John Burnett

Sport has always been a central part of the leisure of the Scots. This book follows its history from the time of James IV until the early years of Victoria's reign. The focus is not on kings and lairds but on the common people who raced carts, played curling with channel stanes from the river bed, and indulged in football matches with dozens if not hundreds of players on each side - to the displeasure of the minister. Many sports were enjoyed on holidays. At New Year there were shooting matches: few of the competitors were sober. On Fastern's E'en almost every parish had a cockfight in the school. The book describes dozens of sports and sets them in their social context. It ends with the first sports which were organized in a modern way: curling, bowling, Highland and Lowland Games, and the import from England - cricket.

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