OCR Characteristics of Pre-Industrial Britain

Popular Recreation- Sports and pastimes mainly associated with the lower class. This term could also refer to the most popular pastimes at that time such as Mob football or Cricket (depending on class)

Characteristics (mainly relevant to lower class)

• Wagering - for the poor was a chance to go from rags to riches, for the rich was a way of showing off.
  
• Simple - Most people where illiterate due to lack of education so very few written rules (one exception was cricket)
  
• Occupation - Most people worked in factories which worked on 666 weeks (6am-6pm 6days a week
  
• Rural - Few cities and towns
  
• Occasional - Holy days & annual holidays e.g Shrove Tuesday
  
• Cruel and Violent - Reflected harshness of life usually ended up in fatalities
  
• Simple, uncodified rules - illiteracy, games played locally so local rules applied
  
• Local - Limited transport (horse and carraige)
  
• Courtly or popular - Based on feudal system on a 2 class society
  

                         Upper class                             Lower class

Bathing and     Likely to increase skill and health                      As for upper class, key funtion for Swimming                                                                hygiene

Athletics        Pedestrianism required for skill & would                   As for upper class, predominantly for                       need increase physical fitness thus health             recreation 

Football         Involvement unlikely so no impact                            Mob football was forceful, could be                                                                                                        harmful with severe injuries, even fatal

Cricket          Outside & active during summer months,                     Same as Upper class                                                 skilful game with potential to improve health                    

Real Tennis   Skilful, potentially health-enhancing game for      Not available to lower class due to expense                           the rich                                                        

Upper class/Gentry

The upper class games where sophisticated and expensive e.g real tennis, they where rule based with a dress code and ettiquette. exposed to a Variety of sport due to opportunity to travel. They where usually linked to patronage, paying successful lower class athletes to earn some money from their success.

Lower class

Games needed to be simple, accessible and inexpensive such as Mob football. They would have been Simple unwritten rules which varied from town to town which often included violence and cruality. Sports or activities where often linked with occupation such as pedestrianism and had to be local due to lack of opportunity to travel