Roundheads

Origin of Boston Roundhead.

In 1864, John Harwood was head stevedore at East Boston docks for the Cunard Steam Ship Company. In that year one of the streamers brought over from England a trio of gamefowl. The address and shipping bill of this fowl was lost. The company kept the fowl for three months and gave them to Harwood. He paid the shipping charges. Harwood gave the fowl to his friend Ned Gill, who breed and fought them. They called this game strain the Gill Roundheads or Boston Roundheads. They were light red fowls with black breast, more or less streaked with ginger. The hens, light wheaten color. All had YELLOW legs. The imported trio had small ROUNDHEADS, pea combs and heavy feathers (same features of an Allen Roundheads if you noticed).

After Ned Gill died, John Mc Coy of Marblehead,Massachussetts got some of the Gill fowl and crossed this with John Stone"s fowl. The progeny from this mating went to Frank Coolidge and from him to Mr. Duryeas. Mr Duryeas Boston Roundhead has been one of the strain used for breeding the mean and vicious Sanford Hatch. Also, Frank Shy infused a fine Boston Roundhead from M.J.Bowen in 1933 for this Narragansett strain.

History of Allen Roundhead By: A.J. Jarret

 For the original cock of this family I am forever indebted to Dr. Fred Saunders of Salem, Massachusetts. I paid him the highest price ever paid for a gamecock in America. I took this cock and breed him a Grist yellow legged Grady hen. I raised 4 stags and 7 pullets. I then bred the old cock back to his daughter each season line breeding him until his offspring were 1/8 to 1/16 Grady and Balance Roundhead. By this method I increased their size, station, bone and muscle. They nearly all come yellow legged and often with white in their wings. The old cock was a spangle.

I then got from Mr. John M. Vines of Jefferson, Texas a very old cocker, 3 hens of his old inbred Cripple Tony family. These hens were dark fowl and legs. I bred the old original Roundhead to these hens. The cross was a hit and kept breeding the old cock to his daughters each season, breeding to the Roundhead side. This stock often throws a dark pullet or stag coming of course from the Cripple Tony blood. This family of Roundheads is one of the Greatest on earth. They are dodgers and smart cocks like a pro boxers of today. They use their head as well as their feet and they have won more mains and tournaments than any cocks known to the south.