History of Boston Roundhead

          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