A group of young Gloucestershire Old Spots
My personal experience with the Gloucestershire (pronounced Gloster-sheer) Old Spot is minimal, with only a couple of fellow 4-H members raising them during my time in the organization.
History of the Gloucestershire Old Spot
The Gloucestershire Old Spot is a historic breed with 300 years of history since its development in 1800’s Berkley Valley of Gloucestershire, England. It was developed from two now extinct breeds; the original Gloucestershire which was off white, had wattles (see Red Wattle for example), and no spots. The other breed was the original & unimproved Berkshire.
Detailed map of Berkley Valley in Gloucestershire
The breeds popularity in the area took off when farmers found out they were excellent grazers & foragers that could handle being outside all year long. Essentially becoming free labor to clear their orchard floors and the windfall across their farmland. Since they could be raised by pretty much anyone due to their self-efficiency, they were given the nicknames “Orchard Pig” & “The Cottager’s Pig”.
In November of 1913, the Old Spot became one of the oldest pedigreed breeds when farmers formed the Gloucestershire Old Spots Breed Society. The organization came from a place of necessity, as the British Board of Agriculture made an announcement that boars would need to be licensed in the future for any breeding.
Decline in Worldwide Popularity
In World War 1, their lean meat was suited for producing mass quantities of lean bacon and pushed the Gloucestershire to the peak of its popularity. Leading into the 1920’s & 1930’s, those with discerning plates typically claimed the Old Spot as the supreme breed of pork and regularly became the main attraction at livestock shows.
After World War II, the hog came close to extinction when the industry focus shifted to breeds that could be maximized in an intense breeding production. This led to the breed almost going extinct in England in the 1960’s, but numbers have increased incrementally since then.
The Gloucestershire Old Spot was never able to grasp a foothold in the United States meat industry after being imported in the 1900’s. While breeders took advantage of its genetics and added it to American Spot & Chester White, it became practically extinct by 1990.
The Gloucestershire Old Spot is closer to extinction in the United States than the UK. The Livestock Conservancy in the US has labeled the breed as “Critical”, meaning there are fewer than 200 annual registrations and fewer than 2,000 globally. The UK based organization Rare Breeds Survival Test has applied the “At Risk” label due to their being less than 1,000 breeding sows registered.
Efforts to Revive the Breed
As the market for consumers who are actively seeking heritage breeds for consumption has increased in recent years, the extinction of the Gloucestershire has been put on paused. In 1995, twenty Old Spots were imported from the UK to Maine as an effort to take advantage of this new niche market.
There is good news in the end, because beginning in the year 2015 the Old Spot was officially removed from the critically endangered list.
Characteristics of the Gloucestershire Old Spot
No pig can be accepted into a registry if they do not have at least one spot, and the spot must be a clearly defined black. A sharp and distinct white coat should be covering the rest of the body. The carcass is generally on the higher end of quality and every cut of the hog is desirable by butchers.
| Male | Female | |
| Weight | 600lbs / 136kg | 500lbs / 125kg |
Farmers tended to take advantage of the breeds self-sufficiency and maternal skills by raising above-average litters on pasture. In turn this reduced the costs needed to maintain a large herd inside of large barns and being responsible for all of their food.
Other Facts
- From being a very small breed some 50 years ago, it is now the largest population wise of the pig breeds listed by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.
- The breed notably benefits from the continued support of the British Royal Family, who favors the pork from these pigs over all others
- Older folklore use to tell stories that the black spots on the breed appeared from apples falling on them while foraging in orchards