Sally Lunn
Uploaded April 2010

l find interesting the fine research Vaughan has done in the tracing of the Sally Lunn line back to George Fillingham in 1934. But I have now discovered a Sally Lunn was first l entered in Volume 1 of the British Berkshire Society Book in 1883.

"Sally Lunn 2" BB No 309
Sire Rapesthorne
Dam: SalIy Lunn ( by Bowly's boar- Earl Bowly) farrowed 1851 (!)
Bred by Alfred Ashworth of Tabley Grange, Knutsford, Cheshire."

One has to remember that the name of a dam's female offspring, and vice versa with the boar line, didn't necessarily get repeated in the progeny. However what is important here is the addition of Lunn on the end ofthe name Sally. Mr Alfred Ashworth appears to have used Lunn as his trade mark. The name Lunn appears in the name of 90% of all the pigs that Mr Ashworth registered, some 136 pigs in all across many volumes of the Herd Book Some examples are:

Beautiful Lunn, True Lunn, Eaton Lunn, Flashy Lunn, Gilded Lunn,
Tasty Lunn, Patrician Lunn, People's Lunn, Lunn's Lad and Teetotal Lunn.

lt is obvious that he was a very dedicated and respected breeder of Berkshires. Alfred Ashworth sat on the British Berkshire Society General Committee/Council from 1885 to 1908 and went on to serve as Wee President , shown in the records to hand.

Is it just a coincidence that he was the only breeder to be using Lunn in the name of his pigs at that time'? What a fitting tribute it is to Alfred Ashworth that the lines Sally Lunn, now Connie in New Zealand, and Peter Lunn, now Peter Lad in the UK are probably descended from his breeding. More research is needed to take us from 1908 to 1934 when George Fillingham bred Sally Lunn. If anyone reading this can help with this and Berkshire Society Herd books for those years, do get in touch with me.

Ron Fieldhouse.
Green Hedges, Green Lane, Stutton, Tadcaster, N Yorks LS24 9BW
07708 302498