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Bull-baiting (or bullbaiting) is a
blood sport A blood sport or bloodsport is a category of sport or entertainment that involves bloodshed. Common examples of the former include combat sports such as cockfighting and dog fighting, and some forms of hunting and fishing. Activities charact ...
involving pitting a bull against dogs with the aim of attacking and subduing the bull by biting and holding onto its nose or neck, which often resulted in the death of the bull.


History


England

The origin of baiting in England may have come from ancient pagan rituals, and appears to have been carried on as a required method of butchering bull-beef in the 14th century. However, the earliest known bull-baiting as commercial entertainment in London was around 1540, and the first permanent arena was in 1562. Historically, however, English authors have often claimed a more ancient origin of the sport, as early as the 12th century, presumably to lend it a more ancient and venerable history, going as far as to suggest that the circular shape of the Elizabethan theaters came about because they were first used as baiting arenas, although these claims have been discredited. Crowds in London during the
Royal Entry The ceremonies and festivities accompanying a formal entry by a ruler or their representative into a city in the Middle Ages and early modern period in Europe were known as the royal entry, triumphal entry, or Joyous Entry. The entry centred on ...
of
James VI and I James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 M ...
in March 1604 were entertained by bull-baiting. During the time of Queen Anne, bull-baiting was practiced in London at Hockley-in-the-Hole, twice a week – and was also reasonably common in provincial towns, for instance at
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
's Bull Ring. At Tutbury, a bull was tied to an iron stake so that it could move within a radius of about 30 feet. The object of the sport was for the dogs to immobilize the bull. Before the event started, the bull's nose was blown full of pepper to enrage it before the baiting. The bull was often placed in a hole in the ground. A variant of bull-baiting was "pinning the bull", where specially-trained dogs would set upon the bull one at a time, a successful attack resulting in the dog fastening his teeth strongly in the bull's
snout A snout is the protruding portion of an animal's face, consisting of its nose, mouth, and jaw. In many animals, the structure is called a muzzle, Rostrum (anatomy), rostrum, beak or proboscis. The wet furless surface around the nostrils of the n ...
. The extinct
Old English Bulldog The Old English Bulldog is an extinct dog breed, breed of dog. Physical characteristics The Old English Bulldog was compact, broad and muscular, as reflected in the painting ''Crib and Rosa''. Through John Scott's engraving, this painting ...
was specially bred for this sport. Bull-baiting was not only practiced as a form of recreation; there was a long-held belief that baiting improved the meat quality and tenderness when consumed. By the early nineteenth century, the sport began to die out, both because the baiting caused a public nuisance and because of new concerns about animal cruelty. The Bull Baiting at
Wokingham Wokingham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It is the main administrative centre of the wider Borough of Wokingham. At the 2021 census the parish had a population of 38,284 and the wider built-up area had a populati ...
was advertised in the newspaper in 1774. Bull baiting advertised in 1780 appears to indicate that it was organized by a local hostelry. By the early 19th century, baiting had fallen out of favor, to the point that it was reviewed disparagingly in ''Strutt's Sports and Pastimes of the People of England'' (1801): " ull-baiting isattended only by the lowest and most despicable part of the people." A bill for the suppression of the practice was introduced into the House of Commons in 1800 by Sir William Pulteney. The bill was defeated by a one-vote margin. A second bill was introduced in 1802 by John Dent, but was defeated by thirteen votes. Bull baiting was still taking place, a newspaper reported in 1818 that a bull being taken from the stake to a stable had killed a man at Bilston Wake. Bulls were excluded from the protections afforded to other cattle in the
Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act 1822 The Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act 1822 ( 3 Geo. 4. c. 71) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom with the long title "An Act to prevent the cruel and improper Treatment of Cattle"; it is sometimes known as Martin's Act, after the M ...
. Bull-baiting was not finally outlawed until Parliament passed the
Cruelty to Animals Act 1835 The Cruelty to Animals Act 1835 ( 5 & 6 Will. 4. c. 59) or the Humane Act 1835, or the Protection of Animals Act 1835, was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ire ...
, which forbade the keeping of any house, pit, or other places for baiting or fighting any bull, bear, dog, or other animals.


