Many pastimes were Medieval in origin or even older; various forms of games with skittles were played, including Claish, or Closh which involved hoops and skittles and some form of stick and ball action. It may have been a forerunner of croquet. Bowls is the oldest game in this group of throwing or knocking a ball towards a target. Skittles were known as kyles [Scotland] or kayles [England] from the Frenche quilles. Skyttel meaning shuttle is a Scandinavian name and was not recorded for the game before 1630 when the version of ninepins more familiar to us today was formalised. Earlier versions often used a cylinder or ‘cheese’ to bowl rather than a ball for greater challenge. Another stick and ball game is Billiards which was played on the ground but had come indoors in the late 15th century. It would not be generally played on a table until the last part of the 16th century though Louis XI of France [1461-83] had a billiards table. A short mallet was used to strike the balls, but the tail of it was often used for more precision strokes, from whence the word cue from the French queue meaning ‘tail’. Shuffleboard was a version of shove ha’penny; for pure board games there was Fox and Geese, Chess, and Draughts all of which are pretty much identical to the games as we know them today. Tables is now known as Backgammon. Gambling was common with dice and cards alike. Dice players had to be careful because of the various tricks professional cheats might use, from the simple loaded die – called fulhams - with a piece of lead or drop of mercury in one side, for the cruder and more obvious version, or in the corner for the more sophisticated cheat who wanted a small edge without it being as obvious; whiskers protruding from the sides of dice [remember these games probably took place in a badly lit tavern which would be dark and smoky even in daylight] to prevent it rolling on to one side. A cheat well versed in legerdemain could change fair dice and cheating dice by sleight of hand at will to have ‘highs’ or ‘lows’ to roll as he desired. This might have been particularly useful for Raffle which required for a win to roll three dice the same number; Hazard required more skill when cheating, being not unlike the modern game of craps. Card Games like Cent were popular: Cent was a favourite of Henry VIII. The court cards of the time were King, Queen and Jester, the princely Jack of later packs retaining something of the roguish nature of the Jester. Cent is similar to piquet and requires a lot of counting to play well. It is played with a pack of 36 cards, all cards under 6 discarded, and ace counting high [counting like the other picture cards as 10]. Betting on horse racing was also very popular; many towns had horse races, effectively steeple chases, on Whitsun or at Easter. Local horse owners would enter in hopes of the purse that was put up for winners; side bets were also rife. The less pleasant pastimes from our point of view were things like cock fighting and bear baiting. Betting took place on cock fighting naturally, and too on how long a bear might last, whether it killed any of the dogs set to bait it and so on. I suspect it is and English characteristic to bet on anything. Children’s Games children playing from a book of heraldry, showing a ball and a hobby horse and some mechanical toy Children played at skittles too, and similar games, and with balls, often home made from scraps of fabric or leather. The bladder of the slaughtered pig blown up was a great toy to play with, nowadays simulated in latex as a balloon. Marbles were originally made of marble, but poor children used nuts or clay balls to play, and would doubtless be familiar with many modern variants of shooting at a rival’s marble, or at some ‘goal’ or the miniature version of bowls where marbles are shot into a circle scored in the dust to knock another marble out of it. Hopscotch was another simple game that could have the playing ground scored in the dust; and running and chasing games have been played since there have been children. Boys and girls alike might play at diabolo – a game revived in the Victorian era and briefly again in the 1980’s – where a dumbbell shaped wooden toy was tossed from a string between two sticks, run up and down the stick and made to perform tricks by the most skilled. Diabolo: image from 'Antique toys and games' by Constance King We would also recognise whipping tops and cup-and-ball though the latter was initially an adult toy and fascinated Henry III of France so much he carried it with him everywhere. Hobby horses too were ridden by boys and girls alike; often these were no more than sticks held between the legs and ‘ridden’ and the horse’s head pure imagination. Peter Bruegel gives lively images of leapfrog and pick-a-back games in his painting ‘Children’s games’; though he was painting after the period I describe it seems likely that the games of peasant children had not changed significantly. For boys alone there was the game of bandy as described in my previous post ‘Pastime with or without good company’; or bowling hoops which might be bowled along the ground or tossed in the air and kept there with the controlling