Beargarden

The Beargarden was a facility for bear-baiting, bull-baiting, and other "animal sports" in the London area during the 16th and 17th centuries, from the Elizabethan era to the English Restoration period.

Documentary sources from the middle 16th century refer to the bear-baiting rink as being in Paris Garden, the liberty at the western end of the Bankside.

Questions of the Beargarden's location and date are complicated by the fact that animal sports were conducted at more than one place in Southwark in this era; the Agas map shows both a bull-baiting and a bear-baiting ring, situated near each other (bulls to the west, bears to the east).

In 1578, William Fleetwood, "Sergeant-in-law" and Recorder of London, described it as a place where foreign ambassadors met their spies and agents; at night it was so dark and obscured by trees that a man needed "cat's eyes" to see.

[7] Ambassadors and travellers were often shown the Beargarden; The prominent French nobleman the Duke of Biron[8] was escorted there by Sir Walter Raleigh on September 7, 1601.

The English monarchy had had an official "bearward", an officer in charge of its "bears, bulls, and mastiff dogs", at least from the reign of Richard III.

In 1604, Philip Henslowe (who had a financial interest in bear-baiting at least from 1594) and his son-in-law Edward Alleyn purchased the royal office of the Mastership for £450, and maintained the practice of animal baiting along with their other business of theatre production.

German tourist Lupold von Wedel was at the Beargarden on August 23, 1584; he left a description that cites the usual and expected baiting of bulls and bears, and a horse chased by the dogs, plus people dancing, and a man who threw white bread to the crowd (they "scrambled for it").

Another Beargarden was located in Hockley-in-the-Hole at Clerkenwell Green[15][16][17] in central London where bull-baiting, bear-baiting and similar activities occurred in the 17th and 18th centuries.