The Small White or Small Yorkshire was a breed of domestic pig

Domestic pig

The domestic pig is a domesticated animal that traces its ancestry to the wild boar, and is considered a subspecies of the wild boar or a distinct species in its own right. It is likely the wild boar was domesticated as early as 13,000 BC in the Tigris River basin...

 originating in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 and which was common during the nineteenth century. It is now extinct, but its characteristics were used in producing the Middle White

Middle White

The Middle White is a breed of domestic pig native to the United Kingdom. It originated in Yorkshire roughly around the same time as the Large White. Its name comes from the fact that it was between the size of the Large White and the now-extinct Small White. It was fully recognized as a breed in...

 and other breeds.

History and characteristics

The Small White was developed in the early nineteenth century by cross-breeding the traditional Old Yorkshire, a large white pig, with imported Chinese pigs. This created a small animal with a pure white ground colour, pricked ears, the short, wide head of the Chinese breeds and their characteristic short upturned snout. In common with the Chinese breeds, it reached maturity early and rapidly put on fat. The Small White was further refined and "improved" during the period by agriculturalists such as Henry Reynolds-Moreton, 2nd Earl of Ducie

Henry Reynolds-Moreton, 2nd Earl of Ducie

Henry George Francis Reynolds-Moreton, 2nd Earl of Ducie , styled the Hon. Henry Reynolds-Moreton from 1808 to 1837 and the Lord Moreton from 1837 to 1840, was a British Whig politician, agriculturalist and cattle breeder.Ducie was the son of Thomas Reynolds-Moreton, 1st Earl of Ducie, and his wife...

 amongst others.

The Small White was always intended as a show

Pig show

Pig show, a judged event or display where pigs compete to win various titles in each category. Pigs are scored on their market quality which includes muscle, fat, and body structure along with qualities they must possess for their specific breed...

 pig rather than as a porker or bacon pig. It was particularly popular with aristocratic and "hobby" breeders, as opposed to farmers or smallholders.

Creation of the Middle White

The Small White proved a popular cross with both the Cumberland

Cumberland Pig

The Cumberland Pig was a breed of domestic pig originating in the North of England; it was used to produce local delicacies the Cumberland sausage and Cumberland ham...

 pig (now extinct) and the Large White

Large White (pig)

The Large White, also known as the English Large White, is a breed of domestic pig originating in Yorkshire, hence also known as the Yorkshire pig. First recognized in 1868, the breed is the progenitor of the American Yorkshire in North America...

, another Yorkshire

Yorkshire

Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...

 breed. This was to lead to the creation of a new type after an incident at the 1852 Keighley

Keighley

Keighley is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of Bradford and is at the confluence of the River Aire and the River Worth...

Agricultural Show, when pigs belonging to Joseph Tuley, a weaver, were refused entry to the Large White class as they were considered too small; they had been bred by crossing Large White sows with Small White boars. Tuley's pigs were, however, considered good enough that a new breed was created, the Middle White, which went on to be one of the most popular breeds of pig during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century: it retains the distinctive pricked ears and short snout of the Small White.

Extinction

The popularity of the Middle White led to the decline of the Small White breed, and by the turn of the century it was nearly extinct; it finally became extinct in 1912. The breed likely survived in the United States - where it was generally called the "Small Yorkshire" - for a few more years.