The origins of bear baiting: Evidence from Medieval England and France

Lewis, Liam and O'Regan, Hannah 2024. The origins of bear baiting: Evidence from Medieval England and France. Society & Animals: Journal of Human-Animal Studies

PDF - Accepted Post-Print Version Download (0B)

Abstract

Bear baiting, the act of setting dogs on tethered bears to fight, was an important social and economic activity in early modern England, with roots in medieval animal trade and customs. The activity was practised in Western Europe during the Middle Ages, but the evidence for such claims has usually been restricted to visualisations of trained bears in manuscript marginalia. For the first time, this article presents a review of the literary, archival, archaeological, and visual evidence for the development of bear baiting in England and France from the twelfth century onwards. Bears appear in French and Latin literature, and in high status locations (Castles, Abbeys) and towns in the period, showing similar customs crossing social strata in England and Northern France. However, we demonstrate an increased visibility of the practice in England after the Norman Conquest.

Item Type:	Article
Status:	In Press
Schools:	English, Communication and Philosophy
Publisher:	Brill Academic Publishers
ISSN:	1568-5306
Funders:	UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AH/T006552/1), Natural Environment Research Council (NF/2019/1/3)
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	10 October 2024
Date of Acceptance:	17 July 2024
Last Modified:	07 Nov 2024 16:15
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/172639

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item