stick; or jump-rope. Skipping did not become the preserve of girls for many a century and was in the Renaissance an exclusively male preserve. Boys would also wrestle and compete in throwing the bar in emulation of their elders. A German manuscript of 1405 tells a boy how he might construct a kite and suggesting flying it from horseback as the most effective way of playing with it. Girls had their poppets, or dolls; early room boxes might make a home for the very early Grodenthal type jointed wooden dolls from Nurenburg made their appearance in the early 15th century. I’ve seen a late 15th century woodcut of a chapman with such dolls in his tray. Toy utensils were made, often of tin or wood, for playing with dolls and would be considered good training in housewifery for a little girl too. Dollmakers in Germany, images from the 'Hortus Saniatus' 1491 Stump doll, later than my period being 1600 but doubtless similar to earlier examples Another slightly later doll alleged to belong to Alicia Boleyn, cousin of Queen Anne Boleyn this and above from 'Dolls' by Antonia Fraser Boys and girls alike might play with puppets – a word derived from poppets – but usually at the time called mammets or mawmets, often clever kinetic toys that might be knights who jousted or acrobats who tumbled as well as simplified versions of the sorts of puppets professional puppet players used to put on a variety of plays mimicking the tastes of the time with live actors. the best image I could find is this late 12th century one from the 'Hortus deliciarum' Clay, wood and metal figures of horses and other animals including mythical ones were made as toys. Sometimes the horses had riders. Little girls might also play at crèche cradle – nowadays cat’s cradle – with a length of twine or wool. Clapping games were also played. Children also gamed; the idea that it was an adult pastime was still in the future. Indeed the future Henry VIII won half a mark from his father when he was seven years old. This despite laws against gaming passed by Henry VII. Hmmm.

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Here today to help us explore the world of puppets in 16th century England is our guest, Maureen Benfer.

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Totae Tabulae (Tavole Reale) Here is my research on a board (or tables) game from 1526 played on the Italian Peninsula. In the instructions written by Cardano* it is played with 15 pieces and 2 dic…

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Here is a link for a class on making medieval toyhttp://dollsfromtheattic.blogspot.com/2010/02/medieval-children.htmls. From Stefan's Floregium:http://www.florilegium.org/?http%3A//www.florilegium.org/files/CHILDREN/Toys-in-th-MA-art.html Toys in the Middle Ages by Lady Margritte of Ravenscroft Introduction When we study people from other times and cultures, we are most often struck by the differences between their lives and our own. The foods they eat, the way they travel, the clothes they wear: all are unfamiliar and somewhat exotic to our modern American perspective. There is at least one exception to this rule. children's toys seem remarkably universal across times and cultures. In some cases, this can be explained by contact between the cultures in question. Yet in many more instances, similar toys seem to arise spontaneously at different times and in different parts of the globe. This paper will focus on toys in pre-1600 western Europe. At times, it will touch on pre-cursors from Greece, Rome, and even Egypt, or toys from non-western cultures of the medieval time period. In order to keep the subject to a manageable size, only children's toys will be discussed. Card games, board games, dice, and other such items, although normally used for recreation, will be mentioned only briefly, as these require specific rules for play, whereas toys require only a bit of imagination. Unfortunately, few actual toys have survived from the medieval period. Most were made of perishable substances, and were "well-loved" by their owners. Nonetheless, there are written accounts to draw from, such as letters, guild records, wills, and laws. Illuminations and portraits also provide important evidence. Playthings even worked their way into the legends of the saints. One story tells of how St. Elizabeth was carrying some glass toys back with her on her journeys. When their spilled from their packing, they were not broken because of the owner's sanctity. From all of this, we can piece together a picture of the playthings used in the Middle Ages, which were remarkably similar to our own. Musical Toys Children love to make noise, and musical toys such as rattles, drums, and whistles have always been popular. They can be found in cultures as diverse as early Egyptian, South Sea Islanders, Eskimos, and modern American. These probably originally had a religious significance. In fact, one of the problems in studying toys is the difficulty in determining just what was used as a plaything, and what was not. This is especially difficult in cultures where the item in question does double duty. The priests of Dionysus, for instance, used rattles in their ceremonies. Children