The Carnival Pursuits of Schoolboys

According to a curious poem, cock-throwing was practised at Christmastime in Exeter in 1738, when, ‘Truncheons, hurl’d to solemnise the Divine Birth / Maul Cocks less swift with murd’rous Mirth’. The author, Andrew Brice, writing in 1770, notes that this is unusual: ‘the very wicked diversion … of throwing at cocks, which other wheres, is most barbarously practiced but on Shrove-Tuesday, not only continues here the whole Christmas Holy Days, but commences some weeks before them. It’s observable too that some of those who are the greatest sticklers for what they call celebrating the solemn festival, too much countenance this horrible pollution of it. For Shame, ye Parents! For Shame, ye schoolmasters. And why should I not say, For Shame, ye Magistrates, etc?’