Baa Baa Black Sheep is about the medieval wool tax, imposed in the 13th Century by King Edward I.
Under the new rules, a third of the cost of a sack of wool went to him, another went to the church and the last to the farmer.
(In the original version, nothing was therefore left for the little shepherd boy who lives down the lane).
Black sheep were also considered bad luck because their fleeces, unable to be dyed, were less lucrative for the farmer.



This photograph is part of the gallery « Out of the Zoo »