of the same time period frequently played with rattles as well (Fraser, p. 49). Rattles were probably originally made from dried gourds, and this was still common in the medieval period, especially among the lower classes. Those who could afford better materials used ivory, precious metals, coral, shell, or horn. Rattles were sometimes molded into simple shapes for the amusement of the child. For the superstitious, rattles made in the shape of a wolf's tooth, or having a wolf's tooth attached, would ward off evil spirits and illnesses. Rattles for high-born infants could be quite ornate and costly. In the Middle Ages, the distinction between religious items and toys was minimal at times. Pilgrims often bought cheap whistles, bells, and rattles as a memento of their journeys, and many of these trinkets naturally ended up in the hands of children. Not only would these items serve to entertain, they were also thought to provide protection for the wearer. For instance, bells dipped in the water of the River Jordan were supposed to protect the wearer from storms. Rattles were sometimes made of pewter tracery containing a few cockleshells, the universal symbol for pilgrims. Whistles, often worn on a chain around the neck, were sold at pilgrimage shrine, and decorated with inscription as diverse as a devout "Ave Maria" to an exuberant "Bla me" ("blow me") (Spencer, pp. 62-64). Military Toys Not all toys were fun and games. Sons of nobles were expected to become knights, and their toys reflected this. Blunted wooden swords and shields, and swinging quintains were not so much toys as training devices. Even games like Chess were played as much for education as for entertainment. When the lessons in warfare were over, young lordlings often spent their leisure time with toys soldiers, planning out the strategies that might someday save their lives. There is some evidence that William the Conqueror introduced toy soldiers to England, just as he introduced chivalry and feudalism to the area. On the Continent, they had been known since Greek and Roman times. For the lower classes, figures were made from molded from clay or crudely carved out of wood. Figures of St. Martin, the soldier saint, were often made of fired clay and sold at fairs (Fraser, p. 60). Those who could afford them had toy soldiers made of gold, silver, or lead. Some mounted figures were made with wheels to be used as pull-toys. Many of these fighting figures were jointed-- early action figures! A French woodcut from 1587 shows a jointed knight which has been placed astride a dog by some children (King, p. 55). There were some made whose sword-wielding arms could be manipulated by long sticks or strings, like puppets. No actual examples of this type have survived, but they are shown in the "Hortus Deliciarum" of Abbess Herrad (12th cent), in the midst of a mock tournament (King, p. 41). There were even some with separate armor. In 1383, the child who would later become Charles VI was given a wooden toy cannon as a gift. Hobby horses, too, were popular with those dreaming of knighthood. With a stick and a little imagination, even a peasant child could ride off to conquer the world. Hobby horses appear frequently in illuminations. Usually they take the familiar form of a horse's head on a stick, although there are some examples from the Renaissance which show an entire miniature horse on the end of the stick. Chinese hobby horses had wheels on the back to facilitate movement. A peace penny minted at the end of the Thirty Years War had a hobby horse pictured on one side (Fraser, p. 62). Dolls Just as boys had military toys to prepare them for their roles later in life, so to girls were encouraged to learn womanly skills by tending to their dolls. The Latin word for doll, "pupus" or "pupa", meant "new-born child". This became "Puppe" in German, and "poupée" in French. The word doll was not in common use until after the Middle Ages. It was a diminutive of the name Dorothy. In period, dolls were referred to simply as babies. The cheaply painted wooden dolls from northwestern Europe were called "Flanders babies". Those sold at Bartholomew day fairs in England were know as "Bartholomew babies" to distinguish them from live human babies. Looking at artifacts from primitive cultures, it can be difficult to determine whether a particular figure was meant to be a toy or a religious image. In general, the religious figures, such as funerary images or fertility idols, are more finely made and better preserved than dolls. The Egyptian "Ushabti" figures which were buried in place of slaves were well equipped to care for their masters in the netherworld. Finely crafted and provided with tools and clothing for the after-life, there can be no mistake that these are religious items, and not toys. There are many cases, however, where small human-shaped figures serve a dual purpose. Among the Hopi Indians, for instance, kachina dolls representing the spirits of earth and sky are given to children to play with after the religious ceremonies are over. Similarly, if a barren woman of the Atutu tribe of Africa goes to a magician for help in conceiving a child, she is given a