Entertainment, Games and Sports in 17th Century England?

Question

I need examples of these activities. Entertainment does not neccessarily have to be a game or sport but something people would do at gatherings.

Answer 1

The 17th Century was the age of the Stuart Dynasty in England (the descendants of King James VI and I of Scotland and England).

Popular activities and leisure time were sharply divided among the social classes; although there were a few past times that were shared by all the different groups.

The Poor and Working Classes enjoyed socializing at the pub, boxing, bowling (not the same as today's), and cock fights.

The artisan Middle Class also enjoyed going to pubs, (but because they were respectable and socially upward mobile, they didn't openly approve of this).

The Upper Classes and the Gentry enjoyed a lot of the past times associated with England today: Horse Riding, Hunting, Croquet, and Golf. The Upper Classes also enjoyed having intimate gambling parties and playing card games,

People of all Social Classes loved going to the theatre, horse races, and boating races. Although it wasn't morally and openly approved, gambling was VERY popular with all the social groups. Gambling Houses were popular at all the Sporting Events of the era.

Hope this helps,
Peace.

Edit: LOL, Y!A wont let me use the naughty word for roosters.

Answer 2

Entertainment In The 17th Century

Answer 3

Well, a lot depends on which 17th-century era you're talking about.

Until the Cromwell Protectorate (c. 1649-1660), people would enjoy such pastimes as dancing, gambling, attending such events as bull or bear baitings and watching trained roosters fight one another (dog fights were also common--the age wasn't a very sensitive one as far as animals were concerned). Singing and music were popular, too. There were also footraces and other sports such as archery and hunting. Of course, there was the theater, but that was mostly confined to the cities.

Under the Protectorate, most of these activities were frowned upon by the government. The playhouses were closed, and most public amusements were pretty dull affairs, because the Puritans, who were in control at this time, didn't hold with many of the activities that were common. Some wag, whose name escapes me, once claimed that the Puritans didn't disapprove of bear baiting because it hurt the bear, but because it provided amusement to the audience (as I said, in the 17th century people had much less refined tastes when it came to using animals for entertainment).

Dancing in public was prohibited, and even the celebration of Christmas was banned. Gambling wasn't countenanced either; I think they still allowed people to compete in footraces and shoot their arrows at targets, but jollity of any sort was pretty much confined to the private sphere.

With the Restoration in 1660, the pendulum swung to the other extreme, and the people, having been in restraint for so long, really "let the good times roll" (long before New Orleans made it the city's mottto).

The English Court, in particular, was rife with enough scandal to keep any number of soap operas going for quite awhile--I suppose the doings of Charles II (aka "The Merry Monarch") were the 17th-century eqivalent to our tabloids and magazines devoted to celebrities.

Hope this helps.