THE VICTORIAN ERA: LEISURE TIME The Victorian Era was from June of 1837 all the way to January of It was called the Victorian Era as this was the time that queen Victoria was in power. The Victorian era produced many sports and activities that we play to this day.

INTRO  People in the Victorian era had more time on their hands then they were accustomed to. This enabled the wealthy to become more creative and think of new ideas to consume their time. Thus, allowing the world of sports to be born.  Many of the sports we play today started out as rougher versions in the Victorian era. Both, Aston Villa, the first English football (soccer) team, and the Wimbledon Tennis championship started in the Victorian era.

INTRO CONTINUED  Their was also many technologic advancements and inventions such as the steam boat and the railway. This allowed the wealthy to travel much more.  During the Victorian era, traveling circuses also became very popular. People enjoyed seeing exotic animals and wild other things.  Along with the exotic things, people also enjoyed watching dangerous acts such as Blood Sports. The name itself indicates that these sports were very dangerous  People also wanted activities to do at home and at parties. Parlour games provided them with these activities.

PARLOUR GAMES  During the Victorian Era, there was no television, videos, or even recorded music. So without any sort of activities, large gatherings and parties could become pretty boring. Parlour games were the solution to this problem.  Parlour games served as an icebreaker and gave people the opportunity to converse with new people.  Parlour games were great entertainment for everyone, including those who did not wish to participate.  There was both a mental and physical aspect of Parlour games.

MENTAL PARLOUR GAMES  The mental aspect of Parlour games includes many activities that we still play today, such as, card games, chess, checkers, and charades.  These games provided entertainment for those who did not want to indulge in physical aspect of Parlour games  Two of the most popular card games played were Whist and Ecarté

MENTAL GAMES

PHYSICAL PARLOUR GAMES  The physical aspect of Parlour games were much more bizarre and not as commonly practiced now.  These games provided entertainment for those who enjoyed the rush and excitement of seeing who was stronger and more fit.  These games included, Pulling the Stump, Pulling the Leg, and Kissing the Thumb.  You can tell how bizarre these games were just by their names.  There is more description of these three games in your handout.

BLOOD SPORTS  People in the Victorian era were exploring all areas of sport, even the bizarre ones. This time period was generally the beginning of all modern day sports. However, not all of the sports made it to modern day. These sports were later deemed to harsh and they were either adapted and made safer, or the sport it self was just completely terminated.  Some of the most common blood sports, at the time, were Bareknuckle Boxing and Bear and Bull Baiting

BAREKNUCKLE BOXING  Bareknuckle boxing was the bare bones of our boxing today.  However, Bareknuckle boxing differed from our boxing immensely. As implied by the title, Bareknuckle boxing was played without the use of gloves and other protective equipment. It was a very harsh sport and it was no surprise when people got seriously injured.  Because the rules were different, the style of fighting was different as well. People fought with their palms and their forearms to protect themselves and their opponents.

BAREKNUCKLE BOXING  Other than safety, the rules differed very much as well. There was no set number of rounds. Fights were purely decided when one was no longer able to continue. Fights could last as long as 100 rounds if needed. There were also no weight classes.  But, there were some similarities, such as, there was no kicking or biting allowed, and it was illegal to hit an opponent when he was down.

BAREKNUCKLE BOXING

BEAR AND BULL BAITING  Bear baiting consisted of a bear being attacked and tormented by a numerous amount of well-trained baiting dogs.  The bear was chained to a pit with a high circular fence. And the people would be watching from raised seats above. These arena’s were called bear gardens.  If a dog became tired, wounded, or even killed, it would be automatically replaced.

BEAR AND BULL BAITING  Sometimes, the bear would have its claws or even some of it’s teeth removed  Bull baiting was particularly the same thing as bear baiting but a bull was tormented instead. People believed that this would simulate the meat of the bull and provide better meat. So after the events the bulls were killed and sold.

BEAR BAITING

THE CIRCUS  Circuses were extremely popular in the Victorian era, as they traveled to their audiences.  They displayed many animals such as, horses, elephants, lions, tigers, leopard’s, bears, rhinos, monkeys and hyenas.  They also had people do many dangerous stunts such as, the flying trapeze and tight rope walking. People also did tricks with the animals.  Sometimes, circuses displayed handicapped people as freak shows and allowed the audience to laugh at their disabilities.

THE CIRCUS  Men showing their ‘crazy’ strength and clown acts were also very common things to see at circuses.  As these traveling circuses were such a hit, they became prime places to show case new inventions, such as, the hot air balloon.  However, the animals were always treated very poorly and they were often harmed. The animals were kept in small cages and did not have the luxury of being free. This is one of the reasons that these types of circuses are no longer allowed and practiced today.

THE CIRCUS

TRAVEL  The Victorian era produced many technological advancements, such as, the steam boat and the railways.  The steam boat cut down travel across the ocean by a whole 2-3 weeks time. And the railway made journeys from city to city to within hours.  Because of the immense shortage in traveling time, leisure travel became very popular.  People would travel to U.S.A. to experience the nightlife and parties. Or they would travel to the big cities in Europe such as Paris where they could meet famous people and just enjoy the city life.

SPORTS  Many of our modern day sports started to blossom in the Victorian era.  The Wimbledon Tennis Championship was first held in 1877  The first Olympic games were held in Athens in  The first football (soccer) team, Aston Villa, was created in 1888  The list goes on and on. Some other popular sports in the Victorian era were, cricket, croquet, cycling, horse-riding, and swimming.

MEDICINE SHOWS  People of the Victorian Era loved medicine shows.  The medicines sold at these events promised to any and every affliction, but most of the medicines were actually made from alcohol, pepper, or turpentine.  These medicines had no medical effect whatsoever and usually would intoxicate or nauseate people who bought them.

MEDICINE SHOWS

OTHER ACTIVITIES  City dwellers had many opportunities to go to parties, concerts, and fairs. In the countryside, barn raisings, quilting bees, weddings, ceilidhs (parties with Scottish/Irish music, dancing and stories), barn dances and other diversions were freely available.  Books and magazines were also highly popular as most people had the ability to read back then  Stories and magazines were often released in serial format (in weekly or monthly installments).

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