Introduction

This extract—there is a fuller account in Chap. 6 —illustrates one of the main planks of the central thesis of this book, which aims to be a readable account prepared with academic rigour to describe, examine, question and analyse the practice of cockfighting in Britain from ancient times until the early nineteenth century when the custom became illegal. The extract also helps to illustrate the type of source material used in bringing the story to life. Representing a single incident in a centuries-long story, the citations are but a microcosm of those listed in the bibliography.