 Like other old British pig breeds, the ancestor of the Essex may have originated in the county of the same name from selective breeding of local wild pigs.It was originally a smallish, "coarse" black-and-white pig that was noted for being easy to keep and cheap to feed, qualities that ensured its popularity with smallholders.The Old Essex, as it came to be known, was deliberately "improved" in the mid 19th century by crossing it with imported pigs.