The Hints Pig of Lead

 

 

 

 

 No, not that kind of Pig! A Pig of lead is an ingot which has been cast in a mold. Records show that this "Pig" was dug up by some labourers on Hints common in 1792. It measures about two feet long and weighs about 150 lbs, and it can be seen in the Tamworth exhibition at Tamworth Castle. The narrative at Tamworth castle suggest that it was unearthed a little later than 1792 and suggests that two pigs were found.

Whatever the true date of excavation, a very interesting feature of the pig is that it bears the inscription

‘IMP. VESP. VII. T. IMP. V. COS.’

which dates it to a precise year when Vespasian and Titus were consuls. In current terms, the inscription dates the pig at 76 AD.