A book written in 1801 shows the types of games that were played during Christmas 200 years ago.
The book, by Joseph Strutt, features games such as hoodman's blind, a predecessor to blind man's buff.....
The 1801 games that made Britain great: For sale, a long-lost guide to old pastimes
By Nick Mcdermott
23rd December 2008
Daily Mail
Ask a child nowadays what they most want from Santa, and the reply is most likely to be the latest violent video game.
But a rare copy of a book written more than 200 years ago reminds us of a time when Christmas provided so much more than a chance to spend hours glued to a screen.
The Sports And Pastimes Of The People Of England, by Joseph Strutt, is an affectionate portrait of a more innocent age - an age when children needed only their imagination to entertain themselves.
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Joseph Strutt wrote The Sports And Pastimes Of The People Of England more than 200 years ago. The book describes the pleasures of games including archery and hawking
As well as gentler pastimes such as hunt the slipper, there were more robust games - many to be enjoyed outdoors - which were no doubt approved of as character-forming activities for the next generation of empire-builders.
Popular examples included the predecessor of blind man's buff, which was originally known as hoodman's blind.
Strutt wrote about the game: 'A player is blinded and buffeted by his comrades until he can catch one of them - which done, the person caught is blinded in his stead.
'This pastime was known to Grecian youth and called myia chalki. It is called hoodman's blind because the players formerly were blinded with their hoods.'
For the bravest children, a more physical pastime was hot cockles. In it, 'one person kneels and, covering his eyes, lays his head in another's lap and guesses who struck him'.
Some of the games were so robust they no doubt would now be banned under health and safety rules. One unnamed game involved a youth holding a burning taper while balancing on a pole over a body of water.
Born in 1749 in Chelmsford, Essex, Strutt was an engraver, artist, antiquary, author and celebrated former student of the Royal Academy.
In a warning that will resonate with many parents concerned about the effects of violent video games, Strutt urged against allowing children to indulge in 'barbarity'.
He wrote: 'I do not know a greater fault in the nurture of children than the conniving at the wanton acts of barbarity which they practise at an early age upon innocent insects.'
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Hunting was another popular pastime
Strutt added: 'I fear worse consequences are to be dreaded by permitting it to indulge so vicious an inclination, for as it grows up the same cruelty will in all likelihood be extended to larger animals and its heart by degrees made callous to every claim of tenderness and humanity.'
A copy of the book, originally published in 1801, was recently found in a home in Staffordshire and is due to be auctioned next month.
Auctioneer Charles Hanson, who is handling the sale, has described the book as a remarkable insight into a long-lost age of childhood.
Mr Hanson, of Derby-based Hanson's Auctioneers, said: 'Nowadays we hear plenty of talk about children needing more exercise, but obviously they won't get it by shooting zombies on the television.'
Of Strutt's games, he added: 'There's obviously something to be learned from them, even if it's only the value of exercise, interaction and simple companionship.'
Enlarge
Games involving bats and balls will look more familiar to contemporary eyes
dailymail.co.uk
The book, by Joseph Strutt, features games such as hoodman's blind, a predecessor to blind man's buff.....
The 1801 games that made Britain great: For sale, a long-lost guide to old pastimes
By Nick Mcdermott
23rd December 2008
Daily Mail
Ask a child nowadays what they most want from Santa, and the reply is most likely to be the latest violent video game.
But a rare copy of a book written more than 200 years ago reminds us of a time when Christmas provided so much more than a chance to spend hours glued to a screen.
The Sports And Pastimes Of The People Of England, by Joseph Strutt, is an affectionate portrait of a more innocent age - an age when children needed only their imagination to entertain themselves.
Enlarge
Joseph Strutt wrote The Sports And Pastimes Of The People Of England more than 200 years ago. The book describes the pleasures of games including archery and hawking
As well as gentler pastimes such as hunt the slipper, there were more robust games - many to be enjoyed outdoors - which were no doubt approved of as character-forming activities for the next generation of empire-builders.
Popular examples included the predecessor of blind man's buff, which was originally known as hoodman's blind.
Strutt wrote about the game: 'A player is blinded and buffeted by his comrades until he can catch one of them - which done, the person caught is blinded in his stead.
'This pastime was known to Grecian youth and called myia chalki. It is called hoodman's blind because the players formerly were blinded with their hoods.'
For the bravest children, a more physical pastime was hot cockles. In it, 'one person kneels and, covering his eyes, lays his head in another's lap and guesses who struck him'.
Some of the games were so robust they no doubt would now be banned under health and safety rules. One unnamed game involved a youth holding a burning taper while balancing on a pole over a body of water.
Born in 1749 in Chelmsford, Essex, Strutt was an engraver, artist, antiquary, author and celebrated former student of the Royal Academy.
In a warning that will resonate with many parents concerned about the effects of violent video games, Strutt urged against allowing children to indulge in 'barbarity'.
He wrote: 'I do not know a greater fault in the nurture of children than the conniving at the wanton acts of barbarity which they practise at an early age upon innocent insects.'
Enlarge
Hunting was another popular pastime
Strutt added: 'I fear worse consequences are to be dreaded by permitting it to indulge so vicious an inclination, for as it grows up the same cruelty will in all likelihood be extended to larger animals and its heart by degrees made callous to every claim of tenderness and humanity.'
A copy of the book, originally published in 1801, was recently found in a home in Staffordshire and is due to be auctioned next month.
Auctioneer Charles Hanson, who is handling the sale, has described the book as a remarkable insight into a long-lost age of childhood.
Mr Hanson, of Derby-based Hanson's Auctioneers, said: 'Nowadays we hear plenty of talk about children needing more exercise, but obviously they won't get it by shooting zombies on the television.'
Of Strutt's games, he added: 'There's obviously something to be learned from them, even if it's only the value of exercise, interaction and simple companionship.'
Enlarge
Games involving bats and balls will look more familiar to contemporary eyes
dailymail.co.uk