Cock-Squailing

Those of you who have read The Etymologicon may just remember that in chapter two I recount how the French game of poule, where you threw things at a chicken for a prize, gave us the idea of pooling your money. As I recall, I had a lot of fun at the expense of our Gallic and gallicidal cousins.

However, I have now discovered that we had almost exactly the same sport in England. It was called cock-squailing, or sometimes cock-throwing. It was pretty much the same as the French version. You paid a penny, and in return you were given a stick, or cockstele, to throw at the poor chicken. Whoever killed the chicken, got to eat him.

Changes in attitude to this practice can be seen from two OED citations. The first from 1663:

Cock-throwing. Cock-a-doodle do, 'tis the bravest game.

And the second from 1825:

Cock-squailing, a barbarous game, consisting in tying a cock to a stake, and throwing a stick at him from a given distance, so as to destroy the bird.

There are references to cocksteles going back to the early sixteenth century. However, the fullest description I could find was the following letter to The Sporting Magazine from 1795:

Gentlemen,

As the custom of squailing at cocks is very prevalent in the part of the country in which I reside, and as it may not be known to the generality of your readers, I take the liberty of transmitting the following description.


A few days ago I happened to be a spectator where a rabble of idle fellows were convened for the purpose of barbarously torturing at a stake, those domestic animals. Among the rest, a rustic approached in tattered garb, with a bad on his shoulder, wherein was supposed to be deposited a cock. But though he attended ultimately for the purpose of making the dumb creature the sport of infidels, he feigned to profess himself a friend to humanity, nor would he submit to tie his bird to a stake, as is the custom, but devised the following manoeuvre: That a large earthen pan should be procured, under which the cock was to be lodged, to be paid the gamester's stipulated gratuity for throwing, and whoever was fortunate enough to break the pan, would be entitled to the sheltered victim.


These humane proposals being unanimously acceded to; the rustic artfully conveyed the pretended object of his sympathy under the potter's vessel. A ragamuffin undertook to abolish the clay-burnt mark; and after having incurred a pretty heavy expence shivered the pan to atoms, when to the astonishment of the multitude, (though to their no small diversion) instead of a cock, up flew a huge rusty owl, crying Hoo-hoo-hoo! The winner has ever since been known and called by the name of Hoo-hoo-hoo!


Yours & C
Duckwing
Ipswich
June 10, 1795

Though cock-squailing gets several other mentions, some things make me suspicious of that particular story, not least the name of the correspondent.

Anyway, I thought I'd recount my researches, partly because it's a splendid corroboration of the etymology, partly because I was a little unfair to the French, and partly because cock-squailing was always practised on Shrove Tuesday, which is tomorrow.

Cocksteles at the ready.

The Inky Fool wondered why he had been asked to dress up in such a silly chicken costume.