Course:History 344 Nasty Families/Pastimes/Cricket

Nearing the end of the sixteenth century many stick ball games were developing throughout England. During this time cricket was originated in the woodland area of the counties of Kent, Surrey, and Sussex, to the south-east of London. (1) The 17th century saw the transition of cricket from a children's game to a professional game via the evolutionary processes of village cricket and county cricket, the key developments being the interest taken by the gentry as patrons and occasionally as players; and their recognition of the opportunities for gambling that the game affords.(2) The popularity of the sport heightened in the years following the Restoration, when investment in cricket created the professional player and the first major clubs, thus establishing the sport as a popular social activity in London and the south of England.(3) In 1660 under Charles II, who was known as "the Merry Monarch", he was content that all his subjects should be as merry as he was, within reason. With the Puritans overthrown, people let their hair down.(4) "Cricket was a leading entertainment along with several other sports and it was ideal for a wager: you could bet on "first hands" or on the overall result; you could even bet on individual players. Bets were struck, a few fortunes were made but many families were ruined. By 1664, Charles II’s "Cavalier Parliament" felt a need to crack down on gambling that was spiralling out of control and so limits were imposed".(4)

(1)Underdown, D. The History of Cricket. History Compass, Vol 4, no 1, (Jan 2006), 43–53. (2)Leach, John . "From Lads to Lord's: 1601 – 1700." The History of Cricket: 1601–1700 . http://www.jl.sl.btinternet.co.uk/stampsite/cricket/ladstolords/1601.html (accessed March 23, 2012). (3)Underdown, D. The History of Cricket. History Compass, Vol 4, no 1, (Jan 2006), 43–53. (4)Leach, John . "From Lads to Lord's: 1601 – 1700." The History of Cricket: 1601–1700 . http://www.jl.sl.btinternet.co.uk/stampsite/cricket/ladstolords/1601.html (accessed March 23, 2012).