Pre industrial Britain

Question 1

Describe class

Answer 1

• 2 classes
• Gentry and peasants
• Game law prevented peasants from hunting

Question 2

Describe education

Answer 2

• Gentry were educated to read and write

- Peasants were generally illiterate

Question 3

Describe work

Answer 3

• Main industry was agriculture
• Gentry were land owners
• Peasants were hard labourers farming the land all year round

Question 4

Describe time

Answer 4

• Gentry had little to no demands on their time

- Peasants had very little free time e.g. every Sunday and few allocated holiday days

Question 5

Describe wealth

Answer 5

• Gentry were rich s could afford equipment for games

- Peasants were poor and so could only access natural resources

Question 6

Describe quality of life

Answer 6

• Gentry had a good QoL with lots of leisure

- Peasants had a poor QoL, low mental health and opportunity, their games were cruel and violent

Question 7

Describe transport

Answer 7

G - horse and cart

P - walked

Question 8

Describe religion

Answer 8

The Church was the only challenge to the violence of peasant activities

Question 9

Describe law and order

Answer 9

Very little hence the gentry were civilised and the peasants weren’t

Question 10

Describe gender

Answer 10

Men are superior there was only a smock race for peasant girls

Question 11

Describe animal baiting

Answer 11

• Animals treated poorly so they become aggressive
• Animals enclosed to attack and fight each other for people to watch and bet
• Predominantly peasants
• Enjoyment of inflicting pain possibly for a sense of self worth as they were at the bottom of the feudal system

Question 12

Describe bear baiting

Answer 12

A bear is chained by its neck or foot to a wall or post and then attacked by a pack of dogs
Banned in the nineteenth century in England but still legal in Pakistan

Question 13

Describe cock fighting

Answer 13

• 14 square foot pit with an eight inch high fence
• Generally upper class
• Made illegal in act of parliament in 1849
• Birds would either fight each other or be tied to their backs whilst spectators threw stones

Question 14

Describe real tennis

Answer 14

• Exclusively gentry males and royals
• Happened anytime the gentry or King chose as they had no work commitments
• Purpose built court
• Financial gain through wagering
• Many rules and scoring system
• Played nationally

Question 15

Describe cricket

Answer 15

• Peasants and gentry played together but with different roles and couldn’t socialise
• Seasonal game during the summer
• Success peasants were paid to play for the gentry so they wouldn’t lose money by missing work
• Many rules and equipment

Question 16

Describe mob football

Answer 16

• Peasants played on holy days
• From one end of the village to another
• Unorganised and no rules
• Inflated pigs bladder
• Aggressive