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The 17th century saw the rise in popularity of all forms of entertainment, from gaming and gambling to song and dance, and of course the traditional wenching. Soldiers on campaign seemed to enjoy their forms of entertainment with more gusto, as did soldiers of all periods, as a break from the duties of the military.
Gaming became a mania of both sexes, men and women, young and old, and of all social classes. In fact, if you did not know the rules to the latest and most popular games, you were hardly worth talking to. Even the finishing schools had a game instructor to keep the aristocratic young ladies informed about the rules of the most current and popular games. Many of the games we play today are the same as those played in the 17th century. The following books are helpful for games of the period: Games and Gamesters of the Restoration, Theophilus Lucas,Gaming was mostly played for fun, however some people earned their living gaming. Today we would call these people 'hustlers' or 'sharks'. In the 17th century they were called "rooks", and the phrase "I've been rooked", meaning "I've been cheated", comes from this word. Board Games The common soldier or campfollower would only have a simple painted draught, backgammon, or chessboard with plain wooden pieces, and would be small enough or the board cut into two or more pieces to fit into a snapsack. The pieces would be stored in a simple drawstring linen or canvas purse. This would be a type of 'travelling set'. Draughts Draughts, as it was known in England during the 17th century, was the game of checkers. The main difference in the way it was played then was that any piece that failed to make a possible capture was "huffed" or taken off the board. Pieces were very elaborate, for those that could afford them, and made of carved wood, ivory, bone, or marble, and were often played on inlaid or painted checkerboards. Backgammon Backgammon, one of the world's oldest games, was very popular due to new improvements in the game, which made it almost identical to the modern game. Again, the pieces were identical to those of draughts and played on similarly crafted boards. Chess Chess existed in the same form as today well before the 17th century. Chessmen were very stylized elaborately carved figurines in realistic or fantastic shapes made of wood, bone, ivory, or marble. Again, these were available only to those that could afford them as well as the inlaid or painted chessboards. Goose The game of Goose was a very popular game of the 17th century, and was the earliest game to be sold in printed form. This game consisted of players rolling dice to move their pieces and chase other players' pieces around the board, and first to land on the final square and win the money that was staked. Colonial Williamsburg has a poster print of the game of Goose that can be glued to a wooden board. Although the game board in this form would be too large to fit into a snapsack, and would therefore be inappropriate for soldiers or most campfollowers to have it. The pieces used would range from shell to plain wood. Card Games Card games were very popular with all classes of people in the 17th century since cheaply printed decks were easily obtainable, although the wealthy could afford to have hand-painted decks. Cards of the 17th century did not have a number or a letter in the corner, and did number fifty-two, but had no jokers. They were longer and narrower than present day cards and were made of rag paper. Although the cards were all basically the same size, the subject matter of each of the fancier decks varied. Some depicted coins and other famous paintings or music. The decks that were of a political nature increased or decreased in popularity according to who was sitting on the throne at the time. Certainly a deck that lampooned the other side was used by someone who could afford the luxury of having it hand-painted during the English Civil Wars! The common soldier or campfollower would have a very plain deck of cards without any pictures on their backs. Colonial Williamsburg and 18th century sutlers, sell a hand-printed crude looking deck of playing cards which would be suitable for soldiers, campfollowers, and some officers (Note: The box the deck comes in is not proper for 17th century). However, Syke's Sutlering now carries a pack of 17th century playing cards as well. It should be noted that the Puritans denounced cards as "the Devil's picture book" as well as most gaming and forms of entertainment during the period. Card games belonging to the 'whist' family appear to be the oldest and most popular. The whist family embraces all those games played with a deck of fifty-two cards ranking from the ace to the deuce. One suit being trump, and the score being counted by tricks and or honors. The game of whist, the oldest and most important of the whist family, appears to be of English origin, it's immediate parent is "puff and honors", and would be the easiest to learn. This is detailed in the following book in clear, beginner level instructions: Illustrated Card Games, Andrew Backhouse, Thomas Nelson, Inc.: Nashville, 1976Another 17th century card game was cribbage, and uses a special pegboard for scorekeeping. Invented by Sir John Suckling, a favorite poet and excellent card player in Charles I's court. A six-card deal is used today instead of the five-card deal used in the 17th century. Cribbage boards basically have not changed in appearance since the 17th century, and are available in most game departments. A good book about cribbage is: All About Cribbage, Douglas Anderson, Winchester Press: NY, 1971Dice The most popular form of gaming in the 17th century, which has been the soldier's traditional pastime for centuries past and present, are dice games. The most popular dice game in the seventeenth century England was Hazard, which was a forerunner of present day Craps. While the instructions for Hazard are given at the end of this article, for more information on Hazard and other dice games, consult the