The Old English Pheasant Fowl is a rare breed of chicken originating in England. Despite its name, it is not a species of pheasant, and is so named based merely on appearance. Mostly concentrated around Yorkshire and Lancashire, it was named and a breed club was formed in 1914. They are thought by some to be one of the precursors to today's Hamburgs. They have rose-type combs and white earlobes. Their plumage is a mahogany hue with darker lacing around the edges. It is a hardy bird that does well in free range conditions as a table bird and a layer of white eggs. In the 21st century, Old English Pheasant Fowl are extremely rare, even in their own country. The Rare Breeds Survival Trust of the U.K. listed them as endangered in their 2008 watch list.
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“There being in the make of an English mind a certain gloom and eagerness, which carries to the sad extreme; religion to fanaticism; free-thinking to atheism; liberty to rebellion.”
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