Every three years in medieval England, the king's men went from cottage to cottage cutting the toes off the peasants' dogs. It was called lawing. The dog's forefoot went on a block of wood, a chisel was set across three claws, and they came off with one blow of a mallet. The Charter of the Forest, 1217, records the correct method: three claws of the forefoot, but not the ball. A dog with three toes missing cannot run down a deer. That was the entire purpose. A third of England was royal forest, every animal in it belonged to the king, and a poor man's dog was the one piece of hunting equipment he could not be stopped from owning. So they left him the dog and took its feet. If the inspectors found yours intact, the fine was three shillings, about a month's wages. Before 1217 they simply took your ox. No law ever told that man he could not eat meat. The law took his bow, his dog's toes and his right to the wood, then left him entirely free to work out the rest for himself. He worked it out. He ate oats and beans, and he raised children who ate oats and beans. That is how it is always done. Meat is never banned for the poor. It just becomes, by one sensible regulation after another, impossible to get.Every three years in medieval England, the king's men went from cottage to cottage cutting the toes off the peasants' dogs.
— Sama Hoole (@SamaHoole) September 19, 2026
It was called lawing. The dog's forefoot went on a block of wood, a chisel was set across three claws, and they came off with one blow of a mallet. The… pic.twitter.com/dB9wrobsXl
Count the sensible regulations being drafted for your dinner this year.
