97 



be taken to mean that the birds belonged to 

 persons who wished to conceal their names 



Potter, as before stated, had become possessor 

 of the birds and cocking outfit belonging 1 to his 



o o o 



old master, Lord Derby, after the latter's 

 death, and it is quite likely that both he and 

 Hines were the actual owners of the birds 

 fought 



Cock-fighting- as a sport openly followed 

 came to an end in 1849, under " An Act for 

 the More effective Prevention of Cruelty to 

 Animals " * which forbade the keeping of house 

 or place for baiting or fighting animals. But 

 it "died hard," John Harris, the Cornish 

 cocker, to whose Life and Letters several 

 references have been made, says that the Easter 

 cocking of 1850, between Norfolk and Suffolk, 

 a four days main, was " the greatest meeting 

 ever held in England " 



There was an Easter cocking at the Gallow- 

 gate Pit, Newcastle, in 1850, which lasted ten 

 days ; there were some 300 entries, and most 

 of the programme consisted of 16 cock \Yelsh 

 mains for 50 guineas each. The Welsh main 

 was the usual method of cocking in the Carlisle 

 district. The last Gold Cup fought for in 



12 and 13 Vic., c. 92, sec. 3 



II 