following: Scarne on Dice, John Scarne, Crown Publishers, Inc.: NY, 8th rev. ed. 1980The type of dice used in the 17th century were made of bone and were about the size of your little fingernail. The numbers are arranged the same as their modern counterparts. A pair of dice like these were recovered from the wreck of the Mary Rose. Of course, it can be assumed that soldiers would flatten lead musket balls into square cubes to make dice, as was done in the 18th century. Dice were thrown by hand and sometimes from a cup. Colonial Williamsburg and most 18th century sutlers sell both bone, lead, and wood dice, which are proper for 17th century use. Many paintings and engravings of the period show dice gaming played on campaign, even using a drumhead as a table. Outdoor Games Many outdoor games were also played in the 17th century, and enjoyed by all types and classes. Some games were even appropriate for spectators and betting. Tennis Tennis was played both indoor and outdoor with hands as well as racquets being used by teams of 2-3 on a side. The gift shop at Hampton Court, London, sells a pamphlet on the history and rules of tennis. Suttlecock or Battledore Suttlecock or Battledore, which we now call badminton, is a contemporary of tennis. This was played using a short handled paddle (a battledore) and a feathered cork ball (the suttlecock.) Each player attempted to return the suttlecock into the circle in which his opponent stood instead of over a net. Pall-Mall Pall-Mall, which was known as "Paille-Maille" (mallet-ball) in England, was a forerunner of croquet. This was played by hitting a wood ball down an alley through an iron ring, and through a series of wickets, as in croquet. Skittles On of the most popular bowling games in the 17th century was called Skittles (nine-pins.) This was played on a hard surface (indoors) or a smooth area (outdoors) with nine pins and two balls. The pins were made of wood and arranged in a diamond pattern. Each bowler stands about twenty feet (indoors) or twenty yards (outdoors) and tosses the two off-centered wooden balls at the pins to knock down as many as possible. A wench stood near the pins to reset them and return the balls after each bowler. A point was earned for each pin knocked down, called a "chaws", and was played to twenty-one points. The balls were called "cheese", because they resembled an Edam cheese. Through the centuries the sizes, shapes, and materials of the pins and balls varied, as did the arrangement of the pins, the distance the balls were tossed or later rolled, and the number of pins used (usually nine) also varied. During the 19th century a law was passed banning all nine pin games. To get around this law a tenth pin was added, thus creating modern ten pin and duck pin bowling as we know it today. Football Football was an informal scrimmage-type of game in the seventeenth century, which was very wild. This form of football was closer to the modern sport of soccer (cabbage-ball played at our musters is very representative of period football.) Quoits Quoits, which is related to horseshoes, was a game commonly played by the lower classes. Iron rings were used, and tossed to make an iron 'hob' (post) ring with a sound. It was not the object to get the iron rings over the post as in the modern game of horseshoes. Rules for Hazard The players of Hazard placed side bets amongst themselves, "laying" and "taking" the odds as to whether the "caster's" or "fader's" point would be thrown first. Since the odds against a 6 being thrown first before a 5, are different from those of a 5 being thrown before a 7 or a 9 before a 10, etc. Therefore, the expert Hazard player had to have a remarkable memory and a very clear head. This fact along with the action of the game shows that it was a fast paced game. All bets, whether with the "caster" (thrower), are to be placed upon the playing area within a circle designated for that purpose. After this is done, if the "caster" agrees to it, he knocks the box that contains the dice upon the table at the person's money with whom he intends to bet (or if no box is used he simply mentions at whose money he is going to throw.) Modern craps players will note that this is just the opposite of what is now done in craps. The player who takes the box and dice must throw either: a) 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 b) If he failed to do so on the first "cast", he had to continue "casting" until it did appear. c) Once one of those numbers came up, it becomes the "fader's" point. d) Then the "caster" had to try to throw a point for themselves, which could be either 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10. If, when trying to throw a point for himself the "caster" threw either: a) 2 or 3, no matter what the "fader's" point was b) 11 when the "fader's" point was 5, 6, 7, or 9 c) 12 when the "fader's" point was 5, 7, or 9 These were called "outs" (called craps today), and the "caster" lost his stakes. If, when trying to throw for their own point the "caster" threw either: a) The "fader's" point b) 12 when the "fader's" point was 6 or 8 c) 11 when the "fader's" point was 7 It was called a "nick" (called a natural today), and the "caster" won. If, when trying to make his point, the "caster" did not throw either a "nick" or an "out" (natural or crap), the number thrown became the "caster's" point. The "caster" then continued to throw until he either threw his own point, which won for him, or until he threw the "fader's" point, which lost for the shooter. Besides the gaming and drinking that was the mainstay of the soldier's entertainment on campaign, there was the time honed favorite of wenching. A recent archaeological discovery at Dudley Castle in the West Midlands revealed remains of condoms deposited in the castle garderobe (toilet) during the 1640's. The condoms, certainly used by Royalist officers who were in garrison at the castle and obtained from France, were made of fish and animal intestines, and were doubtless effective and reusable. |
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