popularity of cocking. The newspapers of the 

 time bear witness to the number of matches in 

 the lame towns of the kingdom. These 



O O 



appealed to every class, and were held in very 

 various places 



Thus on 6th May, i 744, the Daily Advertiser 

 announces cocking at the Two Brewers, 

 Hockley in the Hole (Clerkenwell), for "a 

 large sow and ten pigs " or their value, no cock 

 to exceed 4 Ibs. i oz. In 1747 Ariss Gazette 

 notifies a match, 41 cocks a side between 

 Warwickshire and Worcestershire, at Ducldes- 

 ton Hall, near Birmingham, 10 guineas a battle 

 and 200 guineas the main ; also 2 i cocks a side 

 to fight byes for 2 guineas each 



In these inter-county or inter-town mains 

 the birds were generally the property of a 

 number of joint subscribers, but leading cockers 

 sometimes lent birds to do battle 



The Earl of Derby used to lend birds to fight 

 for Lancashire against Cheshire. The cocks 

 were chosen of medium weight, 3 Ibs. 8 ozs. to 

 4 Ibs. 10 ozs., in order to ensure as many battles 

 and as few byes as possible; and the combatants 

 were often matched to a drachm weight. At 

 the second of a series of seven annual matches 

 fought by Birmingham against Briclgenorth 

 (1761) of sixty-one cocks weighed, fifty-eight 

 were matched 



