The first venue for animal baiting on the Bankside was near Mason's Stairs, in the area of the Great Pike Garden, according to John Taylor, a 77-year-old witness in a 1620 court case. A second venue for animal baiting was located near Maid Lane on the SE corner of the King's Pike Garden, also according to Taylor. Little is known about either of these arenas and their operators.
The third venue for animal baiting, designated by W.W.Braines (Globe Playhouse) as Bear Garden no. 3, was located at the S end of the Bell and Cock property on Bankside. Low scaffolds were erected as viewing stands, likely no more than 15-18m in exterior diameter. The outer court faced the Thames with entrance through the Bell and Cock buildings. A dog yard with kennels for the mastiffs used in baiting, housing for bears, a bull house and a hay house were built on Crown land to the W. When the scaffolding collapsed in January 1582/3, the Bear Garden arena was rebuilt. This new venue was 'larger in circuit and compasse' with galleries (Mackinder et al, Hope playhouse, 11--12).
ca. 1550 onwards Bearbaiting, typically permitted on Sundays as well as holidays, was a popular form of public entertainment on Bankside. Eyewitness accounts through the decades mention apes on horseback, white bears and bulls among other animal acts freatured (Chambers, Elizabethan Stage, vol 2, 454--7).
Demolished long since. Partial excavation of the site of the Bear Garden and Hope was done in 1996.
1539, 18 January Ralph Sadleyr sold the Crown lease of the Unicorn and King’s Pike Garden in Southwark to Henry Polsted.
1540 The Bell and Cock and Barge properties on Bankside, Southwark granted in a 99-year lease to William Payne by Bishop Steven Gardiner.
1546, September Thomas Fluddie, yeoman of the king’s bears and resident of Bankside, given license to bait in the stews on Bankside.
1546, December John Allen, yeoman of prince’s bears and resident of Bankside, given license to bait in Southwark.
1552, 26 April John Allen recorded as a sub-tenant of the bearyard on one part of the Polsted property. Thomas Fluddie also named as a sub-tenant.
by 1559 Robert Wistowe held tenancy of the bear yard on Polsted property.
ca. 1560 William Payne licensed to bait bears as deputy to Cuthbert Vaughan, master of the bears, bulls and mastiff dogs (Mackinder et al, Hope playhouse, 11).
ca.1560-73 Payne’s Standings erected by William Payne and Simon Poulton, yeoman of the king's bears, at the Bell and Cock on the Bishop of Winchester’s land.
1572/3, February Payne assigned his sub-lease of the bear houses, bull houses, yards, and baiting arena to Edward Wistowe.
1574 William Payne died.
1575, 8 April Joan, William Payne's widow, assigned the head lease to her daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter (Thomas, Margery, and Elizabeth Warram/Warrover) for the remainder of the 99 years.
ca. 1578 Wistowe assigned the sub-lease of the Bear Garden with right to hold games to John Napton, grocer of London.
1579, December John Napton sold a dubious 40-year sub-lease of the premises to his creditors, John Digges and John Gape, but also sub-leased the Bear Garden premises to Morgan Pope, goldsmith of London who acquired the title when Napton defaulted on payment. Pope conveyed the 40-year lease to Edward Bowes, who had a license to bait bears. Bowes appointed William Glover as his deputy to bait bears.
1582, August Joan Payne assigned the head lease of the Bell and Cock to John White and John Malthouse.
1582/3, 13 January The scaffolds around the arena collapsed during a show. The Bear Garden was rebuilt by June of that year.
1584 Edward Bowes launched a suit against Digges & Gape in the Court of Requests over the lease of the Bear Garden.
1585--90 Pope retained control of the Bear Garden.
1589 John Malthouse bought out White’s half of the head lease of the Bell and Cock.
1590, December John Napton died. The sub-lease of the Bear Garden was conveyed to Thomas Burnaby who leased it to Richard Reve for 7 years 'at £120 per annum including the house where Napton had formerly lived, the scaffolds, the dogs and the right to hold the baiting games, on payment of fees to the Master of the Game' (Mackinder et al, Hope playhouse, 13).
1594 Edward Alleyn bought Burnaby’s sub-lease of the Bear Garden properties for £450 and was licensed to hold games by Ralph Bowes, Master of the Bears, Bulls and Mastiff Dogs. He conveyed half the interest in the lease to Philip Henslowe.
1595, November Henslowe bought the head lease of the Bell and Cock property from John Malthouse.
1598, 7 August Ralph Bowes died and John Dorrington became Master of the Bears, Bulls and Mastiff Dogs.
1599, November Jacob Meade appointed Henslowe’s manager of the Bear Garden as deputy keeper of the Royal Game of Bears, Bulls and Dogs (Cerasano, ''Master of the Bears,' 204).
1604, November Henslowe and Alleyn purchased the license for joint Mastership of the Bears, Bulls and Mastiff Dogs from the king's appointee, William Stewart, for £450.
1606 Contract between Henslowe and Alleyn and the builder, Peter Street, to demolish a building (likely the Bell and Cock) on the Bankside and replace it with a gatehouse, 2 and a half storeys high, to the Bear Garden. The gatehouse included a tenement for the bear keeper (where Meade lived), a taphouse and an office for Henslowe and Alleyn (Mackinder et al, Hope playhouse, 13).
1609/10 Alleyn sold his share in the sub-lease of the Bear Garden to Henslowe who leased it to Jacob Meade (Cerasano, '"Master of the Bears"' 204).
1613 The Bear Garden demolished in order to build the Hope playhouse further to the S on Crown land.
