The History of Cockfighting and the Cockfighting Chair

Did you know that cockfighting was once the sport of English gentlemen

Cockfighting was a sport practised by all levels of British society prior to 1833. The love of ‘cocking’ permeated the nation from top to bottom. No cocking phrase is more frequently used than “pitted against”, referring to the cockfighting pits of the 18th and 19th centuries.

History

Cockfighting is believed to have been introduced to Britain by the Romans, who had earlier adopted it from the Greeks. The earliest English reference appears in William Fitzstephen’s Latin tract describing London during the reign of Henry I:

“Every year also at Shrove Tuesday… the schoolboys do bring cocks of the game to their masters, and all the forenoon they delight themselves in cock-fighting: after dinner all the youths go into fields to play at the ball.”

By the 18th century, cockfighting had become a national sport, enjoyed across all strata of English society.

Training and Equipment

Most cockers trained and “fed” their own birds, though the wealthy often employed professional feeders—men paid to prepare and condition cocks for their patrons, much like horse trainers today. The training regime was notoriously cruel, lasting six weeks and involving practices such as “sweatings” and “stovings,” as recommended by Gervase Markham. A small cock would be put on a strict diet for a fortnight, while larger birds required three weeks or more.

Before the reign of Queen Anne, cocks had their combs trimmed. By the early 18th century, it became fashionable to cut the comb into a smooth half-moon shape. While the exact date of introduction is unknown, artificial metal spurs were commonly used from the reign of William III onwards. Before then, cocks fought using their natural spurs as their primary weapon.

The Gamble

Cocking was a sport of high stakes and intense gambling. Matches regularly drew large bets—the most extravagant wager advertised during Queen Anne’s reign was 100 guineas per battle and 500 guineas the odd, equivalent to nearly £95,000 today. King Christian V of Denmark was an avid enthusiast of the sport, regularly hosting matches. He even displayed elaborate flags and ensigns depicting both the cocking venue and the fighting postures of the birds.

The Fight

The fight itself was brutal and swift, often over within minutes. Two specially trained cocks, armed with razor-sharp metal spurs, were placed into the pit—a small, enclosed ring encircled by spectators. At the signal, the birds would explode into action, slashing and striking with lethal precision. Blood soon stained the floor as the crowd roared with every blow. Victory was awarded to the cock that either killed its opponent or rendered it too injured to continue. To the audience, it was a spectacle of valour and violence; to the birds, it was a fight to the death.

The Cockfighting Chair

To withstand these often lengthy matches, cockfighting enthusiasts developed a distinctive type of seating: the cockfighting chair. These chairs featured a small built-in reading or writing ledge. The seat was uniquely shaped so that spectators could straddle the chair and sit facing backwards—toward the pit—with comfort and stability. This posture provided an unobstructed view of the action while helping the sitter avoid toppling over in excitement.

Many cockpits lacked fixed seating, so spectators frequently brought their own chairs. These portable seats became a defining feature of cockfighting culture and were often crafted from light woods like mahogany for ease of transport.

The End

Following Queen Victoria’s accession in 1837, public sentiment increasingly turned against cockfighting. The 1833 Act for the More Effectual Administration of Justice in London prohibited cockfighting within five miles of Temple Bar, effectively ending the practice in the capital. One of the last recorded matches in London took place at Battersea Fields in 1840, with Lord Berkeley and William Gilliver (son of the renowned cocker Joseph Gilliver) participating.

The Cruelty to Animals Act of 1835 explicitly banned the act of cockfighting, but enforcement was inconsistent and largely ineffective. It wasn’t until the passage of the Act for the More Effective Prevention of Cruelty to Animals that authorities began cracking down with greater success. This later legislation banned the keeping of any house or venue for the baiting or fighting of animals, leading to improved enforcement.

Nevertheless, cockfighting persisted in some rural areas—particularly in the northern counties—where, as one Cumbrian observer remarked, the people still “wrestle all day and fight cocks at night.”

This article draws from Sir Walter Gilbey’s Sport in the Olden Time (1912), a detailed account of British sporting traditions, cockfighting emerges as a national obsession—deeply embedded across all classes of society.