A2 PE

Comparative Studies

History11/1/13

Learning Objectives

• Understand how people spent their leisure time before the industrial revolution

• Relate how sport of pre-industrial Britain reflected the society of the time

• Be able to give example of popular recreation• Understand the key characteristics of popular

sports & recreations

PracticalName Sport

S.P Judo

E.D Netball

C.G Dressage

S.B Football

M.B Rugby

M.H Basketball – DVD √

Focus

• Written communication• Spelling• Grammar • Punctuation• Sentence construction• Technical language• Paragraphs

History

• Factors that have impacted physical activity• Thinking as a historian• Social class and gender• Popular recreation• Social and cultural factors• Pre-industrial Britain

History

1 Popular recreation; pre industrial

2 Rational recreation; post

industrial

5. Drill, physical Ed

in state

4. Case Studies

3 . 19th Century public schools

Remember the questions:-

• WHERE is it? • WHO is involved? • WHEN is it taking place? • WHY?• HOW?

• Then and now, why and how?

Four aspects of Sports HistoryImportant to understand the characteristics of each

century ~ Influence on each aspect

1700

1800

1900

2000

Pre-industrial18th century

Post-industrial

20th century19th century

Popular recreation

Public school athleticism

Rational recreation

State elementary education

Social and Cultural factors of popular recreation (18th cent)

Life was difficult; High mortality rates, Public hangings (uncivilised) Low literacy amongst the poor, Poor communications (transport and communication), No technological advancements.

Task:Think and draw the characteristics of popular recreation based on the above facts.

Eg; Played locally due to poor transport.

Life in Pre-industrial BritainSocietal background

• Life expectancy was 35 Years• Pre-Christian rituals often

involved competition – hunts & fights.

• Mob games had origins in pagan times.

• Often ball games Ashbourne in Derbyshire & Alnwick in Northumberland.

• Others, such as Haxey Hood game, were based on folk tales. www.mercia.f9.co.uk/haxey_hood.htm

Life in Pre-industrial BritainThe medieval sporting year

• Spring fertility festivals• New Years Day & Plough

Monday (1st Monday after Christmas

• Most at Easter - Shrove Tuesday popular for ‘mob games’, (football, tug of war & animal baiting). Before lent.

• May Day – men chased women, ritual of fertility.

• Whitsuntide – dancing & games• Cotswold games in summer –

running, jumping & throwing.

Life in Pre-industrial BritainThe medieval sporting year

• Population was totally rural

• Largest town had a population of 20,000

• 30 ‘holy’ days when sport could be played

• Gentry & peasants• Some sports

overlapped

16th – 17th Century• Henry VIII did not wish to change religious, social or sporting habits

when he broke with Rome• After the Reformation (religious movement in the sixteenth century,

reform of the Roman Catholic Church: Protestantism, Puritism) came an attack on sports and pastimes

• Puritans were fiercely opposed to the excess, unruliness, spontaneity, swearing and drinking associated with contemporary recreations

• Protestantism believed idleness and playfullness were sinful and that salvation could only be earned through a lofe of prayer and self discipline

• Bleak time for Popular Sports and pastimes• Puritan ethic gave way to work ethic and spreading of Protestantism,

where by leisure pursuits were acceptable only by restoring people for work

• Protestantism 1700 – 1800: provided feast days and space for gatherings• Church criticised the excess violence linked with Pop Rec. Result was a

decline in community participation

18th Century• Life for peasants was tough• Sports and pastimes echoed this harshness• Baiting and blood sports attracted large crowds

– Trained dogs attacked tethered bears or bulls

• Ratting contests saw dogs released into an enclosed pit to kill as many rats as possible

• Crowds would bet on the outcome• Cock fighting saw prize birds with sharp spurs attached to their claws to

ensure maximum damage to the opponent. This was comparatively well organised which would take place in an inn’s yard

18th century Village life• Pub or drinking house was central to village life

– Socialise– Do business– Find work– Receive wages– Organise political activity– Stopping station for horse coaches– Focus of leisure activities for the community

• It hosted bear and badger baiting• Also, less barbaric pursuits such as quoits, bowls and billiards• Landlords would provide prizes and popularity of these would

boost profit• A famous example of this is the public house in Hampshire at the

Bat and Ball Inn. Hambledon Cricket Club was the nurturing home of cricket between 1750 - 1780

Characteristics of

popular recreation

Natural/SimpleLack of technology,

Purpose-built facilities and money for the

masses.

