The Leicester Longwool was important to the development of other long wool breeds and has made a large contribution to the sheep industries in Australia and New Zealand. The breed originated in the Leicester region of England and although it is a very old breed, Robert Bakewell, a pioneer in the field of animal genetics, is given credit for improving it during the 18th century.
Leicester Longwool oli oluline arendada muid pikk vill tõugu ja on teinud suure panuse lamba tööstuse Austraalia ja Uus-Meremaa. Tõug põlvneb Leicester piirkonnas Inglismaa ja kuigi see on väga vana tõug, Robert Bakewell, pioneer valdkonnas loomade geneetika, antakse krediiti selle parandamiseks 18. sajandil.