Pre-Industrial Britain [pre 1780]

Question 1

Characteristics of Pre-Industrial Britain.

Answer 1

Communications and transport were limited.
widespread illiteracy [only upper class could read and write]
cruel or violent existences were the norm for lower class.
upper class lived in comfort and luxury.
limited free time as work was based on the land / dictated by seasons
people lived in countryside / rural areas
two tier class system : upper and lower [based on feudal system]

Question 2

What is pre-industrial Britain also know as?

Answer 2

pre-1780.

Question 3

Define the Feudal System.

Answer 3

a way of organizing society into different groups based on their roles. had a king at the top with all of the control, and the peasants at the bottom doing all the work.

Question 4

Define Popular Recreation.

Answer 4

the sport and pastimes of people in pre-industrial Britain. [carnage, chaos, dangerous, fights, law-breaking]

Question 5

List the characteristics of a Feudal System.

Answer 5

Feudal.
Rural.
Small communities.
Harsh Existence.
Work.
Literacy.
Communications.
Church.

Question 6

Explain the Rural Characteristics.

Answer 6

The majority of the population lived and worked in the country.

Question 7

Explain the Communication Characteristics.

Answer 7

The poor stayed in the village - and would only travel to market, with limited knowledge of the outside world.

The wealthy are likely to have a house in London or another large city, they traveled by horse and carriage.

Question 8

Explain the Church’s Characteristics.

Answer 8

Had a strong influence on daily life.
Various teaching, limited leisure time, and controlled behavior.

Question 9

Describe the implications Limited Transport / Communications has on sport within the lower class.

Answer 9

events had to be local due to not being able to travel.
they had to be specific to each community and the area they lived in the countryside.
activities used the natural resources available to them.

Question 10

Describe the implications Illiteracy / Uneducated has on sport within the lower class.

Answer 10

literacy was very low among the lower class.
most sports had no rules, and any rules had to be simple and basic.
rules were applied to a particular community [played differently everywhere]

Question 11

Describe the implications the Harsh Society has on sport within the lower class.

Answer 11

activities were aggressive and male-dominated.
lots of damage to property and injuries to the participants.
women weren’t allowed to play [deemed as weak and needed to look after children]

Question 12

Describe the implications Long Working Hours has on sport within the lower class.

Answer 12

particular recreation activities were occasional./
restricted to annual events and ‘holy days’ e.g. Christmas.
allowed when breaks could be taken in the agricultural calendar.

Question 13

Describe the implications the Two Tier / Feusal System has on sport within the lower class.

Answer 13

wagers were often placed on upper-class activities.
clearly separated from the lower class.
gentry and peasant activities were very different.
[lower class - mob football / upper class - real tennis]

Question 14

Describe the characteristics of Mob Football.

Answer 14

played by the lower class.
very rural in nature.
used natural resources e.g. pig’s bladder.
long working hours meant rarely played [holy days]
male-dominated and highly violent.
basic and simple rules or no rules.

Question 15

Describe the characteristics of Real Tennis.

Answer 15

exclusive to the upper class.
contrasting to mob football.
complex rules - showed the education of the gentry.
play to a strict moral code and civilized manner.
high moral code and lacked violence.
plenty of leisure time so can play on a regular basis.
purpose built facilities - specialist equipment.
played indoors.

Question 16

Describe the characteristics of Athletics.

Answer 16

a.k.a. foot racing or pedestrianism.
gentry wagered on how many miles they could cover in a time period.
developed with ‘challenge rules’
winning a race led to an increase in social status - the gentry would provide financial support to working-class performers.

Question 17

Describe the Sports between both Classes.

Answer 17

Pedestrianism; footmen or butlers racing other footmen/butlers.
Cricket; players [paid lower class who were good enough to be on the team] and Gentlemen Amateurs [saw payment as vulgar, they were rich enough - seen as insulting]

Even when the sporting worlds collided, the upper class still treated the lower class badly.

Question 18

Who created the Wenlock Games?

Answer 18

Dr William Penny Brookes.

Question 19

Explain the History of the Wenlock Olympian Games.

Answer 19

In 1850, the Wenlock Agricultural Reading Society formed a class called the Olympian Class to promote improvements, especially in the lower class people of Wenlock.

Prizes were offered for successful participants and for taking part.

In 1860, Olympian class became known as the Wenlock Olympian Society.

Dr William Penny Brookes was inspired to create the Wenlock Olympian Games.

Question 20

List the Aims of the Wenlock Olympian Games.

Answer 20

Improve Moral, Physical and Intellectual Well-being.

Question 21

What else did Penny Brookes Create?

Answer 21

The Olympian Class -improve moral, physical and intellectual capabilities within the community.

Question 22

Explain the Wenlock Olympian Games.

Answer 22

Mixture of Athletics, Quoits, Football, Cricket, Running and Hurdles.
Written Rules.
Athletes came from all over the Country.
In early Games there are some events such as blindfolded wheel barrow.