Pre Industrial Britain

Question 1

Class

Answer 1

Upper class - owned and controlled the land, which they could use for their own pleasure (e.g fox hunting). They had great wealth, which they used as ‘patrons’ (sponsors) of sport, including lower-class pedestrians; their riches also paid for the building of specialist facilities ( e.g real tennis courts)
Lower class - manual/land workers whose participation in sport/pastimes were often linked to their basic/harsh lifestyle (e.g mob football was a simple, violent pastime with few rules), or in some cases their occupation (e.g as footmen racing to beat other footmen), which led to their involvement in pedestrianism as competitors.

Question 2

Law and order

Answer 2

Pre-industrial Britain was characterised by limited law and order, with sports and pastimes often reflecting this - e.g lower class males participated in violent activities such as bare knuckle fighting and dog fighting; they also took part in mob football, which had few rules.

Question 3

Education

Answer 3

Upper class -
- highly literate
- complex written rules
- e.g real tennis
Lower class -
- illiterate + uneducated
- simple/ unwritten rules (decided locally)
- e.g mob football

Question 4

Gender

Answer 4

Upper class -
- women were weaker sex
- lady like activities
- e.g Archery
Lower class -
- women were weaker sex
- non violent activities
- e.g smock races

Question 5

Income

Answer 5

Upper class -
- yes
- facilities and equipment
- e.g real tennis courts
Lower class -
- no
- simple / natural activities

Question 6

Time

Answer 6

Upper class -
- yes; lots of free time
- regular participation
- e.g fox hunting / real tennis
Lower class -
- no; long working hours
- occasional participation
- e.g Shrovetide mob football/ holy days

Question 7

Transport

Answer 7

Upper class -
- yes; horse and cart
- activities less local
- e.g real tennis at market towns
Lower class -
- none; travel by foot
- activities were local
- e.g mob football in the village