Popular Recreation
Popular Recreation was the activities taken part in by the lower and upper class before the Industrial Revolution in Britain. The activities were often simple in nature and played in divided classes. Pre-industrial popular recreation reflected the society, life and time in which it existed. The activities were often colourful and lively and were supported by a strict class system. Different classes sometimes shared activities, for example cock fighting. Sometimes different classes took part in different activities such as mob football for the lower class peasants and real tennis for the upper class/gentry.
Sometimes different classes had different roles within the same activity, for example a pedestrian- race walker or runner was often lower class while his sponsor would be upper class. This was also true of bare fist fighting or prize fighting.
Characteristics of Popular recreation
Occupational: Work often became the basis of sport.
Rural: Before the industrial revolution, Britain was agricultural and rural.
Wagering: A chance to go