| 
probable that our sheriffs of counties were also 
anciently called bdazlifs, as a county is still 
often called balliva, or bailiwick. In the statute 
of Magna Charta, c. 28, and 14° Edw. III. c. 9, 
the word bailiff would appear to comprehend 
sheriffs, as well as bailiffs of hundreds. As the 
kingdom is divided into counties, so every county 
is divided into hundreds, within which, anciently, 
the people had justice administered to them by 
the several officers of every hundred, who were 
the bailiffs. And it appears from Bracton, that 
bailiffs of hundreds might anciently hold plea of 
appeal and approvers.. But these hundred courts, 
certain franchises excepted, have been, since 
that time, swallowed up by the county courts; 
and the bailiff’s name and office is now grown 
into contempt, they being, in general, merely 
officers or messengers employed to serve writs, 
&c., within their liberties. In other respects, 
however, the name is still in good esteem; the 
chief magistrates in many towns being called 
bailiffs : and sometimes the persons to whom the 
care of the king’s castles is committed, are 
termed bailiffs; as the bailiff of Dover castle, 
&c. The ordinary bailiffs are of several sorts :— 
Bailifs of liberties, are those who are appointed 
by every lord within his liberty, to execute pro- 
cesses, &c, Bailiffs of liberties and franchises 
are to be sworn to take distresses, truly impanel 
jurors, make returns by indenture between them 
and sheriffs, &c., and are liable to punishment for 
| malicious distresses, by fine and treble damages. 
Bailifis of sheriffs, or sheriff’s officers, are either 
bailiffs of hundreds, or special bailiffs. Bailiffs 
| of hundreds are officers appointed by the sheriffs 
to collect fines in their respective districts; to 
summon juries; to attend the judges and jus- 
tices at the assizes and quarter-sessions ; and 
also to execute writs and processes in the several 
hundreds. But as these bailiffs of hundreds are 
generally plain men, and not thoroughly skilful 
in this latter part of their office, it is now usual 
to join special bailiffs with them. The sheriff 
being answerable for the misdemeanours of these 
bailiffs, they are therefore usually bound in a 
bond for the due execution of their offices, and 
are thence called bound bailiffs; which the com- 
mon people have corrupted into a much more 
homely appellation. | 
Bailiffs of lords of manors, are those that col- 
lect their rents, and levy their fines and amerce- 
ments. .Such bailiffs can bind their lord by such 
acts as are for his benefit; but they require to 
act on special authority in other cases, &c. 
Lailiffs of courts baron, summon those courts, 
and execute the process thereof, &c. 
Baiifs of husbandry, are the officers belonging 
to private persons of property, who superintend 
A waiter bailif'is an officer anciently established 
in all sea-port towns, for the searching of ships, 
| the inferior servants, regulate their labour, &c. 
| by 28° Hen. VI. cap. 5. Such an officer still ex- 
BAITING OF ANIMALS. 
searches all fish brought thither, and gathers 
the toll on the river Thames. He also attends 
the lord-mayor in his excursions by water, and 
marshals the guests at table. He can also ar- 
rest for debt, &c., on the river Thames, by war- 
rant of his superiors. 
There are different other denominations of 
bailiffs to be met with in this and other coun- 
tries; such as, provincial, royal, itinerant, and 
heritable bailiffs; bailiffs of France, of the em- 
pire, of boroughs, &c. 
BAIT. A feed of oats or other provender, ac- 
companied with a brief rest, during labour or 
travelling. Also, a lure for catching a fish or a 
wild land-animal. 
BAITING OF ANIMALS. The atrocious 
practice of setting a small spirited animal to bite 
and torment a large and dull one, at the risk of 
being gored. The animals usually employed are 
the dog to bait and the bull to be baited. Bull- 
baiting, as the horrid practice is called, was for- 
merly a public sport in England, and continues 
to be a public sport of even the higher classes of 
society in Spain. It is supposed to have first 
occurred in this country, at Stamford, in 1209, 
in the reign of John, and to have been made a 
custom or usage of the manor of Tutbury in Staf- 
fordshire in 13874; but, in consequence of the 
laudable opposition of the Duke of Devonshire, 
who was steward of Tutbury, and of a number of 
the population who petitioned against it, the | 
Tutbury bull- baiting was abolished in 1778. | 
Bear-baiting, in the latter part of the 15th cen- | 
tury and early part of the 16th, was practised 
for the brutal amusement, not only of the com- 
mon people, but of the royal court. We cannot, 
without an outrage upon all right feeling, de- 
scribe either the manner or the usual incidents 
of a bull-baiting; but will rather quote an elo- 
quent invective against it, uttered in 1801, by | 
the celebrated Dr. Barry: “ What a prodigy must 
he be in a Christian land, who can disgrace his na- 
ture by such gigantic infamy, at which the blood 
of a heathen, of a very Hottentot, might curdle ! 
Two useful animals, the bull who propagates our | 
food, and the faithful dog who protects our pro- 
perty, to be thus tormented! And for what pur- 
pose ? 
alive the spirit of the English character ? 
answer to this we must remark, that the barbar- 
ous sport, if sport it can be called, was unknown 
to the ancient bravery of our ancestors,—was in- | 
troduced to this country in the reign of a bad 
king ; and earnestly do I pray to Almighty God, 
that, in the reign of a most pious and benevolent 
prince, it may be for ever set aside. 
all men the least unmoved, can both inflict and 
witness cruelties. 
patrons of mercenary pugilists, and the cham- 
pions of a cock-fight, can produce, I should 
think, but few if any disciples brought up under 
their tuition, who have done service to their 
ists in the city of London, who supervises and | country either as warriors or as citizens ; but 
Does it tend, as some have said, to keep» 
In | 
Cowards, of 
The heroes of a bull-bait, the | 
313 | 
