Classic Poem

At Wednesbury there was a cocking,
A match between Newton and Scroggins;
The colliers and nailers left work,
And all to old Spittle's went jogging.
To see this noble sport,
Many noblemen resorted;
And though they'd but little money,
Yet that little they freely sported.

There was Jeffret and Colborn from Hampton,
And Dusty from Bilston was there;
Plummery he came from Darlaston,
And he was as rude as a bear.
There was old Will from Walsall,
And Smacker from Westbromwich come;
Blind Robin he came from Rowley,
And staggering he went home.

Ralph Moody came hobbling along,
As though he some cripple were mocking,
To join in the blackguard throng,
That met at Wednesbury cocking.
He borrowed a rifle of Doll,
To back old Taverner's grey;
He laid fourpence-halfpenny to fourpence,
He lost and went broken away.

But soon he returned to the pit,
For he'd borrowed a trifle more money,
And ventured another large bet,
Along with blubbermouth Coney.
When Coney demanded his money,
As is common on all such occasions,
He cried: "Rot thee, if thee don't hold thy rattle,
I'll pay thee as Paul paid the Ephesians.'

Scroggins' breeches were made of nankeen,
And worn very thin in the groin,
When he stooped to handle a cock,
His buttocks burst out behind!
Besides, his shirt tail was all beshet,
Which caused among them much laughter,
Scroggins turned around in a pet,
And cried: "Damn ye all, what's the matter?'

The morning's sport being over,
Old Spittle a dinner proclaimed,
Each man he should dine for a groat,
If he grumbled he ought to be maimed.
For there was plenty of beef,
But Spittle he swore by his troth
That never a man should dine
Till he'd ate his noggin of broth.

The beef it was old and tough,
Of a bull that was baited to death,
Barney Hyde got a lump in his throat,
That had like to have stopped his breath;
The company all fell in confusion,
At seeing poor Barney Hyde choke,
So they took him into the kitchen,
And held him over the smoke.

They held him so close to the fire,
He frizzled just like a beefsteak,
They then threw him down on the floor,
Which had like to have broken his neck.
One gave him a kick in the stomach,
Another a clout on the brow,
His wife said: "Throw him into the stable,
And he'll be better just now.'

Then they all returned to the pit,
And the fighting went forward again;
Six battles were fought on each side,
And the next was to decide the main.
For these were two famous cocks
As ever this country bred,
Scroggins a duck-winged black,
And Newton's a shift-winged red.

The conflict was hard on both sides,
Till Brassy's shift-winged was choked;
The colliers were tarnationly vexed,
And the nailers were sorely provoked.
Peter Stevens he swore a great oath
That Scroggins had played his cock foul;
Scroggins gave him a kick on the head,
And cried: "Yea, God damn thy soul!'

The company then fell in discord,
A bold, bold fight did ensue;
Kick, bludgeon and bite was the word,
Till the Walsall men were all subdued.
Ralph Moody bit off a man's nose,
And wished that he could have him slain,
So they trampled both cocks to death,
And they made a draw of the main.

The cock-pit was near to the church,
An ornament unto the town;
On one side an old coal pit,
The other well gorsed around.
Peter Hadley peeped through the gorse,
In order to see the cocks fight;
Spittle jobbed out his eye with a fork,
And said: "Rot thee, it served thee right!'

Some people may think this strange,
Who Wednesbury Town never knew;
But those who have ever been there,
Won't have the least doubt it is true;
For they are so savage by nature,
And guilty of deeds the most shocking;
Jack Baker he whacked his own father,
And thus ended Wednesbury Cocking.