 In October 1773, when the Assize Court was in session, the judges invited the Duke to dinner at the Angel one night; the following night he entertained them at Alnwick Castle  Cockfights, then respectable and legal, were held in a pit behind the Angel - on one occasion for very substantial prizes of £25 and £50.In July 1771, an advertisement was placed, offering an adjacent property for sale, a 10-year lease on the inn itself, and the stock of the inn.For some reason, the business was being offered for sale as a going concern.