Bristol was once famous for the cruelty of having turnspit dogs – see my post elsewhere, but here’s an oddity. I wonder why it never caught on:
There is at this time in the possession of Mr Sample, of the Angel Inn, Felton, a hedgehog which performs the duty of a turnspit as well in every respect as the dog of that na,e runs about the house as familiarly as any other domestic quadruped, displays a docility hitherto unknown in that class of animals and answers to the call of tom. – Derby Mercury 1798
texthistory 