36 



THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG. 



BULL BROKE LOOSE (1820). 

 From an Old Print. 



present at a bull-baiting in Southwark, 

 on August 4th, 1666, when the bull tossed 

 one of the dogs " into the very boxes," 

 describing the performance as " a very 

 rude and nasty pleasure." 



Bull-baiting lingered with us much longer 

 than bear-baiting, and was a far more 

 universal sport throughout England. The 

 baited bull was supposed to be more tender 

 for eating than when killed in the orthodox 

 manner, and in various boroughs the butchers 

 who sold unbaited bull beef were subjected 

 to considerable penalties. During the 

 Commonwealth the sport was condemned 

 by the Puritans, but subsequent to the 

 Restoration the pastime was generally re- 

 sumed with even greater zest. 



In 1802 a Bill was introduced into Par- 

 liament for the suppression of bull-baiting. 

 but it was resisted, especially by Mr. Wind- 

 ham, as part of a conspiracy by the Jacobins 

 and Methodists to render the people grave 

 and serious, and to uproot constitutional 

 government ! 



Notwithstanding the efforts of Wilber- 

 force and Sheridan, the bill was defeated by 

 a majority of 13. 



A worse fate befell a similar measure which 

 was introduced in 1829 ; it was defeated 

 by 7?, votes to 28. 



After the Reform Bill became law the 

 protests could no longer be set at naught, 

 and bull-baiting was made illegal in 1835. 



The last recorded bull-baitings held in 

 England were at Wirksworth in 1840, at 

 Eccles in 1842, and at West Derby in 1853, 

 all of which, of course, were held in an 

 illicit manner. 



When bull-baiting was prohibited by 

 law the sportsmen of the period turned their 

 attention to dog-fighting, and for this 

 pastime the Bulldogs were specially trained. 

 The chief centres in London where these 

 exhibitions took place were the Westminster 

 Pit, the Bear Garden at Bankside, and the 

 Old Conduit Fields in Bayswater. 



In order to obtain greater quickness of 

 movement many of the Bulldogs were 

 crossed with a terrier, although some 

 fanciers relied on the pure breed. It is 

 recorded that Lord Camelford's Bulldog 

 Belcher fought one hundred and four 

 battles without once suffering defeat. 



I quote from The Sporting Magazine of 



