BOB in Print

We are pleased to say two major contributions from the project have appeared over the past month.

For Antiquity, we set out how our particular findings might help future researchers determine whether an archaeological site were used for animal baiting.  One of our key sites, Bankside, offers a rich seam of both archaeological, archival, and discursive printed material about its animal sport activities, meaning we can understand the historical work of the site in the round. Many other archaeological assemblages do not have all such pieces of the puzzle.  We accordingly give background on baiting in early modern England, describe in detail the excavations around Bankside, and explore how zooarchaeology reveals key features on faunal remains for recognising a baiting assemblage.

We also took our show on the road. In an article for The Seventeenth Century journal, we brought together GIS mapping, archaeology, and archives to reimagine the domestic journeys of bears in early modern England.  We measure distances, times, and regularity of movement to understand how bears journeyed and draw wider conclusions about the movement of entertainers on foot in this period more broadly (including Shakespearean playing troupes).

You can view more of our Publications in our online list.

We are delighted to announce that our project monograph is now contracted with UCL Press.  Box Office Bears: Bears and Baiting in Early Modern England is due to appear in c. 2027. The book will offer a comprehensive overview of animal baiting in the period through interdisciplinary study as well as an array of different writing forms, from one-page vignettes setting out “bear journeys” and “bear artefacts” (for easy classroom use) to chapters on inheritances and contexts, performance, audiences, mastiff dogs, travel and trade, and more. You can read our provisional blurb below:

Bear-baiting was among the most popular entertainments of early modern England, and almost everyone in the period would have encountered or known a bear. This book explores, for the first time through a multidisciplinary lens, the variety of evidence for the practice; the animals involved (in London and beyond); and its lessons. Chapters explore the relationship between humans and animals, journeys across and beyond early modern England, gender dynamics, as well as, crucially, the animals (bears, dogs, and bulls) at the centre of this cruel “sport.” We also explore the spectacle, choreography, and dynamics of this display, drawing on our own experiments in performance and combat. This book’s innovative fusion of historical, archaeological, and performance-based research allows it to present a fresh understanding of an overlooked but central Tudor performance tradition.