In 1908 the "Society for Psychical Research" enquired about the apparition of what seemed to be a ghost pig in the village of Hoe Benham, near Newbury in the Berkshire.
Here is the story: On the 2nd December 1907, 2 young men, named Oswald Pittman and Reginald Waud, were painting in the garden of their home, Laburnum Villa. At 10'oclock Pittman got up to talk to the milk man and saw his friend, Miss Clara Miles walking up the path.
She was to join the 2 other men for a painting session. Accompanying her as her favorite dog was a big white pig with a snout abnormally long. When Pittman told Waud about it, the latter told him to tell Miss Miles to leave her animal outside and to close the garden's door: Waud was a passionate gardener.
When the young lady arrive near them, she was alone and did not know a thing of the animal. She said that if such an animal had followed her, she would have surely have heard his snout. Anyway, Miles and Pittman did the opposite direction of the path, questioning many children on their way asking whether they had seen a pig on that day: none had seen any.
The following morning, the milkman, questioned by Pitman declared that he had not seen any pig, and
remarked that the place was in quarantine due to the pigs' fever and all errant animals were killed.
Pittman and Waud went to London for some months. It was during their stay that they told their story to the
SPR.