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Nowadays
crofters use plastic tags, clipped onto the ears of
their sheep, to enable them to identify their flock,
but that was not always the case.
There were nine basic cuts to the ear and by using different
combinations of these cuts every crofter had his (or
her) own unique earmark and this identified the sheep.
Unlike the plastic tags, which can be lost in fences
etc, the 'comharran' were for life.
In
Lewis, the marks 1 to 9 are the old ear-marks known
as "na noidh gearraidh". Nos.10
and 11 are of more modern origin.
The "near" ear is "Cluas Chli",
"Cluas Taisgeil"or "Cluas a'Ghlacaidh"
the "far" ear is "Cluas Dheas".
The
cuts to the ear appear below. For details of individual
croft earmarks go here.
|
| 1.
Toll |
Hole
made in the centre of the ear |
| 2.
Barr |
Top
cut off the ear |
| 3.
Roibeadh |
Slit
made downwards from the top of the ear |
| 4.
Suileag |
V
with apex downwards cut from the top of the ear |
| 5.
Geagan |
Triangular
piece taken from top of the ear |
| 6.
Beum |
Semi-circular
piece taken from underside of ear |
| 7.
Gearradh Crocain |
Slit
taken diagonally upwards at side of the ear |
| 8.
Gearradh |
Slit
made at the side across the ear |
| 9.
Slisinn |
Slice
taken from side of the ear |
| 10.
Amaladh |
Dovetail
shaped piece taken from side of the ear |
| 11.
An t-snathad |
Slit
made in the centre of the ear by bending the ear lengthwise
and cutting down, leaving a tongue like that of a net
needle,from which it takes its name |
| 12.
Bacan Ard |
Fore
or upper part of the barr cut off.(Argyll) |
| 13.
Bacan Iosal |
Hind
or lower part of the barr cut off.(Argyll) |
| 14.
Beum Os Cionn na Cluaise |
Piece
like no.6 taken from upper side of ear |
| 15.
Cas-chaibe |
Piece
taken from side of ear shaped like a cas-chrom.(Gairloch) |
| 16.
Da-sgoltadh |
Two
parallel slits made downwards from the top |
| 17.
Da Bheum |
No.6
duplicated |
| 18.
Beum a' Mhearlich |
If
a thief cuts off no.6 , the mark becomes
barr |
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Sheep
Earmarks
