Popular Recreations In Pre Industrial Britain 3.1.3 1) Flashcards
What is mob football
Mob football is an example of an activity played in pre industrial Britain which very much reflected the characteristics of popular recreations and socio-cultural factors evident at the time
Who played mob
Lower class in society, reflecting the clear division of society into two tiers.
Were was mob played
It was localised form of activity, due to limited transport being available as well as very little development in the way of communications such as newspapers
How was mob played
It was played by the lower class in the fields using natural resources available to them (e.g pigs bladders instead of leather footballs
When was mob played
Long working hours meant that the lower class only played mob football occasionally, e.g. holy days (shrove Tuesday)
What was mob like
It was male dominated and very violent and often unruly in nature, which reflected conditions in society. Illiteracy was widespread in the lower class so there was very little in the way of rules and regulations
Who played real tennis
It was an exclusive activity, played by the upper class males of society. Henry VIII had a real tennis court at Hampton court
How was real tennis played
It was played to a high moral code so it lacked violence and was instead played in a civilised manner, with opponents mutually respectful of one another
When was real tennis played
With plenty of leisure time the upper class were able to play real tennis on a regular basis in expensive, purpose built facilities using expensive specialist equipment.
Where was it played
The upper class had the ability to travel to play real tennis so it was non-local in nature
What was real tennis like
It was a skilful game with difficult technical demands, which enabled the upper class to show their ‘Superiority over the lower class
What is a patron
Member of the gentry who looked after the lower-class performer, e.g. by
The upper class acted as patrons of the lower class runners by setting
arranging competitions for them to participate in, putting up prize money and up races and providing prize money for success.
generally looking after the welfare of the performer.
Who took part in athletics
Footmen (i.e hired servants) competed as messengers for the upper class for their speed of movement across open land
What was athletics like
A form of competitive running/walking in the 17/18 century involving feats of endurance. As time went on racing developed with some ‘challenge rules’. The foot racers/pedestrians were allowed to compete against one another, with a wagering on how many miles they could cover in a specified time period.
What impact would athletics Success have for the upper class and the performer?
Success in athletics meant increased social status for a ‘gentleman’ so the upper class were very happy to act as patrons to the working class performers.
