Volume 11, Number 1, September 2015
Revision
Popular recreation in
pre-industrial Britain
Symond Burrows
Sport is often said to reflect the society of the time. This information sheet, which links to the historical
development of sport, shows how sport mirrored features of society in pre-industrial Britain (pre-1870).
Key term
Popular recreation: the sport and pastimes of people in pre-industrial Britain.
Life in pre-industrial Britain
Pre-industrial society had a number of features/characteristics including the following:

limited transport/limited communications

widespread illiteracy/lower classes were uneducated

harsh conditions/violent/life was cruel for lower classes; upper classes lived in luxury

Limited free time. Work was based on the land; free time was dictated by the agricultural
seasons; very long working hours

Two-tier society (upper class and lower class) based on a feudal system

People lived in rural areas; population was spread out in the countryside
Exam tip: Such features are sometimes referred to as ‘socio-cultural factors’ in exam questions.
Characteristics of popular recreation
Occasional
Long working hours meant that popular recreation activities were restricted to
annual events, when breaks in the agricultural calendar allowed participation (i.e.
on festival days/holy days)
Local/rural
Popular recreation activities were specific to each community. Communities were
rural and spread out. Activities made use of the natural resources available
Limited coding
Literacy was very low among the lower classes so any rules were basic and
applied to a particular community, i.e. set and applied locally; unlimited number of
players, no time limits, no officials
Violent/unruly
Activities were aggressive/male dominated — resulting in lots of damage to
property and injuries to the participants
Philip Allan Publishers © 2015
www.hoddereducation.co.uk/pereview
Wagering
Gambling/betting were common as part of contests
Functional
Activities were linked to work, e.g. as footmen to the gentry
The characteristics of pre-industrial Britain were reflected in most of the popular recreation activities
participated in by the lower class in particular (e.g. mob games).
Socio-cultural factor in pre-industrial
Britain
Popular recreation characteristic to
reflect this
Limited transport/communications
Sport was localised
Illiteracy/uneducated
Limited organisation/simple
rules/uncodified
Harsh society
Violent/aggressive
Seasonal time
Occasional/part of a festival occasion
Pre-industrial/pre-urban revolutions
Rural/natural/simple
Two-tier society/feudal system
Gentry/upper class activities were clearly
separated from lower/peasant class
activities
Mob football is an example of an activity played in pre-industrial Britain which very much reflected the
characteristics of popular recreation and socio-cultural factors of the time.
Influential socio-cultural factor
Characteristic of mob football
Limited transport; limited
communications
Localised form of activity, e.g. Ashbourne mob
football/Haxey Hood
Illiteracy was widespread in society,
which was mostly uneducated
Limited organisation; few/simple/unwritten rules
Society was harsh/violent
Violent/unruly/dangerous/male dominated
Played on holy days/feast days/seasonal
time, e.g. Shrove Tuesdays
Occasional/festival
Clear division of society into two tiers
with certain sports for the lower classes,
e.g. mob football
Played by lower class in society
Population was spread out in the
countryside; people lived in small
villages
Rural
Use of what was readily to hand; no
purpose built facilities — mob football
played in fields
Simple/natural
Philip Allan Publishers © 2015
www.hoddereducation.co.uk/pereview
Exam tip: Exam questions may require direct links between socio-cultural factors and characteristics
of an activity e.g. mob football.
This resource is part of PE REVIEW, a magazine written for A-level students by subject experts.
To subscribe to the full magazine go to http://www.hoddereducation.co.uk/pereview
Philip Allan Publishers © 2015
www.hoddereducation.co.uk/pereview