Hog reeve
A hog reeve or hogreeve, hog-reeve, hog constable is a Colonial New England term for a person charted with the prevention or appraising of damages by stray swine.[1][2] Wandering domestic pigs were a problem to the community due to the amount of damage they could do to gardens and crops by rooting.
Owners of hogs were responsible for yoking and placing rings in their noses, and if they got loose and became a nuisance in the community, one or more of the men assigned as hog reeve would be responsible for capturing the animal and impounding the animal. If the animal did not have a ring in its nose, then the reeve was responsible for performing the necessary chore for the owner; who could legally be charged a small fee for the service. There were punishments and fines established for not having hogs yoked and failing to control animals.
References
- ↑ Bartlett, John Russell (1889). Dictionary of Americanisms: A Glossary of Words and Phrases Usually Regarded as Peculiar to the United States (4 ed.). Little, Brown and Company. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
- ↑ Scherr, Sonia (March 22, 2007). "This town has hog reeves . . . but not a hog in sight". Concord Monitor. Retrieved 10 June 2014.