39 



the diarist's official duties brought him in 

 frequent contact 



Pepys paid two visits to the New Cock-pit 

 in Holborn. The first time he went he was 

 deterred from going in by the rabble about the 

 doors ; on the second occasion he came away 

 after seeing two battles. Cock-fighting in his 

 opinion was "no great sport," but he was 

 again deeply impressed by the courage of the 

 birds 



The diarist does not refer to the cock-pit in 

 Jewin Street. This was one of the buildings 

 which escaped destruction in the Great Fire of 

 London, 1666, and for some years after, until 

 the churches* were rebuilt, it served as the 

 religious meeting-house of one Grimes and his 

 followers 



Another cock-pit was that behind Gray's Inn ; 

 this was put in order after the Restoration, 

 having been apparently closed during the 

 Commonwealth ; it continued in existence 

 certainly for a hundred years. It is shown on 

 Strype's map of London dated i 754 



PROVINCIAL COCKING 



Cock-fights were occasionally held in the 

 church at this time. The parish register of 



* Eighty-eight churches, including St. Paul's, were 

 destroyed in the Great Fire 