LocalLimited transport and

communications. Played locally.

Simple, unwritten rulesIlliteracy, no National

Governing Bodies.

Cruel/violentReflecting the harshness of

18th cent rural life.

OccasionalLimited free time due to work. Free time on Holy

days and annual holidays.

Courtly/popularPre-industrial Britain was a

two-class system;Upper and peasant .

RuralBefore the Industrial

Revolution, Britain was agricultural and rural.

OccupationalWork often became the

basis of play.

WageringA chance to go from rags to

riches

How many characteristics of Popular Recreation can you see?

18

How many characteristics of Popular Recreation can you see?

19

Popular Recreation

Tracing the developments

Tracing the developments

Pre-Industrial Britain?

• Transport• Industry…

Remember the questions:-

• WHERE is it? (rural; urban; natural)• WHO is involved? (class/gender)• WHEN is it taking place? (occasional/regular)• WHY are participants involved? Amateur;

professional; entertainment; wager?• HOW is it being performed? (simple? rules;

cruelty? violence?; sportsmanship?)

The Village Ba’ Game

Popular recreation Characteristics?

• P• L• O• C• R• O• W• S

Popular recreation Characteristics?

• Popular/courtly• Localised• Occasional • Cruel/Violent• Rural• Occupational (we’ll look at this later)• Wagering• Simple/Un-written rules• Simple/Natural

Popular/courtly• Britain was a 2 class society: • Aristocracy/ gentry/courtly; Upper class; these were

the very wealthy; owned the land• Peasantry; Lower class; Popular; extremely poor;

worked on the land• Both classes loved play; they rarely mixed

(sometimes they did though) however so activities could be either popular or courtly.

• EXAMPLE: Courtly played Real Tennis; Popular played mob games

Local

• Many games/activities were localised to a region/town/village/area.

• Example: The Ashbourne football game was only played in Ashbourne, Derbyshire.

Occasional

• Many of these activities only took place on special Annual occasions or Saints Days.

• EXAMPLE: Ashbourne Football takes place during the Shrovetide holiday

Cruel/Violent• Violence between humans was commonplace; cruelty to

animals was popular amongst both classes. Drinking was also excessive (and not considered ill-bred) and fuelled this behaviour.

• EXAMPLE: the ‘Cock Shy’; bear and bull baiting; bull running; the prize ring and ‘rampaging’!

Rural• Britain was in a ‘pre-industrial’ state. Agriculture was

the main industry and most activities took place on natural rural environments.

• EXAMPLE: Swimming and bathing in natural rivers; cricket on open fields

Wagering• Gambling (you must call it wagering in Popular rec.

contexts) was a compulsion amongst both the peasantry (to win money) and aristocracy (to demonstrate wealth and spice up mundane lifestyles). Huge sums were wagered. They bet on pretty much anything!

Simple Unwritten rules/Un-coded• Many activities and local customs were past down by

word of mouth. The lower classes were illiterate and only occasionally (specifically cricket and real tennis) were regulations written down.

“Pre-industrial popular recreation reflected the society, life and time in which it existed”

Pre-industrial society

• Two class system: feudal system• Cottage/Agriculture industry• Limited communication/transport• Poor literacy• Harsh society/poor law and order• Limited free time• Rags to riches

Popular games and recreations of pre-industrial Britain

This is to provide case studies of pastimes undertaken in this era.

• Real Tennis – sport confined to the gentry• Football – a game of the peasants• Cricket – a game with some degree of social

mix was permissible.

Effects on Health• Varying opportunities for participation• Class system• Upper class and Lower class• Gender• Class• Prepare a note presentation on the factors that

differentiate opportunities for the varying classes and genders

Then and Now, why and how?

