"6 



No sport has ever held the same place in the 

 affections of the English people ; and game- 

 cocks in those days were as naturally an 

 appanage of Royalty as a racing stud in our 

 own time. They were kept as an evidence of 

 the sovereign's interest in the amusements of 

 his people, and so far as history reveals, 

 George III found no more personal interest in 

 the Royal game-cocks and their doings in the 

 pit than did the Sailor King William IV in the 

 Royal stud of thoroughbreds and their doings 

 on the turf 



LONDON COCKING IN GEORGE Ill's TIME 



The patronage of the throne w T as not required 

 to preserve the vitality of cocking. It flour- 

 ished as vigorously as ever all over the country. 

 A map of London dated 1761, has the following 

 evidence of the number of pits or resorts 

 identified with cocking: "Cock Alleys" were 

 ten in number ; " Cock Courts " nine ; " Cock 

 Yards " eight ; " Cock Lanes " four 



In addition to these there were Cock Hill, 

 Cockpit Alley, Cockpit Buildings, Cockpit 

 Street, Court, and Yard, Cocks' Rents and, 

 not least, Cockspur Street, which derived its 

 name from the fact that the best known makers 



