Henry Hogg - The Village Swineherd

The life of a Village Swineherd

Not as lowly a position as might be thought. The village swineherd looks after all the village pigs as they spend most of their time foraging in the woods and not in the village. It is his job to keep them from straying and away from danger. In particular the danger of vagabonds who fancy a pork chop or two!

Only when it is time to breed the best pigs or slaughter the unwanted will they come back in to the village.

Henry's story...

Henry has been living at Cosmeston manor in the same house all his life. His father, his father’s father and his father’s father’s father were all pig men and he is proud of carrying on this tradition.

In his younger days he spent most of his time out in the woods looking after the pigs and keeping them safe. The few lawless men who passed through the manor and took a shine to the thought of some crackling learnt that Henry was particularly skilled with the great warbow!

Nowadays he has a tendency to send his apprentice, Rhys out into the woods while he warms his feet by the fire and spends many an hour with his good lady wife Henrietta. How he longs for the old days.

Henrietta, many people say, married Henry for his fat, or his pig’s fat to be precise, for Henrietta is a chandler of sorts. She makes candles. For the poorer folk candles of sheep or pig fat are used. These are not as fine as the bees wax ones used up at the manor. They burn badly and they smell but they will do.