[1][2] Wandering domestic pigs were a problem to the community, due to the extent of damage they could do to gardens and crops by rooting.
If the animal did not have a ring in its nose, then the reeve was responsible for performing the necessary chore for the owner, who could legally be charged a small fee for the service.
In an 1865 Act of the General Assembly of Prince Edward Island, Canada, owners were required to pay 4 shillings per head to reclaim their animals, and hogreeves were permitted to sell unclaimed swine at public auction 48 hours after written notices were posted in public places in that district.
[4] The office originated in Anglo-Saxon England, when hogreeves would be stationed at the doors of cathedrals during services to prevent swine from entering the church.
[6] The hogreeve was a historical municipal official in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in Canada; it was also listed as an elected office in early New Hampshire township records.