7.18 
MANUAL OF MODERN FARRIERY. 
noise and multitude) through the town. This sight sc 
pleased the earl, that he gave the castle-meadow, where the 
bulls’ combat began, for a common to the butchers of the 
town, after the first grass was mowed, on condition that they 
should find “ a mad bull” on a day six weeks before Christ¬ 
mas, for the continuance of that sport for ever. At Tut- 
bury, in Staffordshire, about the year 1374, an establishment 
of a similar nature was instituted, which was abolished by 
the praiseworthy and humane exertions of the Duke of 
Devonshire, in 1778, as steward of Tutbury. 
There is a singular will, bearing date May 18th, 1661, by 
which a person named George Staverton, gave the whole rent 
of his dwelling-house, situated at Staines, in Middlesex, 
(after two lives) to buy a bull annually for ever, which bull 
he gave to the poor of Workingham, in Berkshire* to be there 
baited, then killed and equitably divided; the offal, hide, 
and gift-money (collected from the spectators) to be laid out 
in shoes and stockings, to be distributed among the child¬ 
ren of the poor. These seem to be the principal donations 
mentioned in history upon which the practice of bull-baiting 
was unhappily founded originally, and has been since con¬ 
tinued in this country under the plausible pretext of charity. 
To give it a still greater degree of singularity in the town of 
Workingham, St. Thomas’s day is annually dedicated to this 
sublime sport! 
Many strenuous efforts have been made for the abolition 
of this barbarous and inhuman amusement; among these, 
the Rev. Dr. Barry preached a sermon in the church of 
Workingham, at the request of the Rev. Mr. Bremner, then 
resident clergyman of the parish, on Sunday, the 20th De¬ 
cember, 1801, being the day previous to the festival of St. 
Thomas, which was afterwards published, and from which we 
extract the following excellent admonition — 
