What does a bear-baiting assemblage look like? Interdisciplinary analysis of an Early Modern 'sport'
This paper draws together archaeological and archival evidence from nine bear-baiting sites in London suggests a model for identifying similar deposits elsewhere.
This paper is from the AHRC-funded Box Office Bears project, which explores the widespread, surprising, and sometimes alarming recreational interactions between humans and animals in Shakespeare’s time. Bear baiting was very popular and this is the first major study of the practice.
We have examined the remains of the bears and dogs involved, looking at their age, size, health and where they came from, as well as studying archives from across England. We’ve also worked with wrestlers, actors and creative writers to explore the lives of these animals in multiple different ways.
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17th February 2025
Antiquity
Baiting is a hugely unpleasant topic, but understanding it is critical to understanding performance in Shakespeare’s England. The people who went to watch King Lear would also have popped into the arenas to see a baiting. They saw no difference between the practices, and baiting terminology, and even the bears themselves are threaded throughout early modern plays.
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