Ireland

Bull-baiting () was widespread in Ireland in the 17th–19th centuries. In
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
, bull-baiting took place near the Cornmarket and in Smithfield. On
Saint Stephen's Day Saint Stephen's Day, also called the Feast of Saint Stephen, is a Christian saint's day to commemorate Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr or protomartyr, celebrated on 26 December in Western Christianity and 27 December in Eastern Ch ...
1789, a riot followed a bull-bait: soldiers fired on the crowd and four were killed. In
Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...
, the activity arrived in 1621, brought by the Guild of Butchers. Bulls were baited twice a year and their hides presented to the Mayor. The area where bull-baiting took place is still called the Bullring. In
Kilkenny Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...
it took place at the site called The Ring, first in 1609, and commonly on the feast-day of
John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...
(December 27). The last recorded bull-bait was in 1837, after they had become illegal under an 1835 Act. Bull-baiting also took place in
Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...
,
Naas Naas ( ; or ) is the county town of County Kildare in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In 2022, it had a population of 26,180, making it the largest town in County Kildare (ahead of Newbridge, County Kildare, Newbridge) and the List of urban ar ...
,
Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...
,
Tuam Tuam (; , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midland Region, Ireland, midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. The town is in a civil parishe ...
,
Carrickfergus Carrickfergus ( , meaning " Fergus' rock") is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 28,141 at the 2021 census. It is County Antrim's oldest t ...
,
Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
and
Athlone Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midland Region, Ir ...
.


North America

In the 19th century, and during Spanish Colonial Rule, bulls used to be pitted against bears in California and Mexico. Kingsley (1920) said that the bulls that fought the bears, at least while California was part of the United States, were not domesticated
Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...
bulls, but
Spanish Fighting Bull The Spanish Fighting Bull is an Iberian heterogeneous cattle (''Bos taurus'') population. It is exclusively bred free-range on extensive estates in countries where bullfighting is organized. Fighting bulls are selected primarily for a certai ...
s, whose weight, agility, speed, sharp horns, and hot temper were said to be dangerous to both bears and humans, and Wistar (1937) said that those bulls were fearless. In a case of the bull winning, victory could come early, when the bull used its strength to gore the bear to death with its horns, or toss the bear into the air.


Dogs in bull baiting

Bull-baiting dogs, including
Old English Bulldog The Old English Bulldog is an extinct dog breed, breed of dog. Physical characteristics The Old English Bulldog was compact, broad and muscular, as reflected in the painting ''Crib and Rosa''. Through John Scott's engraving, this painting ...
s, Bullenbeissers, Spanish Bulldogs, Ca de Bous and
bull and terrier Bull and terrier was a common name for crossbreeds between Old English Bulldog, bulldogs and terriers in the early 1800s. Other names included half-and-halfs and half-breds. It was a time in history when, for thousands of years, dogs were clas ...
s, were bred to bait animals, mainly bulls and bears. During bull-baiting, the dog would attempt to flatten itself to the ground, creeping as close to the bull as possible, then darting out and attempting to bite the bull in the nose or head area. The bull would often be tethered by a collar and rope, which were staked into the ground. As the dog darted at the bull, the bull would attempt to catch the dog with his head and horns, and throw the dog into the air. In 1835, the Cruelty to Animals Act was passed in Parliament that outlawed "Blood Sport" in the United Kingdom. The bulldog's work was suddenly over and the bulldog rapidly started dying out. Around 1865, dog fanciers began developing dog clubs which eventually culminated into
conformation show A dog show is an animal show; it is an event where dogs are exhibited. A conformation show, also referred to as a '' breed show'', is a kind of dog show in which a judge, familiar with a specific dog breed, evaluates individual purebred dogs ...
s. Many fanciers utilized various remnants of the dog utilized for "Blood Sport" to resurrect the "Bull" dog and ultimately developed today's modern English bulldog.


In literature

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He wrote the short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy ...
, in his 1837 book, ''The Adventures of Captain Bonneville'', wrote that a bear was baited, and likewise, a wild, fierce bull, before they were brought by
vaqueros The ''vaquero'' (; , ) is a horse-mounted livestock herder of a tradition that has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula and extensively developed in what what is today Mexico (then New Spain) and Spanish Florida from a method brought to the Americ ...
to an arena in a small
amphitheatre An amphitheatre (American English, U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meani ...
in
Monterey, California Monterey ( ; ) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, California, Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of and recorded a popu ...
, to fight each other. He called the fight "a favorite, though barbarous sport." In this case, he said that the bear used its sharp claws against the nose of the bull, before catching its tongue, after being repeatedly gored by the bull. Then the bull overturned it "with a desperate effort", and then "dispatched" it rather easily. Charles Dickens refers to bull-baiting in a figurative sense in ''
Great Expectations ''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by English author Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. The novel is a bildungsroman and depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip. It is Dickens' second novel, after ''Dav ...
'' (1860-1861), when the character, Joe, angrily warns the lawyer, Mr. Jaggers: "if you come into my place bull-baiting and badgering me, come out!"


See also

* Badger-baiting * Beargarden * List of dog fighting breeds * Bull running *
Bullfighting Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations. There are several variations, including some forms wh ...
* Stamford bull run


Footnotes


References


Further reading

* *


External links


The Trial of 2 Centuries: Animal v. Animal Sport: Bull-Baiting
(in Eastern Essex, UK) (archived) {{Baiting Baiting (blood sport) Bull sports Obsolete blood sports