in Northern England, and Southern Scotland, and it is in these areas that the custom appears to be localised.