Illicit Ball Games

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Clive Henly

Illicit Ball Games

Legg inn av Clive Henly » 19 okt 2005 22:34:01

Entry in the court roll (View of Frankpledge) for Brinkworth, Wiltshire,
dated 25th September 1571: 17 men were reported for playing illicit ball
games ("globulos ludii illicit"). Some of the men were jurors in the
manorial court, they held office from time to time, and were aged around 50.




What ball game do you think they may have been playing, and what was the
statute they were breaking? I know that "football" (I use the term loosely
because I doubt the game bore any resemblance to the modern game, and didn't
involve just feet!) was sometimes played between two parishes, often over a
course of a mile or two, and there were sometimes laws passed to prohibit
the activity. However, I would have thought this would have been a sport
for the younger men. On the other hand, could they have been playing a form
of bowls?



Clive (Chippenham, Wiltshire)

Gjest

Re: Illicit Ball Games

Legg inn av Gjest » 19 okt 2005 23:31:17

I agree it was likely football, which was very rowdy and involved large
numbers of participants; it was frequently the subject of attempts to
stamp it out.

I can't immediately recall any other distinct ball games which were
"illicit" - unless the entry is a reference to Sabbath-breaking of some
sort, in which case the nature of the game would have been irrelevant,
but I should have thought that the record would in that case have
emphasised the real offence in the transgression.

MAR

Gjest

Re: Illicit Ball Games

Legg inn av Gjest » 20 okt 2005 01:08:02

Football was banned way back in the time of King John (detracted from
archery practise) again in late 16c early 17th century (can't remember exact date)
I have come across a couple of assize cases where their were fines for
playing football (both cases also involved manslaughter charges, as in each case
someone had died on the pitch, but in both this part of the charge was found not
guilty). Don't know if football had been banned throughout this time, or
had been reintroduced — we have lots to learn from history.

Adrian

In a message dated 19/10/2005 21:18:39 GMT Standard Time,
clive@henly.eclipse.co.uk writes:

Entry in the court roll (View of Frankpledge) for Brinkworth, Wiltshire,
dated 25th September 1571: 17 men were reported for playing illicit ball
games ("globulos ludii illicit"). Some of the men were jurors in the
manorial court, they held office from time to time, and were aged around 50.




What ball game do you think they may have been playing, and what was the
statute they were breaking? I know that "football" (I use the term loosely
because I doubt the game bore any resemblance to the modern game, and didn't
involve just feet!) was sometimes played between two parishes, often over a
course of a mile or two, and there were sometimes laws passed to prohibit
the activity. However, I would have thought this would have been a sport
for the younger men. On the other hand, could they have been playing a form
of bowls?



Clive (Chippenham, Wiltshire)

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