BULL BAIT

Cock-fighting was a favourite sport .An even rougher spectacle was the annual bull-bait, which was not finally suppressed until 1803.

The time fixed for this "entertainment" was the day on which the election of the Mayor and Sheriffs took place. This always happened during the great Michaelmas fair. The Mayor and Corporation, attended by the Magistrates, in their official robes, would watch the proceedings from the windows of the municipal court house, the Pentice, in front of St. Peter's Church.
Before the bait began, the court crier would make a proclamation in these terms:

"0 yes! 0 yes! 0 yes! If any man stands within twenty yards of the bull-ring, let him take -what comes!"
After a prayer for the safety of the King and the Mayor of Chester the dogs were released and the degrading spectacle would begin. On more than one occasion, a dog's carcase was tossed by the bull into the ranks of distinguished spectators, soiling the white ermine of those in the "best" seats with its blood.

Not all the Mayors of Chester had approved of the annual bull-baiting. In 1599, Henry Hardware (the Mayor who stopped the Midsummer Show) had caused the bull ring to be taken up. It was re-built soon after Hardware's term of office was over, and the "sport" had continued for another two centuries, though 1754 was the last year in which the baiting received the official sanction of the Corporation.

In 1776, another attempt was made, this time by Mayor Broadhurst, to suppress the event. His efforts were unavailing, and the lovers of the "sport", incensed, forced a bull into the Row below the Feathers' Steps where His Worship resided, fastened the end of the rope with which the bull was held to the Mayor's knocker, and drove the animal, in a frenzy, away, carrying the knocker with it. The Mayor, it is said, was so alarmed at this incident that he beat a hasty retreat down a passage into Pepper Street, from where he fled precipitately into the country, not stopping until he had put several miles between himself and the beast that had so alarmed him.

Hemingway

Amongst the sentimental pastimes of the city from time immemorial, may be reckoned, an annual bull bait, the mention of which, however, is omitted by Archdeacon Rogers, as not coming, I suppose, within his definition of " laudable." The time fixed upon for this detestable entertainment was the day upon which the election of the mayor and sheriffs took place, and which always happened during the great Michaelmas fair. One of our Chester annalists, in noticing this exhibition, say; that till within a few years, " the dramatis personae of this elegant scene included even magistracy itself, the mayor and corporation attending, in their official habiliments, at the Pentice windows, in front of St. Peter's church, not only to countenance the diversions of the ring, but to participate in a sight of its enjoyments. A proclamation was also made, by the crier of the court, with all the gravity and solemnity of an oration before a Romish sacrifice; the elegant composition of which run thus : -

'0 yez ! 0 yez ! 0 yez! If any man stands within twenty yards of the bull-ring, let him take- what comes.' After followed the usual public ejaculation for 'the safety of the king and the mayor of Chester,' when the beauties of the scene commenced, and the dogs immediately fell in. Here a prayer for his worship was not unseasonable, as not even the ermined cloak was security against the carcases of dead animals, with which spectators, without distinction, were occasionally saluted. I shall not attempt a description of the tender offices practised on these occasions on so noble a creature as the English bull; one, however, I cannot omit mentioning

:- ln 1787, an unfortunate animal, smarting under his wounds and fatigue, was very naturally induced to lie down; the argument made use of this situation, as naturally induced him to get up: his humane followers hitting upon the ingenious expedient setting fire to some straw under his body; when, it is hardly necessary to add, 'the wretched animal heaved forth such groans as stretched his leather coat almost to bursting ' This circumstance of the fire was, however, was no bad satire, emblematically considered, on the transactions of the day - the whole being little better than a burning shame. The danger and inconvenience of this brutal amusement in the centre of a populous city, and at time, when crowded with strangers, were too obvious to need illustration. Mr. Hardware, the active and spirited magistrate before-mentioned, not only caused this ancient but mischievous practice to be discontinued in his mayoralty (1599) but with a view to its total suppresion, ordered the bull-ring to be taken up.

It does not appear that he succeeded in his good intentions beyond his own year of office; and it was not till the year 1754, in the mayoralty of Mr. William Cowper, that the corporation withdrew their sanction, by absenting themes from this cruel diversion. In 1776, another effort made by Mr. Broadhurst, during his mayoralty, to suppress this nuisance, but his utmost exertions proved unavailing; and the lovers of the sport returned his endeavours to deprive them of it, by forcing the bull into the row below the Feathers-steps, where his worship resided, and fastening the end of the rope with which the animal was held, to his knocker, drove on the horned victim, which bore away with him in triumph the brazen utensil.

It is said, the worthy magistrate was so alarmed at the transaction, that be made a hasty retreat down a passage into Pepper-street, from whence he precipitately fled into the country, nor made a moment's pause until he had secured a safe retreat at the distance of several miles. From this period, no serious attempt appears to have been made to put an end to the bull-bait, until the year 1806, when a clause was introduced into the new police act, by which it was finally suppressed. It is, however, a subject of regret, that there is still, in the immediate vicinity of the city, one of these annual brutal spectacles; It is exhibited on Boughton heath, a spot just without the jurisdiction of the city magistrates, during the wakes; and it is somewhat extraordinary, that the county magistracy have not efficiently interposed to put it down. Although there is no specific statute to interdict the exhibition there, yet upon every such occurrence, violent breaches of the peace are committed; and besides, the act against cruelty to animals sufficiently arms them with authority to commit the participators in these orgies to gaol.

