This illustration of a portrait owned by the Rash family of Wortham, painted by the Revd Richard Cobbold (#106 on the family tree) came to us by courtesy of the Late Nicholas Smith who was always a good friend and supporter of our trust. The caption reads as follows:
—– The Portrait —-
of this extraordinary pig; bred & grazed by Mr John Snelling of the enormous weight
of 38 stones at 16 months old, was drawn by the Rev. Richard Cobbold MA, Rector
of Wortham, and presented to him as a token of respect, December 1843
From Parson and People in a Suffolk Village we learn that John Snelling was a self-made man who began as a jobbing butcher, became a steward, then tenant farmer and finally a substantial freeholder who farmed over 200 acres and employed as many as sixteen men. He won several agricultural prizes, built four model cottages, and held a range of parochial offices. Originally from Norfolk, where three of their children were born, he and his wife, Frances moved to Wortham in about 1830.
