From the mid-18th century onwards, many Dorset towns and villages set up sparrow clubs. These were not, however gatherings of bird watchers and nature lovers. Their sole purpose was to destroy as many sparrows as possible because it was thought these birds devoured much of the grain being grown. The sparrow was looked upon as an avian rat and a pest. Sparrows were considered such a threat to the harvest that to kill one was almost considered to be a civic duty. They would also burrow into the roofs of farm buildings made of thatch with the consequence the roofs would leak.
For many years sparrow pie was a traditional working class dish and was considered to be a food of the poor. Because the bird is so small at least a dozen would be required for even a family sized pie. In her book The Experienced English Housekeeper published in 1769, Elizabeth Raffald provided a recipe for sparrow dumplings. In 1931, the College of Pestology even offered a prize for the best sparrow pie recipe.
Men and boys would go out with a large net to trap the sparrows and nests were robbed of their eggs. Shooters would use small-bore guns, catapaults and simple traps. The resulting haul would be taken to the Sparrow Club Treasurer who would pay out per sparrow head and egg. At a meeting of the Blandford Farmers’ Club in 1891, it was reported in the various districts in Dorset 1,771 dozen starlings and 7,761 dozen eggs were destroyed. It was agreed at the meeting to continue with the slaughter of the birds.
The Blandford Weekly News of 4th June 1891 reported:
‘Mr Cock-sparrow, impertinent bird that he is, is not to have his own way with the farming crops and garden produce of North Dorset in future as will be evident from a review of our report of the Sparrow Club meeting held at Blandford on Sunday evening...if the destruction goes on at its current rate, the sparrows of North Dorset, at the next census taking, will find unless they can find to adopt some protective measures, the place that knew them once will soon know them no more.’
Blandford Farmers’ Club Chairman, Mr Coate urged the public not to sympathise entirely with the victim before taking trouble to inquire into the amount of damage and the loss occasioned by the small bird. Little sympathy he reckoned, would then be given to the sparrow.
William Barnes wrote the poem the Sparrow Club in the Dorset dialect describing how villagers gathered to tally their booty for cash prizes and celebrate with an evening supper - often held at Christmas. There were fines for those who failed to cull their quota. It became a useful source of beer money and there was also the prospect of sparrow pie. In other parts of the country, there were rat clubs run along similar lines with payments made based on the number of rat tails collected.
Since 1981, it has been illegal to capture and kill sparrows.
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