Manuscripts

The history of bear baiting in England extends further back in time to the medieval period. In this blog post, Dr Will Wyeth, Properties Historian at English Heritage, reveals the fascinating history of a certain Spernellus, a bearward from medieval Richmond who appears in official medieval records.

In this blog post, Harvey Shepherd attempts to think through some of the problems of studying visual culture as a means of reconstructing baiting practices in Europe, using examples from his research on France in the eighteenth century.

We can glean information about bear baiting from different medieval sources such as manuscript marginalia or sketches. But there is a lot more to bears in visual culture than first meets the eye.

We've been tracking bears in inns, arenas, and marketplaces, but they were also “presented” in royal residences and recreational spaces, including the distinguished Banqueting House.

What did pet dogs look like and how were they described?  Although the idea of a “pet” does not quite exist in this period, this list contains detailed descriptions of a wide range of Elizabethan dogs owned by men and women of the age.

This is a probate inventory – a survey of goods and possessions taken after someone's death. When Raphe Whitestones, bearward and yeoman, of Ormskirk in Lancashire died in 1622, a group of local people walked into his house and "assessed" every item thought to be worthy of documentation.