Preindustrial

Question 1

Social class

Answer 1

Agrarian society
Two class society
Upper class aristocracy (hereditary titles) or gentry (land owners and upper members of religion)
Lower class or peasants worked manually on the land
Lower class worked long exhaustive hours
Class participated separately in most sports or pastimes eg real tennis upper class mob football lower class
Cricket was both

Question 2

Gender

Answer 2

Society male dominated
Women fewer rights and considered the weaker sex so sports and pastimes limited physical exertion and competitiveness
Genders participated separately in most sports or pastimes eg archery upper class women smock racing lower class women

Question 3

Law and order

Answer 3

Society uncivilised and very harsh compared to modern standards especially for the lower class
No formal police force
No laws to limit violence or animal cruelty
Uncontrolled often excessive gambling/wagering
Sport reflected the harshness as they were often violent and cruel
Eg bare knuckle prize fighting

Question 4

Education

Answer 4

Upper class educated and literate, lower class uneducated and illiterate
Upper class sport and pastimes eg real tennis had more complex rules that were written down
Lower class sports and pastimes eg mob football, simple rules, not written down, passed on by word of mouth

Question 5

Availability of time

Answer 5

Upper classes a lot of free time
Lower classes very little free time time as worked long hours on the land, also very seasonal
Longer working hours in summer
Upper classes sport participated frequently
Lower class sports and pastimes participated occasionally- holy days eg Shrove Tuesday

Question 6

Upper class sport

Answer 6

Real tennis
Fox hunting

Question 7

Availability of money

Answer 7

Upper classes rich lower classes poor
Upper class could include purpose built facilities eg real tennis
Lower class sports and pastimes used little specialist equipment
Played in work clothes and took place on the streets or common land eg mob football
Upper class could afford to wager regularly to show status and wealth, lower class could not occasionally did hoping for rags to riches

Question 8

Type and availability of transport

Answer 8

Upper class limited to horse and carriage on poor roads
Lower class could only travel on foot
Sports and pastimes localised leading to regional variations in rules
Upper classes could travel to nearby landed gentry for real tennis
Lower class mob football in local village only