The history of Lawn Bowling has been traced back as far as Egyptian times when ancient objects were discovered in the grave of a child that resembled an earlier form of the game. It was thought that they would play a game that was similar to what we know as skittles today, with stones that were round in shape.
Many other countries claim that they were the first to play this sport, with the game being played in many different cultures. The Italians play Bocce, The French play Boules.
The game of lawn bowls then spread to England in 1299AD where the first recorded game was played in Southampton and is still home to the worlds oldest lawn bowling green.
It is well known that Sir Francis Drake played the game of bowls and legend has it that whilst the Spanish Armada were vastly approaching their ship in Plymouth Hoe, Sir Walter Raleigh and himself were in the middle of bowls game that Sir Francis Drake refused to interrupt. He believed there was enough time to finish the game before setting sail, and although he did not win his game of bowls, he did however, beat the Spanish Armada.
King Henry VIII was also a fan of the sport. And during his reign this sport was proving so popular that he had to ban others from playing the sport to ensure that they focused on their archery and other trades. It became a game for the wealthy. In order to play lawn bowls you would be required to pay a fee of £100.
The sport was also banned in France for the same reasons however Scotland did not wish to follow the ban and today Glasgow boasts 2000 lawn bowling greens available for public play.
The ban was lifted in 1845 with King James I encouraged lawn bowling to be played by the public and also encouraged any other skilled sport to be played providing it wasn't Football!
Many other countries claim that they were the first to play this sport, with the game being played in many different cultures. The Italians play Bocce, The French play Boules.
The game of lawn bowls then spread to England in 1299AD where the first recorded game was played in Southampton and is still home to the worlds oldest lawn bowling green.
It is well known that Sir Francis Drake played the game of bowls and legend has it that whilst the Spanish Armada were vastly approaching their ship in Plymouth Hoe, Sir Walter Raleigh and himself were in the middle of bowls game that Sir Francis Drake refused to interrupt. He believed there was enough time to finish the game before setting sail, and although he did not win his game of bowls, he did however, beat the Spanish Armada.
King Henry VIII was also a fan of the sport. And during his reign this sport was proving so popular that he had to ban others from playing the sport to ensure that they focused on their archery and other trades. It became a game for the wealthy. In order to play lawn bowls you would be required to pay a fee of £100.
The sport was also banned in France for the same reasons however Scotland did not wish to follow the ban and today Glasgow boasts 2000 lawn bowling greens available for public play.
The ban was lifted in 1845 with King James I encouraged lawn bowling to be played by the public and also encouraged any other skilled sport to be played providing it wasn't Football!
No comments:
Post a Comment