353 



THE BOOK OF POULTRY. 



in England and the East, though the fashion of 

 Oriental and Occidental spurs radically differs. 

 In the East the spurs are two-edged knives: 

 English spurs were always points only, edges 



not being allowed. Patterns have 

 Artificial at one time or another differed con- 



Spurs, siderably, as will be seen from Fig. 



112, drawn partly from specimens 

 and partly from an old print. The left hand 

 example shows the more usual pattern, and it 

 will be seen that even in this the spur starts 

 from below the natural weapon, thus increasing 

 the " heel " of the bird. But this was some- 

 times increased, as in the centre specimen, called 

 a " full-drop socket," or the one on the right, 

 termed a " half-drop socket," which brought the 

 weapon still nearer the foot. These extremely 

 lowered forms, however, were considered unfair. 



Cockspur Street, to which it gave the name, but 

 not confined to it by any means. The best 

 makers of silver spurs were the Clays (father 

 and son), Gregory, Smith, Gatesfield, Green, 

 Toulmin, and Vincent, the latter keeping in 

 employment a dozen workmen at the time of 

 his death in 1797. 



We give in Fig. 113 figures of three silver 

 spurs of various lengths and patterns. Of these 

 A is by Toulmin, B by T. Smith, and C by the 

 elder Clay. This last spur is of some historical 

 interest, the pair having been presented to 

 Charles II. by Nell Gwyn. The usual price of 

 a pair of silver spurs was two to three guineas, 

 and a reputation in this line of business was 

 highly valued, as may be seen from the follow- 

 ing, which we have copied verbatim from the 

 trade label pasted inside the cover of a box of 



Fig. 112. — Old English Steel Spurs. 



and it came to be a usual condition in matches 

 that they should be fought in " fair " silver 

 or other spurs. The illustration also shows 

 how leather flaps were stitched round the 

 metal socket, these flaps being wrapped round 

 the shank of the bird, and the whole then firmly 

 bound round. 



Both steel and silver were employed for 

 spurs, or rather an alloy of the latter metal, for 

 a Game cock strikes with fearful force, and only 

 metal much stififer and tougher than pure silver 

 would stand the strain. Much study was 

 devoted to such alloys, and the contributor of 

 these details informed us that in his own day he 

 knew a man who paid £\o for the supposed 

 formula, and further expended over ^^40 in ex- 

 periment, but failed to produce the old temper 

 of metal. Hence genuine old silver spurs are 

 highly prized by those who still practise cocking 

 in secret ; and we well remember, after a descent 

 of the police at Aintree in the 'seventies, that 

 the chief cause of chagrin amongst various per- 

 sons we were acquainted with, was a number of 

 valuable old spurs being seized and confiscated ; 

 "the loss was irreparable." The manufacture 

 was a distinct trade, specially carried on in 



spurs by Toulmin, who it will be seen succeeded 

 Gatesfield, who had in his turn succeeded 

 Smith:— 



Samuel Toulmin, 



Silver Cockspur Maker, successor to Smith and Gates- 

 field, at the Dial and Crown, near Hungerford Market 

 in the Strand, London. N.B, — Mr. Gatesfield was 

 friend and successor to the late Mr. Smith, mentioned in 

 Mr. Hallatn' s ingenious Poem called the Cocker, page'fi. 



As curious Artists diffrent Skill disclose, 

 The various Weapon diffrent Temper shows. 

 Now curving Points too soft a Temper bear, 

 And now too hard their brittleness declare ; 

 Now on the Plain the trecherous Weapons lye, 

 Now wing'd in Air the shiver'd Fragments fly, 

 Surpriz'd, chagrin'd, th' incautious Feeders gaze, 

 And Smith alone ingenious Artist praise. 



Steel spurs, which sold at 50s. to 60s. per 

 dozen pairs, also had their celebrated makers. 

 The temper of those by Singleton of Dublin, 

 was as proverbial as that of O'Shaughnessy's 

 Limerick fish-hooks ; those of Kendrick of 

 Redditch, and Ross of Bloxwich, were also 

 highly prized. Sheffield had several good 

 makers ; and in the West Country the manufac- 

 ture of J. Watling, of Exeter, was preferred to all 

 others. Great attention was given to what were 



