Sidney Oldall Addy

“ Imperfect: as these traditions are we are enabled by their help to see the origin and meaning of the Sheffield "bull week." It was the practice at Tutbury in Staffordshire to cut up and divide the bull, for Dr. Plot, in concluding a long account of the bull-running in that town tells us that "the minstrels had him for their own, and might sell, kill, and divide him amongst themselves as they thought fit." [2] Bull-baiting seems to be a survival of sacrifices of that animal formerly made in England. ”

“ When the work is over the men say that they have "getten t' bull by t' tail." The question "has ta getten t' bull down?" is also asked. It would appear that these questions were not originally connected with the making of cutlery, but that they point back to the existence in Sheffield of a public bull-running held at Christmas or about that time. And the whole evidence taken together also points to the former existence in this city of a ceremony similar to the one which was observed at Tutbury. ”