So 



place in the life of our ancestors held by cock 

 fighting. Many among the clergy took active 

 part in the sport ; it was not unusual when 

 town beat town in a long main to ring the 

 church bells in celebration of the victory. 

 Travellers would arrange with the coachman 

 that the stage coach should wait over the night 

 if there w r ere a cock-fight in any town on the 

 road. Apprentices were forbidden to keep 

 game-cocks during the first seven years of their 

 indentures 



The relative importance attached to racing 

 and cocking is shown by an incident which 

 occurred at Chester in 1 834. It was represented 

 to the Executive of the race meeting that the 

 battles in the pit were likely to be well fought 

 and prolonged, and that the main would not 

 be over at the hour fixed to begin racino-. The 



o o 



Clerk of the Course made no demur to post- 

 ponement of the first race till three o'clock 



George Roberts* mentions the building of a 

 special posting carriage at a cost of ^500 to 

 bring certain cocks up from Cornwall to fight 

 in London. The evil effects of travel on 

 fighting birds has already been noticed, and 

 this was an endeavour to bring them to the 

 pit in good trim 



* Social History of the Southern Counties of England. (1856) 



