pre industrial britain Flashcards
when is pre industrial britain
pre 1750
what does SEALTAG stand for
- social class
- education
- availability of time
- law and order
- transport
- availability of money
- gender
what was social class like during pre industrial britain
- Pre industrial was known as a feudal society - 2 tier society
- → lower class peasants: worked manually, mainly on land, rural, huge migration.
- → Upper class aristocracy: gentry, lots of money, hereditary titles
- Classes participated in different activities
what was education like during pre industrial britain
- Upper class → could read + write, had a form of education - school
- Lower class → no access to education, couldn’t read or write
- Lower class played simple games, no rules written down
- Upper class played structured games
what was availability of time like during pre industrial britain
- Upper class: lots of recreation time
- Lower class: long manual work hours, lacked time + energy, if hurt they cant work, seasonal activities → on religious festivals one day a year, e.g. easter
what was law and order like during pre industrial britain
- Uncivilised society with no police force → sport: aggressive, rough, dangerous, violent
- Only rule in mog football was no murder
- Bare-knuckle fighting
what was transport like during pre industrial britain
- Roads in poor condition, didn’t have a road system
- Transport limited for lower class - mainly foot, horses used for manual work. –> Sport was very local, each game of mog football would have a different variation depending on location
- Upper class could travel using horses → could learn more games - travelled to France and brought back real tennis
what was availability of money like during pre industrial britain
- Lower class were poor so activities were simple/natural
- Both classes associated with wagering/gambling but for different reasons → lower class gamble products, upper class gamble on lower class, such as providing a ball or gambling on the result
- Upper class could afford equipment
- Lower class had to use simple resources
what was gender like during pre industrial britain
- male dominated society
- No women’s rights, cant vote, traditional roles (society affected culture)
- Women viewed as physically weaker + socially inferior → can’t partake in strenuous and dangerous sports → most played was smock racing (smock kept their femininity)
what was sport like for the lower class during pre industrial britain
- Mob football, cock fighting, dog fighting, bare-knuckle fighting, cheese rolling, smock racing
- Very violent - no police to monitor well being of animals or humans
what was sport like for the upper class during pre industrial britain
- Lived a civilised life often in stately homes
- Participated in sports which were non violent - valued skill over forced —> real tennis, cricket, archery, fox hunting
- Lots of wagering
what was real tennis like during pre industrial britain
- origins came from France - Would’ve been played in the market place as it finished early + courts designed around market place lower class didn’t have availability of time + money, so when they finished at the market they would play
- Played by king Henry the 8th (royals + v upper class), had availability of time and money so could travel to France, saw the game + replicated it in England
People could watch from gallery + put their wages/fortunes on results
what was sport like for both classes during pre industrial britain
- Some activities were for both classes to participate in, but they had different roles
- These activities were often linked to the occupation of the peasant classes, commonly labouring or serving the upper class
- Cricket - upper class were amateur (known as gentlemen), lower class could become professional + get paid (known as players)
- Upper class ‘patron’ - sponsor
- Pedestrianism - mixture of classes - guards for the upper class (employed lower class as footmen - guarded horse + carriage of upper class) They would enter (walking) races against other footmen.