Pop rec overview to be linked to rational recreation

• Seasonal time• Limited transport and communication• Illiteracy• Harsh rural lifestyle• Feudal system/ two-class society• Agricultural• Uncivilised, lack of policing system• Lack of technology

• Games were occasional; • Skill competency not developed in working class.• More force used.• Health benefits questionable.• No rules = injury, mortality and recovery time.• Male dominated.• Some skill development in middle class, as they used

equipment.• Legacy of pop rec games is significant.• Ashbourne football.• Rural areas still have festivals.• Surviving ethnic sports – Highland Games and Cheese Rolling

(AS link).• Blood sports banned. Fox hunting survived longer as favoured

by upper class.

Rational recreation

• Industrial revolution transformed society from a rural agricultural system to an urban factory system

• Middle class was developed in post-industrial Britain and became a dominant social and sporting force

• Meanwhile, the rural peasants who had migrated to towns to find factory work became known as the working class

• Working class opportunities and provision fell way below that of their social superiors. Long hours, low wages, anxiety, low age workers

Case study information

Mob/folk games – mob football

Mob/folk games – Case Studies

• Ashbourne Shrovetide Football

Mob/folk games – Case Studies

• The Ba’ Game

How closely did mob football match pop. Rec. characteristics?

Mob football: Popular recreation Characteristics?

• Popular/courtly? Yes, how?• Localised? Yes, how?• Occasional? Yes, how? • Cruel/Violent? Yes, how?• Rural? Yes, how?• Occupational (we’ll look at this later)• Wagering? Yes, how?• Simple/Un-coded? Yes, how?

The games of the court & the gentry

• Time available• Economic reasons• Social Advantage• The horse• Soldier• Literature• Gambling (bowling,

horse racing, cock fighting & archery

The games and recreations of the populace

• Holy Days• Localised (ready to hand

materials)• Recreations changed• Mass football or ‘stick games

(hurling)• Teams selected on simple criteria

such as ‘Uppers’ & ‘downers’• Few rules• In summer strength tests & races• Baiting sports between dogs,

cockerels, or dogs & bulls and bears.

• Military preparation

Festivals and the role of the Church

• National Celebrations• Urbanisation• The Reformation –

Puritanism, Sacrilegious to play on Sundays & Holy days, frivolous & non-productive.

• The Restoration – Return of King Charles II, Active Church approach to sport.

‘The gates to salvation can only be opened by what a person believes, thinks or feels during their earthly life’.

Real Tennis• Originated in France• Popular in Britain in 14

Cent.• Kings, Nobles &

Merchants.• Originally constructed

from courtyards• Net was a rope or cord.• Gloves then short handled

rackets.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYvbHCMBxuU

Real/Royal tennis

“The sophisticated exclusivity of

real tennis was the exact

opposite to the rustic

simplicity of folk games” (Davis, 1997)

?

Some characteristics of Real/Royal Tennis?

• Sophisticated• Exclusive• Skill over force• Regulated• Artificial facilities• (OHP)

So how does Real Tennis fit into our general characteristics of popular recreation?

Real tennis: Popular recreation Characteristics?

• Popular/courtly? Yes, how?• Localised? • Occasional? • Cruel/Violent? • Rural? • Occupational?• Wagering? • Simple/Un-coded?

Football• New & Shrovetide

celebrations• Referred to as street

football – maintaining rights of way

• Alnwick in Northumberland moved to fields – St. Michaels & St. Peter’s (parishes)

• Few rules, distinct teams & goals

Cricket• Ancient origins• Ancient Celts & Romans• Weald of Southern

England in 1700 – downland grass, a ball of wool & a crook

• Bat & Ball Inn, Hambledon• 1744 published rules

Key Revision Points

• Pop rec took place in pre-industrial Britain• Church calendar allowed regular time for leisure and

sport• Social distinction between court & peasantry – mob,

informal, large scale & violent• Cricket a game where classes could intermix• Animal sports were popular – baiting for lower

classes, hunting for upper classes.