In the “Household Book” of Henry Percy, fifth Earl of Northumberland, which was commenced in 1512, the pheasant is thus referred to:—
“Item, Fesauntes to be hade for my Lordes own Mees at Principall Feestes and to be at xijd. a pece.”
“Item, Fessauntis for my Lordes owne Meas to be hadde at Principalle Feistis ande to be at xijd. a pece.”[120]
GAME-PRESERVING.
In the year 1536, Henry VIII. issued a proclamation in order to preserve the partridges, pheasants, and herons “from his palace at Westminster to St. Giles-in-the-Fields, and from thence to Islington, Hampstead, Highgate, and Hornsey Park.” Any person, of whatever rank, who should presume to kill, or in any wise molest these birds, was to be thrown into prison, and visited by such other punishments as to the King should seem meet.
Some interesting particulars in regard to pheasants are furnished by the “Privy Purse Expenses of King Henry VIII.” For example, under date xvjth Nov. 1532, we have:—
| “Itm̃ the same daye paied to the fesaunt breder in rewarde | ixs̃. | iiijd. |
| “Itm̃ the xxv daye paied to the preste the fesaunt breder at Elthm in rewarde ij corons | ixs̃. | iiijd. |
And in December of the same year:—
| “Itm̃ the xxijd. daye paied to the french Preste the fesaunt breder for to bye him a gowne and other necesarys | xls̃.” |
From these entries it would appear that even at this date some trouble and expense was incurred in rearing pheasants. No allusion, however, is made to their being shot. They must have been taken in a net or snare, or
killed with a hawk. The last-named mode is indicated from another source[121]:—