Pre Industrial Britain (1750-1850)

• social class

  • a group defined by their status within a community
  • defined by economic success as well as family background
  • influenced the sports you took part in
• social class: lower class

  • worked manually on the land
  • simple activities
  • often violent
  • had few rules

  e.g mob football, cock fighting
• social class: upper class

  • gentry who were hereditary land owners
  • more sophisticated games
  • complex rules
  • required money, education & transport

  e.g real tennis, cricket, fox hunting
• gender

  • women participated in very few activities
  • they were thought of as the weaker sex
  • activities couldn't be too strenuous or dangerous
  • took part in activities where they could still wear modest dresses

  e.g smock racing, cycling, archery
• law & order

  • little formal law & order
  • lower class were more involved in violent activities like bare-knuckled fighting - reflecting lack of order & cruelty to animals
  • mob football also had few rules
• education & literacy

  • lower class were uneducated & illiterate, so played simple games with few rules
  • upper class were educated & literate so could read & write, allowing them to understand rules of more sophisticated games
• time

  • lower class had to work long & exhausting hours so had little time to participate
  • upper class had more free time meaning they could participate in sports activities more often
• money

  • upper class had much more money so could afford equipment & appropriate clothing for sports
  • activities like tennis were expensive & exclusive to the upper class that had the land & money
• transport

  • horse & cart was main form of transport, most had to walk
  • this influenced activities developing locally
  • upper class had more opportunities to travel further so could get to facilities, such as tennis courts
• mob football

  • few rules
  • violent
  • unlimited participants
  • played occasionally as celebration & festivity
  • played locally in villages
  • very simple equipment
  • played by lower class
• real tennis

  • many complex rules
  • civilised
  • limited participants
  • played regularly
  • might not be local or regional
  • specialist equipment needed
  • played by lower class
• cock fighting

  • upper class sport
  • there was a great deal of gambling
  • made illegal in 1849
  • traditionally a Shrove Tuesday activity
  • lower class took part by throwing the sticks/stones at the cockrel
• pedestrianism

  • competitive walking
  • lower class were the walkers & upper class were patrons/sponsors
  • aristocrats would put bets on their footmen winning races