PARTRIDGE
25th December 2023
Photo credit: mirceax (Getty Images), CANVA
Who finds his heifer dead and bleeding fresh,
And sees fast by a butcher with an ax,
But will suspect ‘twas he that made the slaughter?
Who finds the partridge in the puttock’s nest
But may imagine how the bird was dead,
Although the kite soar with unblooded beak?
Even so suspicious is this tragedy.
WARWICK: Henry VI, Part 2, Act 3, Scene 2
PARTRIDGE (Grey Partridge, Perdix perdix)
In the scene above Warwick is accusing the Duke of Suffolk or murdering the Duke of Gloucester, because the circumstantial evidence is overwhelming. There is one other mention of Partridge in Shakespeare’s work, in Much Ado About Nothing. Partridges were eaten roasted and in sauces and the Good Huswifes Handmaide in the Kichin (1594) in a list of different meats which could be eaten at different times of year tells us that “Feasant, partridge and raile be ever good, but best when they be taken by a hawk.”
The Partridge is mentioned twice in the Geneva Bible (1599) and the King James Bible (1611). 1 Samuel, 26:20 “Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of the Lord: for the King of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as one would hunt a partridge in the mountains.
The Grey Partridge used to be common and widespread in Britain but it currently assessed as VU (Vulnerable) in Britain. It is associated with lowland farming and the decline may be linked to agricultural intensification. The Red Legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa) is native to Europe and was introduced to Britain in the late 1700s as a game bird. It is now widespread throughout Britain.
The well known Christmas song “the 12 days of Christmas” starts with a Partridge in a Pear Tree on the first day. The first known written record of this song are in the late 1700s, including a Broadside Ballad and in Mirth without Mischief.
More Information
Ballads Online (Bodleian): 12 days of Christmas
British Trust for Ornithology (BTO): Grey Partridge, Red Legged Partridge
Foods of England: Good Huswifes Handmaide for the Kitching
Geneva Bible 1599: Bible Gateway
Mirth Without Mischief: Accessed via Archive.org
