Cockfighting in Britain Since the Enlightenment

This book looks at the relationship of the cock and cockfighting in Britain from the Enlightenment through the modern era, showing the societal and culture changes that affected that relationship. It examines the evolution of the cock in religion and sport, the evolution of cockfighting as a sport, the changing culture of pastimes, and the historical development of humankind’s relationship with animals and the philosophy of cruelty to animals and their rights.

Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. A Swell’s Day Out.- Chapter 3. New Ways of Looking at Animals.- Chapter 4. The Suppression of ‘Plebeian’ Blood Sports.- Chapter 5. ‘A General Refinement of Manners’.- Chapter 6. Cockfighting: A Dangerous Game.- Chapter 7. ‘Cockfighting Extraordinary’.- Chapter 8. Pitmen: A Breed Apart.- Chapter 9. Scotland’s ‘Idle Gulls and Kites’.- Chapter 10. Gallomachia: The Formality of Cockfighting in Scottish Schools.- Chapter 11. Dying Game.- Chapter 12. Conclusion.

Alexander Sutherland is an honorary senior teaching fellow in the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition at the University of Aberdeen, UK.