PHEASANT. l8l 



It appears from Dugdale's " Monasticon Anglicanum " that at 

 the commencement of the reign of Henry I., a.d. iioo, license 

 was given to the Abbot of Amesbury to kill hares and Pheasants. 

 It is also stated by the critic on Mr. Tegetmeier's work on 

 " Pheasants " in the Saturday Review^ that Thomas-a-Becket, on 

 the day of his martyrdom (Dec. 29th, 11 79). dined on a Pheasant, 

 and from the remark of one of his monks, " he dined more heartily 

 and cheerfully that day than usual." 



The Pheasant, however, was but httle known in Germany, 

 France, and England until the time of the Crusades, when the 

 striking custom was introduced of serving up the Pheasant at table, 

 with its head unplucked and the tail feathers attached, as a dish fit 

 for kings and emperors, an honour that previously had been 

 confined to the Peacock. 



Daniell in his " Rural Sports " mentions that in the reign of 

 Edward I., a.d. 1299, according to Echard's History of England, 

 the price of a Pheasant was fourpence, a couple of Woodcocks 

 three halfpence, a Mallard three halfpence, and a Plover one 

 penny, which shows that by that time the Pheasant was well-known 

 and tolerably plentiful."^ 



Richard II.'s cook wrote a sort of cookery book (circa 1381), 

 which contains a receipt " for to boile Fesant, Ptruch, Capons, and 

 Curlew." The Pheasant is also mentioned in an old Ballad of "The 

 Battle of Otterbourne " (c. 1388). 



The Fawkon and the Fesaunt both, 

 Amonge the holtes on ' hee.* 



At the enthronization of George Nevill, Archbishop of York, 

 in the reign of Edward IV., amongst other goodly provision 

 made for the occasion, according to Leland, were — "Fessauntes 

 200 ; Partridges 500 ; Heronshaws 400 ; Woodcocks 400 ; Quailes 

 100 dozen; Plovers 400; of the fowles called Rees 200 dozen, 

 Peacockes 104, Mallards and Teals 4,000, Cranes 204, Swannes 



*The prices, however, can hardly be estimated, as the value of money has 

 decreased enormously. 



