hogreeve
The hogreeve (hog reeve), or hog constable , was a civil officer whose duty was to prevent and appraise property damage caused by stray pigs. The hogreeve was responsible for capturing stray hogs, to be fed and held in the pound until the owner claimed the pig and paid set fees. Stray swine could cause significant damage to crops and gardens by rooting, so hog owners were usually supposed to place rings in the hogs' noses and 'yoke' or collar the animals. The hogreeve could charge a small fee to yoke or place a ring on a captured hog.[1][2]
The office originated in Saxon England, when hogreeves would be stationed at the doors of cathedrals during services to prevent swine from entering the church. [1] The office of hogreeve was among the earliest elected offices to exist in colonial North America; the earliest rights specifically granted to towns in New England concerned the herding of swine, cattle, and the regulation of fences and common fields. [1]The field driver held similar duties but was not restricted to swine.[3]The hogreeve was a historical municipal official in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in Canada; it was also listed as an elected office in early New Hampshire township records.[4]
In an 1865 Act of the General Assembly of Prince Edward Island, Canada, owners were required to pay 4 shillings per head to reclaim their animals, and hogreeves were permitted to sell unclaimed swine at public auction 48 hours after written notices were posted in public places in that district.[5] In New England, the owner of a stray hog in the town of Chelsea, Massachusetts would be charged 10 shillings per hog. In Virginia, 1643, the owner of the damaged property was responsible for damages if proper fences were not installed.[2] In Massachusetts, towns could vote to stop enforcement of the state law against letting swine run loose; many towns did so, leaving their hog reeves with nothing to do. As a result, it became a joke to elect a man hog reeve during the first year of marriage. [6]
References
edit- ^ a b c Adams, H. B. (1883) Norman constables in America, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. (p. 35-36)
- ^ a b Chelsea Historical Society, [http://www.olgp.net/chs/mayors/officeholders/positions.htm, "DESCRIPTION OF OFFICIAL POSITIONS HELD BY THE INHABITANTS OF WINNISIMMET, RUMNEY MARSH AND PULLEN POINT when still a part of Boston and after separation to become the TOWN of CHELSEA" ]
- ^ General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "General Laws: CHAPTER 49, Section 24"
- ^ Casselman, B. (2009) "Canadian Job Names"
- ^ Prince Edward Island, (1865). "The acts of the General Assembly of Prince Edward Island", Canada
- ^ Old Sturbridge Inc., "Glossary of New England Town Officers"
External links
editFurther reading
edit- Isaac Goodwin, Town Officer: or, Laws of Massachusetts Relative to the Duties of Municipal Officers (Worcester: Dorr and Howland, 1825).
Related
edit