718 MANL^AL OF MODERN FARRIERY. 



noise and multitude) through the town. This sight so 

 pleased the earl, that he gave the castle-meadow, where the 

 bulls' combat began, for a common to the butchers of the 

 town, after the first grass was mowed, on condition that they 

 should find " a mad bull" on a day six weeks before Christ- 

 mas, for the continuance of that sport for ever. At Tut- 

 bury, in Stafibrdshire, about the year 1374, an establishment 

 of a similar nature was instituted, which was abolished by 

 the praiseworthy and humane exertions of the Duke of 

 Devonshire, in 1778, as steward of Tutbury. 



There is a singular will, bearing date May 18th, 1661, by 

 which a person named George Staverton, gave the whole rent 

 of his dwelling-house, situated at Staines, in Middlesex, 

 (after two lives) to buy a bull annually for ever, which bull 

 he gave to the poor of Workingham, in Berkshire, to be there 

 baited, then killed and equitably divided ; the oflfal, hide, 

 and gift-money (collected from the spectators) to be laid out 

 in shoes and stockings, to be distributed among the child- 

 ren of the poor. These seem to be the principal donations 

 mentioned in history upon which the practice of bull-baiting 

 was unhappily founded originally, and has been since con- 

 tinued in this country under the plausible pretext of charity. 

 To give it a still greater degree of singularity in the town of 

 Workingham, St. Thomas's day is annually dedicated to this 

 sublime sport ! 



Many strenuous efforts have been made for the abolition 

 of this barbarous and inhuman amusement ; among these, 

 the Eev. Dr. Barry preached a sermon in the church of 

 Workingham, at the request of the Rev. Mr. Bremner, then 

 resident clergyman of the parish, on Sunday, the 20th De- 

 cember, 1801, being the day previous to fhe festival of St. 

 Thomas, which was afterwards published, and from which we 

 extract the following excellent admonition : — 



