Many citizens enjoy sports involving high-flying birds – falcons, hawks and the like – or hounds for hunting in the woods. The citizens have hunting rights in Middlesex, Hertfordshire, throughout the Chilterns, and in Kent as far as the river Cray
FitzStephen shows that Londoners combined city life with rural privileges. Falconry and hunting were not just fun, they were status activities that connected citizens to nature and displayed skill and wealth. This also links to his idea of “men of superior quality,” since these sports required training, discipline, and resources. It’s interesting that medieval urban identity included mastery over the countryside, not just the city itself.