The Cumberland was a breed of

domestic pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), also called swine (: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus '' Sus''. Some authorities cons ...

that originated in the

North of England Northern England, or the North of England, refers to the northern part of England and mainly corresponds to the historic counties of Cheshire, Cumberland, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Westmorland and Yorkshire. Officially, it is a gr ...

; it was used to produce local delicacies like the

Cumberland sausage Cumberland sausage is a pork sausage that originated in the historic county of Cumberland, England, ceremonially part of Cumbria. It is traditionally very long, up to , and sold rolled in a flat, circular coil, but within western Cumbria, it is ...

and Cumberland

ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term '' ...

. The breed became extinct in 1960, after changes in farming methods and a demand for less fatty meat led to it falling out of favour.

History and characteristics

The Cumberland was a very old breed that likely developed over several hundred years in

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

and

Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland''R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref>) is an area of North West England which was Historic counties of England, historically a county. People of the area ...

, and was closely related to the Old Yorkshire white pig. It was a heavy-set white animal with pendulous ears, and had a tough constitution enabling it to withstand the poor weather of Northern England. The breed grew quickly to above-average size, with a high fat content. During the 19th century, many efforts were made to 'improve' pig breeds, and the Cumberland was often crossed with the Yorkshire white breeds. These eventually developed into the

Large White ''Pieris brassicae'', the large white, also called cabbage butterfly, cabbage white, cabbage moth (erroneously), or in India the large cabbage white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is a close relative of the small white, '' Pieris ra ...

, Small White, and

Middle White The Middle White is a British breed of domestic pig. It originated in Yorkshire, and derived from the Large White and the now-extinct Small White. It was recognised in 1852, and the first herd-book was published in 1884. It is a porker, rea ...

. The Cumberland Pig Breeders' Association was created in 1916, and the breed reached a height of popularity during the 1920s. The Cumberland began to fall out of favour in the mid-20th century due to a demand for leaner meat. In 1955, the Advisory Committee on the Development of Pig Production in the United Kingdom, chaired by Sir

Harold Howitt Sir Harold Gibson Howitt (5 October 1886 – 30 November 1969) was an English accountant who had a distinguished military career during the First World War and who undertook a long series of important public service commissions. Notable among th ...

,''Development of pig production in the United Kingdom: report of the Advisory Committee on Development of Pig Production in the United Kingdom'', HMSO, 1955 issued a report that pig farmers in the UK, to ensure standardisation, should concentrate on three breeds: the Large White,

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

, and

Landrace A landrace is a Domestication, domesticated, locally adapted, often traditional variety of a species of animal or plant that has developed over time, through adaptation to its natural and cultural Environment (biophysical), environment of agric ...

. By this time, the Cumberland stock was already dwindling; only three boars were licensed by 1954. The Cumberland pig is considered to have become extinct in 1960 after the last individual, a sow belonging to a Mr. Thirwall, died on Bothel Craggs farm in Bothel.

Re-creation

In 2008, a Penrith animal conservation centre "recreated" the Cumberland pig based on DNA analysis and selective breeding; farmers who had worked with the last surviving originals agreed that the new pig was a good match in appearance. It is hoped that the new pigs resulting from the programme will in future be a source of authentic Cumberland hams and sausages: however, whilst the

Rare Breeds Survival Trust The Rare Breeds Survival Trust is a conservation (ethic), conservation charity whose purpose is to secure the continued existence and viability of the native farm animal genetic resources (FAnGR) of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1973 b ...

commented that they appreciated the project, they stated they would not recognise the breed as a true Cumberland pig. In 2008, after years of selective breeding, a sow was born with a 99.6% DNA match for the Cumberland. However, it proved infertile."Cumberland pig bred to restart extinct breed is infertile"
''Cumberland News'', 19 March 2010. The original Cumberland pig's genetic heritage is also present in the

and possibly in the

Chester White The Chester White is a breed of domestic pig which originated in Chester County, Pennsylvania. It was formerly known as the Chester County White. History The Chester White was first developed around 1815–1818, using strains of large, white pi ...

breed of the United States.

References

External links

*
Border Film Archive, video of last Cumberland Pig
{{British livestock, R.2 Cumberland Extinct British pig breeds Pig breeds Pig breeds originating in England Pig landraces

History and characteristics

Re-creation

See also

References

External links