40 

 Hemingf boron o-h, Yorks, contains this entry : 



o o ' ^ 



" February 2nd 1661. Upon fastene (fasting) 

 day last, they came with their cocks in to the 

 church and fought them in the church namely, 

 Thos Middleton of Cliff, John Coats, Ed 

 Nidhouse and John Batley " 



It must be remembered that few churches 

 were furnished with pews at this period, and 

 there was thus ample space for the business 



Cock-fighting was slow in reaching Scotland. 

 It was introduced into that Country in the year 

 1 68 1, by the Duke of York, and speedily 

 found favour. Two years later, in 1683, a 

 cock-pit was built at Leith, and the matches 

 fought evidently attracted larger audiences than 

 the Edinburgh authorities, anxious lor the 

 moral and worldly welfare of the citizens, could 

 approve 



In 1/04, an attempt was made by the Town 

 Council to close the Leith cock-pit as an 

 " impediment to business " ; and in the event, 

 one day's sport a year w T as sanctioned 



It is hardly necessary to describe the cock- 

 pit and its surroundings : the pit itself was a 

 circular table or mound of earth about the 

 height of an ordinary dinner table, about 20 

 feet in diameter, covered with matting and 

 having a board barrier eight or ten inches high 



