December 16th 2024.
In the 1800s, England underwent a major transformation from a rural, agricultural society to an urban, industrialized nation. This period of time, known as the Victorian era, was marked by great advancements and discoveries. Charles Darwin introduced the concept of evolution, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, and even small inventions like the cheese grater, can opener, and potato peeler became household staples in Britain.
However, amidst all this progress and innovation, a dark and brutal activity was taking place in the seedy "pits" scattered across the country. Defenseless animals were being thrown into fighting rings and forced to engage in bloody battles until death. From the spectators' perspective, it was a source of entertainment as they cheered on the chaos below. These animals were seen as disposable, rarely living long enough to even be given a name.
But everything changed when Jacco Macacco entered the scene. This monkey, whose exact species is unknown, was caught up in the cruel "monkey-baiting" sport, where he was made to fight against much larger dogs. Despite the odds, Jacco quickly gained a reputation for his ferocious fighting style and became somewhat of a celebrity.
According to Joel Griggs, curator of the True Crime Museum in Hastings, Jacco was brought to England during the industrial revolution, a time when the country was expanding its empire and plundering whatever it desired, including endangered species. Monkeys were especially popular to bring back as they could be trained to perform tricks or beg for treats. However, when these animals became agitated, they could turn violent and cause chaos, destroying homes and even attacking people.
Sadly, exotic animals like Jacco were often forced to fight against dogs or badgers in the pits. He was brought over from Africa, most likely from Portsmouth, and weighed between 10 and 12 pounds. Jacco quickly gained fame after defeating dogs at the Chick Lane and Tottenham Court Road pits. In fact, one advertisement from 1821 boasted that Jacco was open to taking on any dog in England for a whopping 100 guineas. During matches, Jacco was kept in a small cage and in the ring, he was tethered to a metal chain to prevent him from escaping into the audience.
As Jacco's popularity grew, he was sold to the owner of the Westminster Pit, Charles Aistrop. His fights now took place in central London, attracting wealthy and influential spectators. The pit itself was designed like a multi-galleried Victorian theater, and rather than charging admission, people would place bets on the outcome of the fights. Members of all levels of society were drawn to these barbaric displays, especially when exotic animals like Jacco were involved.
According to writer William Pitt Lennox, Jacco had a unique fighting style that involved defending himself until he could get a hold of his opponent's neck or arm. Once he did, he would claw and bite until his opponent was defeated. And despite the gruesome appearance of the fights, Jacco's own skin was tough and flexible, making him impervious to his opponent's teeth.
Unfortunately, Jacco's fate is unclear. Some accounts say that during a fight with a dog named "Puss," Jacco's jaw was ripped off, causing him to bleed to death on June 13, 1821. However, other sources claim that Jacco actually won the fight and died 15 months later from an illness. Regardless, his tragic life did have one positive outcome. His fights caught the attention of Irish MP Richard Martin, who was appalled by the cruelty and went on to lobby for the Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act 1822. This was the world's first known animal welfare legislation and initially only protected horses and livestock, but later extended to all animals, including monkeys.
In 1824, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was founded, with Queen Victoria becoming its patron in 1840. However, it took some time for England to become a nation of animal lovers. In fact, as recently as the 1930s, there were still people in London who would pay to have their photo taken with a monkey on a chain.
Today, Jacco's legacy lives on at the True Crime Museum in Hastings, where visitors can see a figurine of him in a fighting ring with a dog and even view his ashes in a brass urn. Although there is no way to confirm if these are truly Jacco's remains, it still makes for a fascinating and poignant story.
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