6 4 



" P.C.," indicating a member of the Clay family 

 the members of which were famed for the 

 beauty, quality and finish of the cock spurs 

 made by them. These spurs, of which an 

 illustration is given, were made in 1755 



The leathers for attaching the spurs to the 

 legs of the cock are stamped " N.P. " ; these 

 were the initials of Nehemiah Paucson, one of 

 the busiest patrons of the cock-pit at that 

 period : he fought a number of great mains 

 with other famous cockers of the day 



The leathers are in bad repair, but the spurs 

 remain as they were taken from the heels of 

 the cocks which last fought in them 



Defoe, like others who have recorded their 

 impressions of cocking, refers to the con- 

 tinuous uproar round the pit. One writer of 

 this or a rather later period says it was worth 

 coming to England if only to be present at an 

 election and a cock match ; at each of which is 

 displayed a " spirit of anarchy and confusion 

 which words cannot paint " 



GAME-FOWL BREEDING IN GEORGIAN TIMES 



Ideas on the subject of game-fowl breeding 

 were changing in George 1 1 's time. The old 

 theory, upheld by Gervaise Markham, that 



