oducing superior
dogs for the sport; and in Grimsby bull-baiting was pursued with such
avidity, that, to increase its importance, and prevent the possibility
of its falling into disuse, it was made the subject of an official
regulation of the magistracy. It had been practised within the borough
from time immemorial, but about the beginning of the reign of Henry
VII., the butchers finding it both troublesome and inconvenient to
provide animals for the public amusement, endeavoured to evade the
requisition; but it was made imperative upon them by the following edict
of the mayor and burgesses, which was incorporated into a code of
ordinances that were made and agreed to on the 23rd of October, 1499,
for the better government of the borough:

"Also, that no Bocher flee or kill no Bull flesche wtin this Burgh, nor
that none be brought to sell bot if the Bull be bayted openlye before
the Mair and his burgesses, peon of forfeitr. of ev'y default
vj _s_. viij _d_. Also that the Bochers of this Francheis, and
al others that kepe slaughter shopes and kill flesche in this Francheis,
to sell, mak onys yerly befor the Mair and his burgesses one
bull-bayting, at convenient Tyme of the yere, according to the custom of
this Francheis befor usyd, upon peyn of fortur of vj _s_. viij _d_."

In the reign of Charles I. an instance occurs of the violation of this
ordinance; and it is formally recorded in the mayor's court book, that a
fine was imposed by the chamberlains on Robert Camm for "killing a bull,
and not first baiting him, according to the custom of the corporation."

These sports were conducted with great cruelty. To make the animal
furious, gunpowder was frequently flashed up his nose, and pepper blown
into his nostrils; and if this failed _to make him show game_, his
flesh was lacerated, and aquafortis poured into the wound. About sixty
years ago a bull was put to the stake at Grimsby; but the animal proving
too tame, one William Hall put a spike or brad into his stick, and
goaded the poor creature until the blood flowed copiously from several
parts of his body; and at length, by continually irritating the
lacerated parts, the bull became enraged, and roaring in the extremity
of his torture, succeeded in tossing his assailant, to the infinite
gratification of his cruel persecutors. It is recorded, to the credit of
Mr. Alderman Hesleden, that during his mayoralty, in 1779, the annual
exhibition was disallowed: from which time