Elizabethan Pastimes
Elizabethan pastimes/entertainment
1 Bear and Bull baiting:
Bear and Bull baiting is a form of entertainment popular in the Elizabethan age, wherein a bear or a bull is tormented by dogs or by a man with weapons, like a whip.
Bull baiting dogs, referred to today as bulldogs, were bred to bait animals, mainly bulls and bears, such as the Old English Bulldogs.
Before the event started, the bull's nose was blown full of pepper to enrage the animal before the baiting. The bull was often placed in a hole in the ground. A dog would then attempt to flatten itself to the ground, creeping as close to the bull as possible, then darting out and attempting to bite the bull in the snout.
Many bears were maintained for baiting. Arenas for this purpose were called bear-gardens, consisting of a circular high fenced area, the "pit", and raised seating for spectators. A bear would be chained to a post set in the ground. A number of well-trained hunting dogs would then be set on it.
2 Dog fighting:
Dog fighting was all the rage during the Elizabethan era, and was a sport which drew many spectators.
In this form of entertainment, fighting dogs, such as bulldogs, were brought into an arena by their owners (dogmen), and were set upon each other to fight.
The winner would be declared when one dog was killed, one dog fails to injure the other or one dog jumps out of the pit. The losing dog would be killed by the dogman. 3 Jousting:
Jousting was a favourite form of entertainment during the Middle Ages, and was actually a ground for the training of mediaeval knights.
A joust is defined as a fight between mounted knights wearing armour and using lances.
The primary aim is to strike the opponent with the lance while riding towards him at high speed, if possible breaking the lance on the opponent's shield or jousting armour, or unhorsing him.
1 Bear and Bull baiting:
Bear and Bull baiting is a form of entertainment popular in the Elizabethan age, wherein a bear or a bull is tormented by dogs or by a man with weapons, like a whip.
Bull baiting dogs, referred to today as bulldogs, were bred to bait animals, mainly bulls and bears, such as the Old English Bulldogs.
Before the event started, the bull's nose was blown full of pepper to enrage the animal before the baiting. The bull was often placed in a hole in the ground. A dog would then attempt to flatten itself to the ground, creeping as close to the bull as possible, then darting out and attempting to bite the bull in the snout.
Many bears were maintained for baiting. Arenas for this purpose were called bear-gardens, consisting of a circular high fenced area, the "pit", and raised seating for spectators. A bear would be chained to a post set in the ground. A number of well-trained hunting dogs would then be set on it.
2 Dog fighting:
Dog fighting was all the rage during the Elizabethan era, and was a sport which drew many spectators.
In this form of entertainment, fighting dogs, such as bulldogs, were brought into an arena by their owners (dogmen), and were set upon each other to fight.
The winner would be declared when one dog was killed, one dog fails to injure the other or one dog jumps out of the pit. The losing dog would be killed by the dogman. 3 Jousting:
Jousting was a favourite form of entertainment during the Middle Ages, and was actually a ground for the training of mediaeval knights.
A joust is defined as a fight between mounted knights wearing armour and using lances.
The primary aim is to strike the opponent with the lance while riding towards him at high speed, if possible breaking the lance on the opponent's shield or jousting armour, or unhorsing him.