doll, which she treats just as she would a human child. If the magic doesn't work and the woman loses hope, she often passes on the now non-magical doll to a child of her tribe (King, p. 30). The materials used to make dolls varied widely, and depended largely on economic circumstances. Rag, clay, and wood were the most common, and date back at least as far as Greek and Roman times. Unfortunately, these materials seldom withstand the test of time. Other substances which were employed include: bone, ivory, composition, wax, lead, corn or wheat, gingerbread, and even paper dolls. Rag dolls were probably quite numerous in the Middle Ages, but few examples have survived. They were, after all, made to be played with. Also, they do not stand up well to damp weather. Some ancient Egyptian rag dolls have been found, preserved by the dry climates in that country, but European dolls have not fared as well. In the absence of actual physical specimens, we must look for other evidence. There is a rag doll ("simulacra de pannis") mentioned in the "Indiculus Superstitiorum", a book written in the 8th or 9th century. Rag dolls have several advantages over dolls of other materials, being cheap, cuddly, and easily made. Although we think of rag dolls as being crudely made, there were exceptions to this rule. A "rag" doll belonging to a daughter of Charles IX is now on display at the Royal Armory Collection in Stockholm. This doll, dating from about 1590, is made of silk threads wrapped around a wire framework. She has an embroidered face, and real hair, which has been braided. She wears a simple linen chemise beneath a skirt, bodice, and 2 petticoats (one of cut and uncut velvet, the other of silk taffeta). Her sleeves have been decorated with tiny pearls, and she carries an embroidered muff (King, p. 52-53). Wooden dolls were frequently exported from northern Europe to England. The Middle German word for doll was "Tocke", meaning a little block of wood. Dolls for infants were more crudely made than those for older children. "Stump" dolls were carved out of a single piece of wood, and were shaped like a large skittle. Other wooden dolls were more elaborate, with intricately carved hair and clothing, beautifully painted, and often with articulated joints. Woodcuts from the "Hortus Sanitatis", written in 1491, show doll makers working on figures with movable joints. Dolls made of clay generally had the best odds of surviving the centuries. Dolls made from white pipe clay were found under a pavement in Nurnberg in 1859. They are believed to date from the 15th cent. Others have been found in French and German graves of the period. There was great variety in the molds used. Some dolls depicted fancy Court ladies in all their finery. Others were knights on horseback, mythical beasts, ladies with falcons perched on their wrists, and many others. Although many of the surviving examples are quite plain, contemporary accounts indicate that such dolls were often finely molded and brightly painted. While rag dolls often had their own sets of clothes, early examples of wooden and clay dolls had their clothing carved or sculpted in one piece with the doll. Later in the Middle Ages, by the 15th century at least, the clothing was made to be removable. Some of the clay dolls were formed with a round indentation in the chest. Apparently this was used to hold a florin (coin), and the dolls were given to children as baptismal gifts. In this case, the dolls were more ornamental than functional. Measuring three to six inches tall, these dolls were fairly fragile. In a grotesque sidenote, some dolls were made in such a way that small birds or animals could be placed in a cavity inside the doll. The panicked movements of the creatures made the dolls seem to move of their own accord. Dolls of wax and composition did not become widely available until the 14th century, with the rise of the middle class. By the later Middle Ages, composition dolls were made from a number of different materials. Philibert Delorme, in "Traite d'Architecture" (1567), mentions dolls made of paper paste. This was pressed into molds and then removed after it was dry and the material had contracted slightly. Other waste materials were also used: bran, vegetable matter, and sawdust. Some even included arsenic to help fend off the rats (King, p.56). Many composition dolls were made in and around Nuremberg, making use of the waste material from the paper mills in that area. Unfortunately, composition materials tend to distort in heat and moisture, and none have survived to the present day. Edible dolls formed a class all their own. In classical times, small figures were made of corn to symbolized the goddess Ceres. Later in England, similar figures were made of wheat. Oftentimes, such "mother earth" figures were made from the last grain after the harvest. It is difficult to say, however, if they were strictly ceremonial or if they were sometimes made to be played with. There is no doubt that the gingerbread dolls sold at fairs were a favorite of children everywhere. These were often decorated with gilt or stamped with special molds. German cooks made their spice dolls in two pieces so that