40 VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF LAKELAND 



The extermination of these poor Badgers was accomplished 

 under the religious sanction of pious churchwardens. It is to 

 their accounts that we owe the fullest evidence of the crusade 

 against the ' brock,' which they so unfortunately subsidised. 



If we extract the accounts regarding Badgers from the Kendal 

 parish book for a period of only eight consecutive years, ranging 

 from April to April, it will be found that no fewer than seventy- 

 three Badgers were separately paid for within that short period. 

 This does not include the full quota of the victims of a mistaken 

 zeal, because in several instances the heads of Foxes and Badgers 

 were paid for collectively. But the figures subjoined tell their 

 own pathetic tale of the fierce encounters which took place 

 between the Badgers and their assailants : — ' Disburst since 

 March 25th, 1668, as follows : Paide to Wm. Blakelm for one 

 Brock head, £00, 00s. 06d. Paide to Lawrence Edmonson for 

 3 Brock heads, £00, 03s. OOd. Paide to Miles Lancaster for 

 a Brock head, £00, 01s. 00d.' The total number killed in these 

 twelve months was only five. But the number of victims soon 

 rose. Among the sums disbursed after April 13, 1669, the 

 following entries appear : ' Paide to Tho. Lickbarrow of Steddall 

 for 3 Brock heads, £00, 03s. OOd. Paide to John Low of 

 Natland for a Brock head, £00, 01s. OOd. Paide to Lawrence 

 Edmonson for a Brockhead, £00, 01s. OOd. Paide John 

 Todd of Sleddall for a Brock head, £00, 01s. OOd. Paide 

 Lawrence Edmonson for 3 Brock heads, £00, 03s. 00d.' Thus 

 nine were killed this year. A heavier blow followed, no fewer 

 than nineteen Badgers biting the dust during the next year : 

 1 Disburst since April ye 5 fc , 1670, as follows : Paide to Christo- 

 pher Airey of Sleddall for 2 Brock heads, £00, 02s. OOd. Paide 

 to Thomas Lickbarrow of Sleddall for 2 Brock heads, £00, 02s. 

 OOd. Paide to Richard Beacham for one Brockhead, £00, 01s. 

 OOd. Paide to Lawrence Edmonson for 2 Brock heads, £00, 

 02s. OOd. Paide to Wm. Rowland and another for 2 Brock- 

 heads, of Grayrigg, £00, 02s. OOd. Paid to Thomas Busher of 

 Underbarrow for 3 Brock-heads, £00, 03s. OOd. Paid Tho. 

 Hick for 2 Brock heads, and one he brought at Easter, £00, 03s. 

 OOd. Paide Thomas Brackin of Strickland Roger for a Brock 

 head, £00, 01s. OOd. Paid Henry Postlethwaite for a Brock 



