Regency Pastimes: Monkey Baiting and the Westminster Pit

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CW: Animal Cruelty

Most Regency readers and writers will be well aware of bull, cock and dog fighting that occurred in the Regency era as a popular pastimes for men. However, I wasn’t aware until reading Egan and Cruikshank’s Life in London for my post on the term Corinthian, that in the 1820s a monkey was introduced to the ring.

Jacco Macacco (also spelled Jacko Macauco), was a fighting monkey or game monkey.  He was alternatively billed as the Hoxton Ape or Hoxton Monkey.

According to a recount by Lord Lennox in 1860:

monkey Jacko Macauco This celebrated animal the champion of monkeys was a native of Africa and derived his first name from the jolly jack tars his sponsors on board a merchant ship which brought him when young from his native country to England and the latter from some pretended naturalist who was ignorant that Macauco is the addendum of the lemur which though comprised in the same classification is an animal of a very
different species However taking the name as we find it we shall proceed to give the reader such an account as we have been able to glean of this gamest of all game animals Jacko was landed at Portsmouth and whether he displayed any token of his invincible spirit and rising glory on shipboard is not known although it is very likely he might have done so as a dog is generally to be found on board ship However that might be his courage was soon put to the test at the place of his landing in this not to him land of liberty and as the managers of the London theatres ransack all the provincial ones and transplant actors of promising talent particularly those of foreign extraction to whom the English are notoriously partial to the boards of the metropolis so Jacko's increasing fame caused him soon to be removed to the London arenas where his valour burst into a full blaze or as the first Napoleon phrased it the sun of Marengo Austerlitz and Jena shone on and instigated him to further deeds of glory Jacko was transferred by his new master to Hoxton in the vicinity of London and was exhibited in the pit in Chick Lane West Smithfield and in the Tottenham Court Road pit where he fought and won several battles and took the conceit out of some of the very stoutest breed of
dogs that this country could boast of But whether his master allowed him too small a share of the golden spoils or for some other reason which was best known to himself for Jacko was not over and above communicative he once bit instead of kissing the managerial fist when presented to him and was disposed of as an ungrateful monkey to one Charles Eastop who was then proprietor of that famous dog fighting badger and bearbaiting arena the old Westminster pit in Duck Lane Orchard Street This celebrated place was

Lennox goes on to say that first, Jacco’s fights were viewed by rough customers, but his successes soon made him a high demand fighter attracting “the peer and the pickpocket, the duke and the duffer, the earl and the housebreaker, the country gentleman and the London cadger, the squire and the dog’s meat man.”

Jacco was less than twenty pounds, and often pitted against dogs of similar size.

Lennox goes on to describe his fighting style, food habits, and more.

Other descriptions tell a story of a once gentle pet who suddenly became aggressive and attacked his owner, resulting in being sold.

Animal fighting was not without controversy as shown in this publication:

from Lanark 16 In the House of Commons Martin of Galway presented a petition from a number of respectable of Camberwell in support of the Bill pending to prevent cruelty to animals The Hon Member detailed the of the man who keeps a place in minster where Jacco Macacco a monkey has exhibited his prowess this pate animal said Mr M after fought many pitched battles was against a dog of double its weight Jacco fought the dog for half an hour and battle terminated by the dog tearing the whole of the monkey's lower jaw the monkey's ripping up the dog's stą mach Both animals died in a few nutes Even the carcase butchers Whitechapel aware of the atrocious com elties committed have united in a tion for a Bill to restrain the practices of mankind The Monthly Magazine (1822)

In fact, this conversation would continue for over a decade at Parliament.

 

The Westminster Pit was a popular blood sport arena in the 19th century, with peak popularity between 1820-1830. In addition to dog and cock (and monkey) baiting, they also featured bear, badger and rat baiting. The gallery could hold 200 people surrounding a wooden fenced pit where the fighting would take place. This blog goes in to more detail about some of the activities at the Westminster Pit.

Westminster Pit was said to be founded by royals, or at least sanctioned by them:

of the acts of Oliver Cromwell March 31 1654 are no documents that we are acquainted with to inform us in what state the art of fighting cocks existed the reign of king Henry VIII who it is supposed the celebrated national cock pit at Westminster afterwards renewed and encouraged by Charles II whose pile cocks the introduction of this monarch are in high estimation among numerous breeders at this day From that period annual mains have been fought at the royal pit in Westminster to the present time The Cyclopædia, Or, Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature (1799)

This was arguably also a hot spot, if an underworld one, as its not mentioned in any of the many London guidebooks from the era.

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2 Responses to Regency Pastimes: Monkey Baiting and the Westminster Pit

  1. Susan Macdonald says:
    February 7, 2022 at 11:43 am

    Am I correct on thinking this would be a sport for men only? That it would be unladylike for a gently born female to attend such an exhibition?

    • Anne says:
      February 8, 2022 at 6:30 am

      Thanks for the question! As far as I am able to glean from primary resources, it would have been very unusual for a gently born female to attend.