{"id":896,"date":"2014-11-26T19:30:35","date_gmt":"2014-11-26T19:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reed-ne.webspace.durham.ac.uk\/?p=896"},"modified":"2014-11-26T19:30:35","modified_gmt":"2014-11-26T19:30:35","slug":"flower-of-the-month-baiting-bears-and-provocative-spectators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reed-ne.webspace.durham.ac.uk\/?p=896","title":{"rendered":"Flower of the Month: Baiting Bears \u2013 and Provocative Spectators"},"content":{"rendered":"

This record of a local court case of 1522 from the Beverley Great Guild Book (East Riding Archives BC\/II\/3, f. 27) illuminates not only the contemporary spectator sport of bear-baiting but the political tensions (and often open war) between English and Scots at that period. It shows us that John of Grene, the Earl of Northumberland\u2019s bearward (no stranger to Beverley, who was paid by the town Governors in at least one previous year for bear-baiting, and who was evidently already on bad terms with Thomas Robson), baited more than one bear, and presumably had to control several dogs as well as the bears. Thomas Robson\u2019s setting on of his own \u2018band dog\u2019 (the kind of big, fierce, aggressive dog such as a mastiff that was kept for guard-duty \u2013 and for bull- and bear-baiting) must have been a dangerous interference \u2013 hence, as Grene pleaded, his angry accusation in the heat of the moment.<\/em><\/p>\n

Equally interesting is the reaction of Robson p\u00e8re: ignoring his son\u2019s aggressive action, his one (furiously defensive?) concern was that Grene had called Thomas a Scot, whereas \u2013 as he insistently pointed out in court \u2013 his family came from Haltwhistle and were \u2018trewe Englishmen borne\u2019. (Haltwhistle is in Northumberland, very close to the Scottish border.) In documentary terms, though, we have the angry Percevall Robson to thank for our knowledge of the affair: he agreed reluctantly to forgive Grene, on condition that a full account of it be entered in \u2018the lygger\u2019 \u2013 the contemporary name of the Great Guild Book \u2013 where it still is, as clearly legible as when it was first entered.*<\/em><\/p>\n

Here is a full transcript:<\/span><\/p>\n

Memorandum<\/em> that vppon Tewsday the xjth<\/sup> day of mar<\/em>che in the xiijth<\/sup> yere of the reigne of our souer<\/em>eigne Lord kyng henry the viijth<\/em> Per<\/em>cevall Robson draper beyng one of the Nombe<\/em>r of xxxvj of the counsall of thys town vppon a wrongfull sklaunder made vppon hym by Iohn of grene Barward to the right Noble Lord henry Percy Erle of Northumber<\/em>land whiche barward<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/a>

Two dogs baiting a bear: a misericord in St Mary\u2019s church, Beverley<\/p><\/div>\n

by cause that Thomas Robson son to the sayde per<\/em>cevall Lett hys band doge to one of hys Beyres<\/em> when he was batyng and for other growges that was bytwixt theym before spake vnto the sayde Thomas suche wordys ‘Take awey thy doge thow scottis<\/em> byrde’<\/p>\n

Wherevpon the said per<\/em>cevall hys fader incontynent after he knewe that he had callyd hys son scott compleanyd vnto the xij Gouernors then beyng That ys to wete Rober<\/em>t Whyte Rober<\/em>t Burton Richard Pattoner<\/em> William Estaby Iohn Brown christ<\/em>ofer hudson Peter Crawe John Wylkynson draper christ<\/em>ofer sanderson & Iohn Raffulles<\/em> henry stevynson1<\/sup>. Who gaff the said per<\/em>cevall counsall to caus hym to to be arrestyd and take the Lawe vppon hym to the vtterau<\/em>nc And so the said per<\/em>cevall causyd to be arrestyd and intendyt to haue sewyd hym for hys wrongfull sklander And for advoydyng of suche sewte And trowble as the said per<\/em>cevall intendyt to make And do vnto hym the said iohn of grene remembryng how that he had falsly sklaunderd hym and couth make no deue pro<\/em>ffe of hys vntrewe saynges<\/em> And seynge that was none other remedy Bot rode vnto my lorde Percy to wresill2<\/sup> And shewid hym how he had spokyn suche vn thryfty and fals wordys vppon hym in wrathe as to call hym scottes<\/em> byrde to hys rebuke and sklaunder And besought my Lord Percy to be so gode Lorde vnyo hym as to wryte a Letter for hym to Master Rober<\/em>t Creyke Receyuor<\/em>e or to my Lord cardynalles<\/em> gra<\/em>ce3<\/sup> And to the xij Gouer<\/em>nours afforesaid to be gode Masters vnto hym conser<\/em>nyng hys vnthryfty demeanour<\/em>e. Insomytche as he spake yt bot in wrathe And at the batyng of hys beyres<\/em><\/p>\n

And so my Lord percy wrote a Letter for hym whiche Letter was delyuert to Master Receyuor<\/em>e and the xij gouer<\/em>nors vppon Monday the xth<\/sup> day of mar<\/em>che And Master Receyuor<\/em>e rede and declaryd the sayd Letter opynly in my Lord Cardynalles<\/em> Courte the xij gouer<\/em>nors with many mo aswell of the towne as of the contre heryng yt And the sayd Iohn of grene beyng pre<\/em>sent And therefore he was sore rebokyd aswell of Master Receyuor<\/em>e the xij gouer<\/em>nors as of all other for hys wronfull sklaunder and ther opynly denyed hys wordes<\/em> And askyd hym for forgyffnes whiche the said per<\/em>cevall was right loth to do bot onely at the speciall instanc and desyr of Master Receyuor<\/em>e the xij gouer<\/em>nors and other that pra<\/em>yd hym to Leyff hys sevte aganst hym forsomytche as yt was spokyn bot in wrathe And that he had opynly denyed hys sayinges<\/em> And also for somytche as yt was well known of dyuer<\/em>s in thys town that he was bour<\/em>ne in hawtwisell in Northumber<\/em>land and hys fader callyd Roland Robson of Coyngwode4 <\/sup> & born in hawtwysill afforesaid and that they and all ther kyn were trewe Ynglishemen bour<\/em>ne<\/p>\n

And so at ther instans and desyres<\/em> the sayd per<\/em>cevall was content to remyt the Matter vppon suche condici<\/em>in that the Matter might be recordyt and regesterd in thys boke callid the lygger in the comon hall5<\/sup> for hys sevrtie and declaraci<\/em>on As In adventur<\/em> yf any suche malicious per<\/em>sonshuld ley it to hys charg at Any tyme herafter Whiche hys petici<\/em>on and resonable desyre was graunted hym and for that intent yt ys thus regesterd & writtyn in thys boke as affore ys reherssid<\/p>\n

\"St.<\/a>

St. Mary’s Church, Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, England.<\/p><\/div>\n

Notes:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The twelve Governors or Keepers, elected annually, were the Beverley equivalent of a town council. Percevall Robson had been one of them in a previous year. (Only eleven are named here \u2013 probably a scribal oversight.)<\/li>\n
  2. Wressle Castle, now ruinous, was a Percy property some miles from Beverley.<\/li>\n
  3. The Cardinal was Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York at the time (from 1514 till his death in 1530).<\/li>\n
  4. Coanwood, a village near Haltwhistle.<\/li>\n
  5. The Guildhall in Beverley, bought by the then Governors in 1500. Much rebuilt over the years, it still stands on the same site.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

    *This month’s Flower is provided by Dr Diana Wyatt, editor of the East Riding volume.<\/p>\n\n \n