Bagot Goat

General Information

Bagot goats are believed to be one of the UK’s oldest documented goat breeds, with the first written account appearing in 1389. They are named after Sir John Bagot who was the original keeper of the herd at Blithfield, his estate in Staffordshire. There, the goats were kept semi-feral with limited human intervention until the 20th Century. In modern times, very few are kept as semi-feral herds, however they still maintain some wild characteristics, such as a surprising tolerance to rain and excellent hardiness in challenging lowland environments.

Bagot’s are mainly used for conservation grazing, or more accurately conservation browsing. Their primitive nature means they are hardy and low input. Goats are good at clearing invasive woodland and scrubland species, improving the opportunities for native flora and fragile habitat types to thrive.