In his Survey of London, Stow notes the frequency of bear and bull baiting performances 'on the Banks side, wherein be prepared scaffolds for beholders to stand upon.'
In a pamphlet directed at the deteriorating relationships between the rich and poor people of London society, Dekker describes the process of baiting as inhumane and cruel. Expressing sympathy for the wounded animals, he likens the spectacle of…
Parts of the audience scaffolding at Paris Garden collapsed during a Sunday bearbaiting on 13 January 1583. Five days later John Field wrote a pamphlet, soon printed, that interpreted the deaths of seven spectators and injuries of many others as a…