Tudor Indoor Games

Chess & Tables

Chess and tables were not however, just games for the upper classes – indenture records for the reign of Henry VI show that apprentices were forbidden from ‘frequent(ing) the tavern or play(ing) at dice or chess…’

Gambling on Dice

In particular, there were ordinances against gambling amongst soldiers and sailors – many of the rules laid down for these groups include such prohibitions, such as this one for the garrison at Berwick in 1560:

If the game were played in complete silence, it was known as mumchance. Presumably, any squeak of excitement led to the other player winning!

Dice, which were made of bone, ivory or silver, could also be played on a board marked with diagonal lines, and the location of the die when it fell affected the scoring.

The problem of weighted or false dice gave rise to many legal indictments, such as this one from February 1556:

By 1604, it was even thought necessary to deal with false dice by the introduction of a statute preventing their manufacture or sale.

Board Games

Fox and geese was not dissimilar to merrels, but was played with seventeen men, with the central piece being the fox. The object of the game was to move the geese around theboard to trap the fox.

Cards

‘Lady Anne, you have the good fortune to always stop at a king. But you are not like the others, you will have all, or none.’

It could be said that both ladies gambled and lost!

This article was first published on the BBC History Extra website in January 2016.

Bibliography & Sources