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Provider: University of Victoria
Database: The Map of Early Modern London
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TY - ELEC
ED - Jenstad, Janelle
T1 - Bearbaiting at Paris Garden
T2 - The Map of Early Modern London
ET - 7.0
PY - 2022
DA - 2022/05/05
CY - Victoria
PB - University of Victoria
LA - English
UR - https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/edition/7.0/BBPM1.htm
UR - https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/edition/7.0/xml/standalone/BBPM1.xml
ER -
Located on the southern bank of the Thames, Paris Garden Stairs provided river access to the Paris Garden Manor House. According to Sugden, a ferry carried passengers between the stairs and Blackfriars (Farringdon Within), which was located across the river (Sugden 391).
For information about the Hope, a modern map marking the site where the it once stood, and a walking tour that will take you to the site, visit the
The Bear Garden was never a garden, but rather a polygonal bearbaiting arena whose exact locations across time are not known (Mackinder and Blatherwick 18). Labelled on the Agas map as The Bearebayting
, the Bear Garden would have been one of several permanent structures—wooden arenas, dog kennels, bear pens—dedicated to the popular spectacle of bearbaiting in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
Located in Farringdon Within Ward, Ludgate was a gate built by the Romans (Carlin and Belcher 80). for his owne honor
(Stow 1:1).
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Project Manager, 2022-present. Research Assistant, 2020-2022. Molly Rothwell was an undergraduate student at the University of Victoria, with a double major in English and History. During her time at MoEML, Molly primarily worked on encoding and transcribing the 1598 and 1633 editions of Stow’s
Project Manager, 2020-2021. Assistant Project Manager, 2019-2020. Research Assistant, 2018-2020. Kate LeBere completed her BA (Hons.) in History and English at the University of Victoria in 2020. She published papers in
Janelle Jenstad is Associate Professor of English at the University of Victoria, Director of
Kevin A. Quarmby is a MoEML Pedagogical Partner and a member of MoEML’s Editorial Board. He is Assistant Professor of English at Oxford College of Emory University. He is author of
Programmer at the University of Victoria Humanities Computing and Media Centre (HCMC). Martin ported the MOL project from its original PHP incarnation to a pure eXist database implementation in the fall of 2011. Since then, he has been lead programmer on the project and has also been responsible for maintaining the project schemas. He was a co-applicant on MoEML’s 2012 SSHRC Insight Grant.
Historian.
Theatre financier. Husband of
Historian. One author of the
Clergyman and printer. Buried at St. Giles, Cripplegate.
Reformer, prebendary of St. Paul’s Cathedral, and martyr. Executed by
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The location of the bear-baiting arena within Paris Garden is unclear, not least because the Paris Garden Stairs labeled on the Agas map merely reference the Thames access to a far larger area that is located outside the mapped illustration. There is, however, tantalizing though contradictory evidence with the
Olde Playe house, adjacent to Paris Garden Manor House. Since theaters and bear gardens often shared the same buildings, it is possible that this is the location of bear-baiting arena, which is separate from the two arenas labeled on the Agas map. The image appears, however, like a birdseye view of the shape, and is notably dissimilar from the perspectival views of the surrounding structures. This anomaly may indicate that what remains of the
Olde Playe houseis merely the footprint, or later addition to the original illustration. Similar consideration must be given to
among these buildings there [was] a place in manner of a Theater for baiting of Beares and Buls with Dogges: and certaine kenels appointed severally for Band-Dogges or Mastives(Camden sig. 2N5r). Since
in manner of a Theater, rather than mention the dual purpose of the
Paris Garden is particularly famous for its appearance in
And to this onelye ende to se them two fyght, Wyth terrible tearynge a full ouglye syght. And yet me thynke those men be mooste foles of all Whose store of money is but verye smale. And yet euerye sondaye they wyll surelye spende, One penye or two the bearwardes liuyng to mende. At Paryse garden eche sondaye a man shall not fayle, To find two or thre hundredes for the bearwardes vaile. One halpenye a piece they vse for to giue When some haue no more in their purse I beleue. Well, at the laste daye theyr conscience wyll declare That the pore ought to haue all that they maye spare. For God hathe commaunded that what we maye spare, Be geuen to the pore that be full of care. If you giue it therefore to se a Beare fyght, Be ye sure goddes curse wyl vpon you lyght.
One halpenye.
Clergyman
certaine Gentlemen, vpon the Sabboth day, going in a whirry to Paris Garden, to the Bearebayting, were drowned: & that a dog was met at Ludgate, carying a piece of a dead child in his mouth.
beyng of late demurrant in London, and the weather by reason of an hard hoare froste beyng somewhat nippyng, repayred to Paris garden(Holinshed sig. B5r). This account demonstrates how the garden did not suffer a loss in popularity, even after violent accidents like the one appearing in
On the. being the Lords day, the Scaffolds fell in Paris Garden, vnder the people at a Beare-baiting, so that 8. were suddenly slaine, innumerable hurt & maimed. 13, of Ianuary, Anno Dom. 1582
who take more pleasure, on the Lords day, to be in a Theatre beholding carnall sportsand enjoined them to remember the
Scaffolds fell in Paris Garden(Bayly sig. 2A11v). Also in
Paris garden in a flourishing estate makes a great noyse still(Boys sig. B4v). While it is unclear whether this
noysecame from bear-baiting or another recreational activity, sufficient instances associating bear-baiting with Paris Garden suggest a public perception of the location as London blood-sports venue for much of the early modern period.