Children love to play outside. Many of the pass times our 18th century ancestors enjoyed would seem so familiar that contemporary children would not hesitate to join in the fun.

Skipping rope was a common pastime for both boy and girls. In fact, during the medieval era, only boys skipped rope as strenuous exercise was not considered healthy for girls. During the Regency era though, girls clearly enjoyed the sport as well.

Hopscotch is another equally ancient game. It may have originated in ancient Rome, but was certainly popular in the 17th century. In the game, players draw out a grid of numbered rectangles in a specified pattern. They toss a small object into the numbered spaces and hop or jump through the spaces to retrieve the object.

Girls risked little fatigue with the game of lawn bowls, a game originating in the 13th century. In this game, the objective was to roll balls so they would stop close to a smaller ball. The game was prohibited by multiple monarchs including Edward III and Richard II for fear it might impinge on the practice of archery. Ironically archery was another common outdoor sport for our Georgian ancestors.

Games with hoops were also popular. Boys would roll metal and wooden hoops, propelling them with another stick. Girls would play the more sedate game of graces. Girls would hold two slender sticks and catch a ribboned hoop on the sticks. They would then throw the hoop to another player by crossing the sticks, allowing the hoop to slide down, then rapidly pulling the sticks apart.

Other popular outdoor amusements included games of rounders, an ancestor of baseball played by boys and girls, titter tatter, the old name for a see-saw, variations of blindman’s bluff, tag, various kinds of races. When a body of water was available, children could play ducks and drakes by skipping a flat stone across the surface to see how many time they could make it skip. Ice skating and swimming were also popular near the water. Only boys swam though, as bathing suits had not been invented.

For more on Fun and Games in Jane Austen’s World click HERE

References

Boyle, Laura. Battledore and shuttlecock. Jane Austen.co.uk. June 13, 2013.

Boyle, Laura. Lawn Bowls. Jane Austen.co.uk. July 17, 2013.

Davidoff, Leonore & Hall, Catherine. Family Fortunes: Men and Women of the English Middle Class 1780-1850. Routledge (2002)

Lydia Maria Child. Girl’s Own Book (1833)

Manring, Lynne. Children’s Amusements in the Early Nineteenth Century. Memorial Hall Museum Online, American Centuries.

Martin, Joanna. Wives and Daughters. Hambledon Continuum (2004)

Selwyn, David. Jane Austen and Children. Continuum Books (2010)

Selwyn, David. Jane Austen & Leisure. The Hambledon Press (1999)

Stone, Laurence. The Family, Sex & Marriage in England 1500-1800. Penguin Books (1979)

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