Stickball Games

Did cricket exist prior to 1600? The short answer is yes. There is some very good documentary evidence that a game called cricket existed prior to 1600.

Seen cited in a childrens book as an actual Dark Age game but not sure what the evidence is. Regardless, the simplicity of the game makes it a plausible Dark Age invention and it's good parrying practice for combatants.

Links to extant pieces of pre-17th century gaming equipment, as well as depictions of people playing games.

Some of the sports, games, music, verse, dancing, toys, and other pastimes of the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. Despite the full agricultural year that most people faced, there was always time for folk to partake in games, challenges, tests of skill and general larking about.

Rounders is the sixteenth century British version of a bat and ball game. Also provides research documentation with comparisons to other bat and ball games.

The game we know as baseball may be relatively modern, but it has medieval roots. Many bat-and-ball games were played throughout the Middle Ages at religious festivals and events. One game, stool ball (sometimes possibly stow ball, or stob ball, or stump ball) dates back at least to the 14th century, and many historians believe that it is the common ancestor of both baseball and cricket. This page contains rules and information about a plausible version of stool ball that can be played at events or just for fun!

Also online at www.florilegium.org/files/ENTERTAINMENT/Stool-ball-art.html

During the middle ages the game of Stoolball was popular with women, its heyday being from the 15th to the 19th century. The game of stool ball is believed to be the origins of modern cricket. a came called 'creay' was being played by boys in the 13th century. Cricket as is became known in the 15th century was played by both men and women without fixed number of players. The ball was rolled, hence 'bowling.'

In spite of a large body of literature on the Norse world during the Viking era the topic of Norse pastimes is poorly represented. This paper is an attempt to provide a survey of what is currently known about the topic. A listing of available articles, archaeological artifacts, references from some of the sagas, books, and web pages will all be given space here.