Another custom the origin of which is doubtful that of ' lifiting ' is now extinct . It is , or was up to a few years ago , prevalent in certain parts of England and where ever it is practised is an unmitigated nuisance to the unwary stranger, however much it may amuse the natives who practise it. The custom consists in seizing upon every passer-by and lifting him up in a chair, or throwing him up in the air - the former seems to have been the method pursued at Chester - the victim only being released when he has given some money to be expended in liquor. As a general rule the men had one day on which they hoisted women, and the women in turn had their day on which they repaid the compliment to the men.

St. George's Day was a public holiday, on which much rejoicing took place. Somewhere in the sixteenth century - the late Mr. T. Hughes thought prior to 1550 - races were held on this day on the Roodeye, and certainly early in the eighteenth century there was a prize run for under the name of St. George's Plate, of which the Chester Cup seems to be the lineal descendant. It is perhaps hardly necessary to mention the Chester Race Meeting, the modern representative of this ancient assembly.

Maypoles, with the dances associated with them, were not wanting in Chester, and attracted the particular attention of Washington Irving when he visited this country. In his Sketch-Book, he says : -

' I shall never forget the delight I felt on first seeing a May-pole. It was on the banks of the Dee, close by the picturesque old bridge that stretches across the river from the quaint little city of Chester. I had already been carried back into former days by the antiquities of that venerable place, the examination of which is equal to turning over the pages of a black-letter volume, or gazing on the pictures in Froissart. The May-pole on the margin of that poetic stream completed the illusion. My fancy adorned it with wreaths of flowers, and peopled the green bank with all the dancing revelry of May-day. The mere sight of this May-pole gave a glow to my feelings, and spread a charm over the country for the rest of the day; and as I traversed a part of the fair plains of Cheshire, and the beautiful borders of Wales, and looked from among swelling hills down a long green valley, through which "the Deva wound its wizard stream," my imagination turned all into a perfect Arcadia.'

There seem to have been at least two maypoles in Chester, the older one standing permanently at the fork of the Eccleston and Hawarden roads, and a later rival at the bottom of Sty-Lane, Handbridge. Two maypoles are marked in Lavaux's Map, dated 1745. Passing from these festivities of special seasons, there was a jousting-croft, where tournaments took place, which according to Canon Morris was situated just beyond Cow Lane Bridge, - between the canal and the bowling-green.

The archery butts, were, says the authority just quoted, in the same place. Mention has already been made of the regulations for compelling children to learn the use of the bow and arrow, a piece of knowledge at one time as useful as acquaintance with a rifle now is. There are many records concerning this sport, if that can be called sport, which might at any time become deadly earnest. Amongst others is a collection of rules made in 1562, in which elaborate directions are made in order to provide for the proper use of the butts, to prevent them being too long engrossed by any particular users, forbidding use during time of divine service, etc. 'One of these rules may be quoted as showing the paternal manner in which the civic authorities looked after the citizens, a form of grand motherly government which it is difficult to imagine to-day.

'no p'son Shall Speake any Bragginge words to another (as to say "yf thow darr Shoote with me, or darr bett with me ") w'ch woords be often tymes occasion of Inconvenience, vpon payne of ev'ye tyme so doynge to paye o-ijd.'

Less laudable and far more cruel sports found a home in Chester as in all other parts of the island. Cockfighting gave its name to a piece of rising ground outside the walls, towards the end of Cow Lane, which was known as Cockfight Hill. In 1619 William, Earl of Derby, made 'a fair cockpitt under St. John's, in a garden by the water side, to which resorted gent of all parts, and great cocking was used a long while.' The last public cockpit set up in the city seems to have been that near the New Gate, afterwards used as the headquarters of the Rifle Volunteers. The following advertisement reprinted in the Sheaf from the Weekly Courant of April 5-12, 1738, shows the scale on which these exhibitions were carried out.

Chester April 5, 1738

'This is to give Notice that the Gentlemen of Cheshire, and the Gentlemen of Flintshire, will Weigh upon Monday, the 24th of this instant April at Chester, Thirty-one Cocks each, for Ten Guineas a Battle, and Two Hundred the Main, and Ten Cocks for Bye Battles; they will be fought the four following Mournings, at the White Talbot Cock-Pit.' After cock-fighting was discredited by the city magistrates, badger-baiting appears to have been permitted as a comparatively innocent amusement. The Chester Chronicle of February 28, 1787, records the fact that the bell-man of the city on Shrove-Tuesday proclaimed that 'no person or persons must presume to throw at or fight cocks on that day,' a pronouncement immediately followed by another that 'at two o'clock in the afternoon there would be baited by dogs a large badger.' Bull-baiting was a popular sport, and the mayor was expected to provide a performance of this kind as a part of his entertainment on retiring from office. Hardware, the mayor of 1599-1600 ordered the bull-ring to he taken up, but it was restored by his successor, and in 1619 there was 'a bull baytinge at the high crosse the 2nd daye of October according to Auncient Custome for Mr. Mayor's farewell out of his office.' In earlier days bear-baiting was one of the Chester amusements, and a street called Bearward Lane, affords an evidence of the former existence of this form of sport.

Balls and assemblies are a gentler form of amusement more patronised as public amusements in the eighteenth century than they are now. The new Assembly Rooms in which these entertainments took place was at the Talbot Hotel, whose site is occupied by the Grosvenor Hotel of present days. The subscription to the winter assemblies was for gentlemen, one guinea and a half, and for ladies fifteen shillings. For the assize ball, gentlemen paid three shillings and sixpence for admission and one shilling for tea, and ladies two shillings and sixpence for the former and sixpence for the latter.