The sheep kept throughout Britain up to the Iron Age were small, short-tailed, and varied in colour.

[4] The Dunface was gradually replaced with long-tailed breeds such as the Scottish Blackface and Cheviot; it died out on the mainland and eventually also on the Hebridean islands.

Early owners included the Marquess of Breadalbane of Taymouth Castle in the 1840s and 1850s,[5] Sir John Orde at Kilmory (Argyllshire) and Mark Milbank at Thorp Perrow (North Yorkshire) from the 1850s.

In 1973 the ornamental Hebrideans were identified by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust as being in need of conservation.

[10] Since then the breed has been revived, and it is no longer regarded as rare; it is now kept in many parts of the world, including its native Hebrides.