Bull-baiting

[1] Crowds in London during the Royal Entry of James VI and I in March 1604 were entertained by bull-baiting.

[2] During the time of Queen Anne, bull-baiting was practiced in London at Hockley-in-the-Hole, twice a week – and was also reasonably common in provincial towns, for instance at Birmingham's Bull Ring.

Before the event started, the bull's nose was blown full of pepper to enrage it before the baiting.

Bull-baiting was not only practiced as a form of recreation; there was a long-held belief that baiting improved the meat quality and tenderness when consumed.

[3] By the early nineteenth century, the sport began to die out, both because the baiting caused a public nuisance and because of new concerns about animal cruelty.

Proper Judges will be appointed before running to determine who may be the Winner, A good Ordinary at the King's Inn, between the Times of Baiting the Bulls.

[11] In Kilkenny it took place at the site called The Ring, first in 1609, and commonly on the feast-day of John the Baptist (December 27).

[16] In the 19th century, and during Spanish Colonial Rule, bulls used to be pitted against bears in California and Mexico.

In 1835, the Cruelty to Animals Act was passed in Parliament that outlawed "Blood Sport" in the United Kingdom.

Washington Irving, in his 1837 book, The Adventures of Captain Bonneville, wrote that a bear was baited, and likewise, a wild, fierce bull, before they were brought by vaqueros to an arena in a small amphitheatre in Monterey, California, to fight each other.