A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 

 COCK-FIGHTING 



Although at the present day it is extremely 

 difficult to get any details, it is certain that in 

 former times Lancashire was famous not only for 

 it; breed of cocks, but also for its feeders. The 

 thirteenth Earl of Derby possessed a breed of 

 cocks that was famous throughout the country, 

 the pedigrees of these birds being most carefully 

 recorded. Even now some of this famous strain 

 can be met with in Lancashire. The most noted 

 feeder that Lancashire boasted was Potter, who 

 was feeder to the above-mentioned Earl of Derby. 

 It was doubtless due to this earl that ' cocking,' 

 as it was termed, was so popular in the county. 

 It is said of him that he was so enamoured of 

 the sport, that he would have cocks fighting on 

 his counterpane when he was ill in bed. 



The training of the cock was carried out with 

 great elaboration of detail. Diet was of course 

 most carefully attended to ; the birds had their 

 wings and tails trimmed, and when properly con- 

 ditioned were made to spar daily with each other, 

 pads something like tiny boxing gloves being tied 

 to their heels, so that they might not do any 

 damage to each other. It required about one 

 month to get a bird ready for a heavy fight, some 

 birds requiring an even longer time than this. 



A cock loves a fight of any description, and the 

 story of the cock in the battle of the glorious 

 i>t of June fully bears out his character.' Liver- 

 pool and Manchester boasted of several cock-pits, 

 and some of these are still in existence, though 

 now used for other purposes. Of the other cock- 

 pits in the county the most famous was probably 

 that at Winwick near Warrington. 



The fir>t mention of cock-fighting in Lanca- 

 shire that we have been able to trace is made in 

 the case of Thomas Boteler against Sir Thoma^ 

 Gerard and others for assault at a cock-fight in 

 I 514 at Winwick, Bewsy, and Ashton Edge, in 

 which Thomas Boteler, esq., complains that he 

 ' was in God's and the King's peace at Wynwhik 

 in the county of Lancashire the Saturday in 

 Easter week last past, accompanied by divers 

 gentlemen and others at a cock-fight there, after 

 the manner of the country there used.' 



The said Thomas says, that ... he, Sir Richard 



Bold, knight, and others being together at Manchester 

 . . . the Bishop of Ely'^ appointed tomeet at Wynwhik 



' This bird on board of one of oar ships chanced to 

 have his house broken to pieces by a shot or some fall- 

 ing rigging, which accident set the bird at liberty, and, 

 perched on the stump of the mainmast, which had 

 been carried away, he commenced crowing and flapping 

 his «'ings during the remainder of the engagement as 

 if he thoroughly enjoyed the thundering horror of the 

 scene. 



'"James St.'.nley, sixth son of Thomas, first Earl of 

 Derby Among his many high ecclesiauical dignities 

 he held that of warden of Manchester College. He 



502 



the following Saturday to see their cocks fight, as was 

 customary there every Saturday. Accordingly, not 

 knowing that the said Sir Thomas Gerard was going 

 to the said town that day, they met at the cockfight 

 about 10 o'clock, the said Thomas Boteler having with 

 him about i 2 persons, and some children who carried 

 the cocks, the said Richard Bold about the same num- 

 ber, and other gentlemen, servants, and children 

 amounting to about 50 persons ; they sat about their 

 gamyn in the said cockfeight place about the space of 

 ij howrys. 



Again in the same case : — 



Thomas Boteler sent 2 priests to Sir Thomas to 

 ask why he had come, and to offer him half the cock- 

 fight place. This Sir Thomas confesses, and adds, 

 that the priests said he should have the best game that 

 the said Thomas Boteler could make him.' 



John Sutton of Warrington was a noted 

 cock feeder in the middle of the eighteenth 

 century. Giving evidence in an action *° between 

 Thomas Cust of Danby Hill, plaintiff, and 

 Ralph Thompson and Martin Dunn, defendants, 

 17 October 1748, at Ripon, this deponent 

 said that he knew the rules of cock-fighting and 

 had known them for many years. When both 

 cocks left off fighting until either of the banders 

 count forty, then the long law was in, and both 

 banders brought the cocks together. If one cock 

 refused to fight after counting ten, then the 

 bander of the fighting cock counted ten more ; 

 the cocks were set together again, and if the 

 same cock refused again to fight the hander of 

 the fighting cock again counted ten. If he still 

 refused when ten times ten had been counted he 

 was taken away, and the fighting cock was 

 deemed the winner. It was usual for the hander 

 to call out aloud after each time the cock refused, 

 ' once,' ' twice,' or ' thrice refused,' until he had 

 refused ten times. When two cocks were set 

 together, after the long law of forty was told, 

 and both refused fighting for ten times, then a 

 fresh cock was brought into the pit, and set down 

 to each of the cocks. If one of them fought, 

 and the other refused to fight, it was a victory 

 for the fighter. In case a bet of ten pounds 

 to five shillings was offered, and there were no 

 takers, then the hander of the cock on which 

 the odds were offered counted forty, but if no 

 person accepted the offer, then the battle was 



was elected Bishop of Ely in 1506, and at his death, 

 22 March 15 14-15, was buried in the chapel of St. 

 John Baptist, which he had built, in the collegiate 

 church of Manchester. His moral character, which 

 was not above reproach, made him an easy mark for 

 the attacks of his enemies. 



^Pleadings and Depositions, Duchy Ct. of Lane. (Lanes, 

 and Ches. Rec. Soc. xxvii), 61-7. 



'^ Dej>. Keeper's Rep. xlii, App. 236-7. 



