Meanwhile, all thoughts of reviving the Lightfoot’s Brewery name were thwarted when (coincidentally!) Scottish & Newcastle applied to register the name.
Another name was needed to reflect the area and history of the place.
Use of the Theakston name was irretrievably linked with the old firm and anyway, we wanted to ensure that there was no confusion in the minds of the drinking public.
Also, there was trouble brewing over using the name of our hometown, Masham. Yes, you've guessed it, all of a sudden another brewery wanted to make it its own.
So we were back to thinking about what the area is known for...
Sheep have always figured largely in the history of the area. Masham was once an important centre for sheep trading and famous for its sheep fair.
However, Sheep Brewery seemed a bit tame. In a timely stroke of inspiration Sue, Paul's wife, coined the name Black Sheep Brewery.
Now we had a name that sat well with the area, spoke volumes about our maverick attitude to the multi-nationals seeking to dominate the brewing industry and captured the essence of the family struggle that led to our birth.