At the age of fifteen years he bought ten bonhams and fattened them and eventually increased to fifteen sows, selling off the bonhams.
In addition, bonhams could not be fed properly because of the sows' feet problems.
She counted seven shillings and ten pence and she said to her son Pat: ‘I think you should go to the Fair in the morning to buy a bonham or small pig.’
In the mid-sixties I changed to finishing all pigs instead of selling bonhams.
Gossip was exchanged and embellished, births, deaths and marriages were discussed and the price of bonhams and dropped calves were dissected.
Origin
Late 19th century: dialect variant of Irish banbh 'pig'.