King James approved his vision and the first games were held in 1612.
Races were run, men and women danced, men wrestled, threw the sledge and played at backswords.
Chess and card games were also played in booths and tents.
There was music, eating and drinking.
People from all strata of society came to partake in the activities or just to watch.
Some came from villages located 60 miles away.
In fact, they disliked any celebration on a church holiday.
Some Puritans even declared all sports inherently immoral regardless of when practiced.
An old woodcut of the Cotswold Games, published in 1636.
The poet and writer Richard Graves also described the games in his novelThe Spiritual Quixoteas a heathenish assembly.
In the 1878 edition ofAnnalia Dubrensia; or, Celebration of captain Robert Dover’s Cotswold games, E.R.
Another difficulty loomed over the organizersmuch of England’s common land was being partitioned up and fenced off.
Without the existence of a suitably large area of common land, the games could not be held.
The last games were held in 1852.
Competitors engaging in shin kicking
Participants stuffing their trouser legs with straw in preparation for shin kicking.
The shin kicking championship was called off in 2017 due to concerns of severe injury.
I think it’s barbaric.
He continued: Is there a skill set?
I think the best thing is for people not to do it.
As far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t fall under any definition of sport.
It’s not something that’s going to catch on, put it that way.
It definitely won’t get in the Olympics.
I think it’s crazy.
Despite the push back from the local council, the shin kicking was reinstated in 2022.
