Lincolnshire Curly Coat boar, from Morrison 1928

The Lincolnshire Curly Coat or Lincolnshire Curly-coated, also known as the Baston Pig, is an extinct British breed of

domestic pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus ...

. It originated in, and was named for, the county of

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

, in the East Midlands. Like many other traditional pig breeds, it became rare after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. By 1970, it had disappeared. An older, still existing breed of similar looking pigs is the Hungarian Mangalica.

History

The Lincolnshire Curly Coat was one of the oldest breeds in the United Kingdom, and was formerly common in its county of origin. It was traditionally reared mainly in coastal areas of Lincolnshire, inland from the North Sea about as far as the city of

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

and the towns of

Grantham Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln and ...

Louth Louth may refer to: Australia *Hundred of Louth, a cadastral unit in South Australia * Louth, New South Wales, a town * Louth Bay, a bay in South Australia **Louth Bay, South Australia, a town and locality Canada * Louth, Ontario Ireland * Cou ...

and Spalding. A Lincolnshire Curly-coated Pig Breeders' Association (with

herd book A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breede ...

) was started in 1906. By the 1930s,

selective breeding Selective breeding (also called artificial selection) is the process by which humans use animal breeding and plant breeding to selectively develop particular phenotypic traits (characteristics) by choosing which typically animal or plant m ...

had developed its fattening abilities, and large specimens were exported to

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

and other countries, including Hungary. The breed, however, dwindled in the period after the Second World War, possibly partly due to changing farming patterns and a taste for leaner meat. The principal cause of the decline was the publication in 1955 of the

Howitt Howitt may refer to: Surname Notable people with the surname Howitt include: *Alfred Howitt (politician) (1879–1954), English medical doctor and politician *Alfred William Howitt (1830–1908), Australian anthropologist and naturalist *Anna Mary ...

report, which found breed diversity to be a handicap to the pig industry in Britain, and established a policy of concentrating production on three breeds only: the Welsh, the

British Landrace The British Landrace is a British domestic breed of pig and one of the most popular in the United Kingdom. It is pink with heavy drooping ears that cover most of the face and is bred for pork and bacon. The breed originated in the 1949 importati ...

and the Large White. Of the sixteen British pig breeds, four – the Cumberland, the Dorset Gold Tip, the Lincolnshire Curly Coat and the Yorkshire Blue and White – became extinct. The Lincolnshire Curly Coat was the last of these to disappear; a survey conducted in 1970 by the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

found none.

Characteristics

The Lincolnshire Curly Coat, in common with other of the old 'local' breeds in the United Kingdom, was bred to be tough and hardy, suitable for keeping by

smallholder A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technology ...

s. It was a large pig with lop ears; its most prominent feature was its long, curly white coat, which helped it to weather the damp, cold winters of the Lincolnshire fens.Malcomson, R. W. ''The English Pig: A History'', Continuum, 1998, p.76

References

{{British livestock, R.2 Extinct British pig breeds History of Lincolnshire

History

Characteristics

See also

References