The Large Black pig is a British breed of domestic pig. It is the only British pig that is entirely black. It was created in the last years of the nineteenth century by merging the black pig populations of Devon and Cornwall in the south-west with those of Essex, Suffolk and Kent in the south-east. It is hardy, docile and prolific; it forages well and is suitable for extensive farming, but not well suited to intensive management.

It was a successful breed in the early twentieth century and was exported to many areas of the world. Population numbers declined after the Second World War when the Howitt Report discouraged the rearing of all but three pig breeds suitable for intensive pig farming. By the 1960s the breed was almost extinct. Although numbers have since risen, it is still an endangered breed.

The Large Black resulted from the amalgamation of black pigs from two geographically separate areas, Devon and Cornwall in the southwest of England, and Essex, Suffolk and Kent in the east. The pigs from eastern England, mainly Essex, were influenced by importations from China in the late 18th century, while those from Devon and Cornwall were probably more closely related to the pigs in mainland Europe, particularly France. The Devon pigs were originally selected for “the length of their bodies, ears, noses, tail and hair, the longer the better, without reference to quality or substance”, but selective breeding brought improvements to the breed, and by 1850 the type was small-boned and thick-bodied, with good conformation and constitution. Alternative origins proposed for the black colour of the breed are black Guinea hogs imported from Africa (similar to the Guinea Hog of the US) or Neapolitan pigs.

During the late nineteenth century, the Large Black grew in popularity. A breed association, the Large Black Pig Society, was formed in 1898 or 1899, in Ipswich, Suffolk. A trademark, consisting of the letters LBP within a shield, was registered in 1902.

The Herd Book of Large Black Pigs was first published in 1899. In it, the black pigs of Devon and Cornwall were combined under one name with the remnants of the smaller Black Essex, Black Suffolk or Small Black, and other black East Anglian breeds whose numbers had fallen below sustainable levels. There were considerable variations between the types in the two areas, but the breeding stock was exchanged between them and by 1913 “general uniformity” had been achieved.

The Large Black is a long, deep-bodied pig, well known for its hardiness and suitability for extensive farming. Large Blacks are best suited for pasture-based farming due to their strong foraging and grazing ability, which efficiently converts poor quality feed into meat. It is the only pig breed in Britain to be all black, and this helps protect the pig from sunburn in sunny climates. Temperamentally, the Large Black is a very docile breed that is easily contained by fencing. This is partly because its large, drooping ears obscure its vision, although they also help to protect the face and eyes while the animal is foraging, especially when rooting in dirt.

The breed is also known for its long periods of fertility and strong maternal instincts. Sows give birth to a large litter of 8–10 piglets, but some sows have been known to have litters of up to 13 piglets. Also of note is the Large Black sow listed in the Guinness Book of Records for having produced 26 litters between 1940 and 1952 – the largest number of litters ever recorded for a pig. Boars weigh 700 to 800 pounds (320 to 360 kg) and sows around 600 to 700 pounds (270 to 320 kg), although obesity in sows sometimes results in cystic ovaries and a loss of fertility. The breed has become larger over the years; in the early 1900s, weights averaged 500 pounds (230 kg) for sows and larger for boars.

At its peak of popularity, the Large Black was used mainly for meat production, especially bacon. The meat from the Large Black is known for its lean quality and flavour without an excess of back fat, but for commercial production, it was often crossed with the Yorkshire and Middle White pigs, producing a vigorous hybrid that was well regarded by farmers. However, today commercial processors do not favour the black skin of the purebred Large Black.