Meadow land, like this, was essential to the medieval farming economy. Not only did it provide grazing but especially hay to keep animals over the winter. Here you would have found the local breed of sheep, another important factor in Witney's success. The 'Cotswold Lions' had developed over the centuries from animals that were a cross between native Iron Age sheep and a breed that the Romans introduced to Britain. They had a distinctive woolly 'topknot' on their heads but more importantly they produced a long, fine wool that was much in demand from the early medieval period, especially for export.