 The flock was subsequently developed on an experimental royal farm, the "Bergerie royale" (now "Bergerie nationale") built during the reign of Louis XVI, at his request, on his domain of Rambouillet, 50 km southwest of Paris, which Louis XVI had purchased in December 1783 from his cousin, Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, Duke of Penthièvre.The flock was raised exclusively at the "Bergerie", with no sheep being sold for several years, well into the 19th century.Outcrossing with English long-wool breeds and selection produced a well-defined breed, differing in several important points from the original Spanish Merino.