55 



The Red Lion Cock-pit to adopt modern 

 spelling was a fashionable resort during 

 Queen Anne's reign. In March and April, 1704, 

 the Gentlemen of Essex and Cambridgeshire 

 matched their cocks against those of London 

 and Surrey: 10 guineas a battle and 200 

 guineas the odd 



This pit was burned down in 1708 under 

 circumstances which go to show 7 the care good 

 feeders took of their birds. There had been 

 cocking on a Saturday and, the weather being- 

 cold, two feeders named Compton and Day 

 remained all night with their cocks to make sure 

 they were warm. A candle accidentally falling* 

 among the straw the building caught fire and 

 one of the men was burned to death 



Where wagering ran high, as round the cock- 

 pits, there were always blacklegs and welchers 

 bent on defrauding their neighbours if oppor- 

 tunity served. The cockers' law for dealing 

 with such men was peculiar. In every cock- 

 pit was a large basket to which was fastened a 

 rope passed through a pulley in the roof. The 

 welcher was put into the basket, drawn up and 

 kept there until the sport was over, when he 

 was lowered and, we need not doubt, received 

 very rough handling. ll Basketing," as this 

 was called, continued until the early years of 



