Regency violence was personified by 'the Fancy', followers of the bare-knuckle boxing championships. The fights captured the interest of many, and were frequently viewed by crowds between 3,000 and 10,000 people (Channel4). The drawn-out fights of massive blood and even bigger egos were regularly fought in and around London, and observed by the elite of the Regency male society. In addition to wagering on the outcomes of these fights, fashionable gentlemen sponsored fighters and often acted as promoters. The competition was not finished until one man lay unconscious, and this often took hours (channel 4). Despite the popularity of boxing, cockfighting was still considered to be the period’s most widespread sport.
Cockfighting ranged across all social classes. Tournaments were held between gentlemen, often geographically based with one area playing another. The cockpits were a common place where all social classes gathered to place bets and watch the match. Although even the smallest town had a cockpit, Regency gentlemen were known to hold contests at their own estate. This pastime was a common practice and even influenced furniture makers to offer cockfighting chairs (GI).
Unlike bare-knuckle bouts between people, cocks were precisely paired by weight in all the more heavily staked cockfights. Human training was elementary when compared to the training of gamecock. The cocks often had bone or metal spurs strapped over the birds' beak to insure a fight to the death. Cockfighting began to diminish in England only after The Royal Society for Cruelty to Animals began to bring actions in the late 1830s, based on an 1835 Act against animal cruelty (GI). With boxing and cockfighting’s growing interest, both created an obsession with gambling.
Gambling amongst the Regency gentlemen was extraordinarily compulsive and beyond what most people could imagine. Devoted gamblers had special coats, eyeshades, as well as special hats to wear while gambling. In order to keep their lace cuffs clean, they would tie leather guards around their wrists. Two of the famous men's clubs in London; White's and Brook's, were social and gambling establishments (Micheletii). White's was famous for it’s betting, where bets could be made on anything. Members were known to bet on a variety of things. Bets ranged from counting the number of cats that would walk down opposite sides of a street, or who would marry one another, who would seduce who, and anything else they could think of. Gambling was so obsessive that a popular food item was invented because a man didn't want to stop gambling to eat. John Montague is said to have asked a servant to bring him sliced meat between two pieces of bread so he could continue gambling and not have to get up and eat (Micheletii).
The Regency era produced a profound obsession with gambling and competitive violence. The rich and fashionable were disgraceful in their inability to find intelligent and moral entertainment. The Regency gentlemen occupied themselves with other tactless and less virtuous amusements such as drugs, porn, and alcohol. Nonetheless, the gentlemen of the Regency era held no standards in the way of entertainment.
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