Pig Fact 6

OLD CHESHIRE

Acknowledged by most authorities to be the largest pig breed, the Cheshire could weigh in at around 1,000 obs when two years old, and in 1740 one was recorded at 1,605 lbs. they were originally bred in Cheshire, and belonged to the 'Old English' late-maturing type of animal, used almost exclusively for bacon production. The meat from such pigs would have had a very high fat content, 'fat bacon' being a much sought-after commodity in former times. The Old Cheshire was clearly declining in numbers by the end of the nineteenth century, and it is now sadly extinct.

"Whose three hogs are these,
Whose three hogs are these:
They are John Cooke's, I know
them by their looks

I found them in the pease
Go pound them, go pound them,
I dare not for my life,
No, for thou know'st John Cooke
very well,
But better thou know'st his wife
~Traditional