29 



itself was not forbidden, as some authorities 

 have maintained 



CHARLES II AS A COCKER 



Charles II (1660-1685) was an enthusiastic 

 cocker ; the pile cocks, introduced by this 

 monarch were "held in high estimation among 

 numerous breeders at this day," says a writer * 

 of admitted authority, in 1819 



Annual mains were instituted at the West- 

 minster cock-pit in Charles II 's time, and these 

 continued until the days of the Regency or 

 later f. The earliest code of laws governing 

 the sport are attributed to this period. The 

 brief rules transcribed on p. 30 are assigned J to 

 the rei^n of Charles II, but there are reasons 



O 



for believing that they are not authentic 



They do not mention the curious method of 

 deciding a match known as "pounding" which 



* Article on Cock -fighting in Recs' Cyclopaedia, by 

 Thomas Bourne, a famous Cornish cocker, known as 

 "Tommy the Sweep'' 



t Ibid 



:i; These " Rules relating to the Matching and Fighting 

 of Cocks in London " are given in Heber's Sporting 

 Calendar for 1751 : prefaced with the statement that they 

 "are said to have been in practice there ever since the 

 reign of King Charles II ;; 