a small gift could be concealed inside. Dolls were also made of bread, to be eaten on feast days by both adults and children. It was thought that a doll in the shape of a saint would confer some of the sanctity of the saint upon the eater. While there is no evidence that a doll-makers guild existed in England, German toymakers were well-organized and prosperous. The German cities of Nuremberg (Nurnberg), Sonneberg, and to a lesser extent Augsberg and Judenberg, led the way in the manufacture of toys, especially dolls. In Nuremberg alone there were 17 workshops devoted to toy-making (King, p. 56). Part of the reason for their prominence was their location- most were located near large forests which provided the raw materials for the toys. Also, they were major trade centers, and travelling merchants would sell German toys at fairs all over Europe. The toy-making guild fought a constant battle with other guilds, who treated toy making as a minor industry. Potters seeking new markets would make dolls out of clay. Joiners made wooden dolls, and metalworkers made dolls of tin. Competition in this lucrative market was stiff. A book of rates written in 1550 had the following to say about prices: "Babies and puppets for children, the groce containing twelve dozen, thirteen shillings and fourpence and babies heads of earth the dozen ten shillings (King, p. 56). Puppet shows are often illustrated in the borders of illuminated manuscripts. The shows were performed on small portable stages by entertainers who traveled from town to town. As such, puppets cannot really be considered children's toys, as the children themselves were merely spectators (along with many adults). However, there is some evidence that as the puppets wore out, the strings were removed and they were sold as toys to bring in some extra cash. Some dolls had a similar construction, being made of wood or composition, and jointed with bits of string. Puppet shows were a far cry from other medieval drama, which usually featured religious themes. The puppet shows of this time were purely secular, resembling modern-day Punch and Judy shows. A law from 1451 forbade puppet shows from being performed during the Easter season. Fashion dolls also deserve mention here although they were originally for adult use. They were often passed on to children after their original purpose had been served. Fashion was a slow-moving beast in the Middle Ages, and then, as now, the leaders were to be found on the Continent, usually France. In order to keep abreast of the current styles, nobles in England would order fashion dolls-- mannequins wearing the latest styles-- to give to their tailors. One of the first mentions of such dolls is found in an account of Queen Isabella of Bavaria's marriage to Charles VI. For the great occasion, she ordered a mannequin from Paris, dressed in the contemporary fashions of the French Court. The doll's clothes were sewn by the valet to the King, and cost so much that there is some speculation that the mannequin was actually life-size, with clothes that were meant to be worn by humans after the styles had been copied (King, p. 47). Exquisitely dressed dolls can also be seen in many children's portraits from this era. During the early part of the Middle Ages, there was not much interest in doll houses, even though the much earlier Greek dolls had had clothing, tableware, and model rooms. Not until the Renaissance were dolls given elaborate furnishings. Holland was the leader in the export of doll houses, also called "cabinets", and also made expensive silver goblets and plates for the miniature tables. Some simple doll furniture is shown in Pieter Brueghel's painting "Children's Games" (1560). In 1558, Albrecht V, Duke of Bavaria, had a doll house made for his daughter. Among other things, it included a chapel with priests and musicians, and a sewing room for the ladies of the house to work in. The house was destroyed by fire, but fortunately an inventory had been made of its contents. As the urge to explore drove the boundaries of European culture ever farther afield, dolls were introduced to the New World. Sir Walter Raleigh used inexpensive dolls, beads, and knives as trade goods when dealing with the Indians of Virginia. Dolls were also given to the Roanoke Island Indians of North Carolina. Wind Toys Kites and windsocks as we know them today were used primarily as tools, not as toys. The Chinese were among the first to make kites, using silk and bamboo. According to a story from the Han dynasty (206 BC to AD 200), kites equipped with noisemakers were used by one general to frighten away his enemies. Another Chinese Emperor tried to used a kite to send a message to his troops when he was besieged. He was unsuccessful in his attempt, as the kite was shot down before it reached his allies, and his enemies discovered how vulnerable his position was (Hosking, p. 14). Once paper was invented, kite flying became a popular pastime for all walks of life. In medieval warfare, kites could be used to measure wind strength and direction (important for archers), and to signal the troops. Attempts were even made to make kites which could carry fireballs to drop on the enemie's fortifications (du Soleil, p. 9). Often, these devices were made to look like fierce dragons. The German word for kite, "drache", is derived from the word for dragon. In spite of their hostile origins, there is evidence that kites were used for play as well. A German illumination from 1405 shows a young boy riding on horseback while flying a kite. The manuscript itself describes how a kite should be flown, how the strings should be attached, and what it should look like. Paper windmills date from the 14th century. Along with hobby horses, they are the most frequently found toys in illuminations of the period (Fraser p. 62). Made simply of two bits of paper which could rotate freely on a stick, these toys enjoyed tremendous popularity. Although they are not as sophisticated as today's pinwheels, they undoubtedly share a common origin. Ball Games Balls have always been popular, either for informal play or games with well-defined rules. Early Greeks and Romans made theirs from an envelope of skin stuffed with wool (Fraser, p. 53). Early Celts used inflated bladders from sheep and goats (Fraser, p. 24). The game of nine-pins was known in the Middle Ages in a form similar to today's bowling. There was also a game called "bowls". It was played on a level field. The object of the game was to hit a smaller target ball with the larger balls that were being tossed. The large balls were slightly flattened on one side to keep them from rolling in a perfectly straight line. According to one story, Sir Francis Drake was in the middle of a game of bowls when word reached him of the approach of the Spanish Armada. Rather than interrupting his game, he finished it out before preparing for the battle (Price, Made in the Renaissance, p. 96).Tennis was played with somewhat different rules than today. More a game for adults than children, it found favor among many Kings of the period. And finally, the game of marbles was a favorite game in the medieval period. This probably does not actually belong under the heading of "ball games", but there was no better category for it. Marbles originated in the Low Countries, in a game called "basses" or "bonces". In spite of what the name suggests, the small balls used for this game were often made of stone, clay, or agate. Other Toys There are many other toys from the Middle Ages which are still familiar to us today. Hoops can be traced back to Roman times, when they were recommended as exercise for both adults and children. In Norman times, the hoops off of beer barrels were used, rolled along the ground with a stick. Hula hoops can be considered the modern incarnation of this toy. Pull toys were made in various animal shapes. Horses were especially popular, but others have been found as well. Toy wagons were also known. Toy boats were popular in sea-faring cultures, especially among the Norse, where tiny replicas of dragon-prowed ships have been found. Spinning tops are often found in the borders of illuminated manuscripts. Tops may have developed from spindles used for spinning yarn. By the 16th century in England, six different types of tops were being made. Fads in the Middle Ages were just as common as they are today. In the latter part of the 16th century in France, there was a craze for playing cup-and-ball games. Skipping ropes were also well-known. Conclusion In spite of the introduction of video games and other electronic gadgets, certain toys have an appeal that transcends the passage of the centuries. Today's children still play with toys that were common place in the Middle Ages: balls, dolls, hobby horses, pull toys and more. Few toys survived from the medieval period but those that did, in addition to other evidence from this period and from other cultures, indicate that children's toys are remarkably universal. Bibliography du Soleil, Ella, "Knights and Kites"; published in "The Phoenix", May 1997. Fraser, Antonia, A History of Toys, Weidenfeld and Nicolson. Hosking, Wayne, Kites, Mallard Press, New York, 1992. King, Constance Eileen, The Collector's History of Dolls, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1978. Price, Christine, Made in the Middle Ages, E.P. Dutton and Company, Inc., New York, 1961. Price, Christine, Made in the Renaissance, E.P. Dutton and Company, Inc., New York, 1963. Spencer, Brian, Pilgrim Souvenirs and Secular Badges (Salisbury Museum Medieval Catalog, part 2), Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum. -----

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Inducted Year: 2014 Although soap itself goes back to ancient times, Europeans manufactured high quality varieties by the 16th century. The earliest paintings of children playing with bubbles appeared in the 17th century and, in the 19th century, London’s A. & F. Pears created a famous advertising campaign for its soaps using a painting by John Everett Millais of a child playing with bubbles. Soap bubbles seem simple, but they illustrate the mathematical problem of minimal surface, assuming the shape with the [...]

Throughout the history of philosophy, literature, art, and science, people have been fascinated with the shimmering surfaces of soap bubbles.