Outdoor Sports & Leisure Evolving in The Americas: Outdoor Games

1787 A Little Pretty Pocket-Book, Intended for the Instruction and Amusement of Little Master Tommy, and Pretty Miss Poll” by Isaiah Thomas, Worcester, Massachusetts

Reportedly an ancient form of hopscotch was played by young Romans, but the 1st recorded references to the game in the English-speaking world date to the late 17C, usually under the name "scotch-hop" or "scotch-hopper(s)." A manuscript Book of Games compiled between 1635 and 1672 by Francis Willughby refers to 'Scotch Hopper‥. They play with a piece of tile or a little flat piece of lead, upon a boarded floor, or any area divided into oblong figures like boards.' In Poor Robin's Almanack for 1677, the game is referred to as "Scotch-hoppers," The entry states, "The time when schoolboys should play at Scotch-hoppers." The 1707 edition of Poor Robin's Almanack includes the following, "Lawyers and Physicians have little to do this month, so they may (if they will) play at Scotch-hoppers." In 1828, Webster's An American Dictionary of the English language also referred to the game as 'Scotch-hopper' ... 'a play in which boys hop over scotches and lines in the ground.' Hopscotch is said to have begun in ancient England during the early Roman Empire. The original hopscotch courts were over 100 feet long and used for military training exercises. Roman foot-soldiers ran the course in full armor and field packs to improve their footwork.

When British American colonials began sailing across the 17C Atlantic to the New World, they brought with them memories of games played for centuries in England & on the European continent. Games brought people together. Many of these indoor & outdoor games morphed & changed a bit in the colonies. Some disappeared, but many others remain today in one form or another.

Reportedly Roman children drew their own smaller courts in imitation of the soldiers, added a scoring system and "Hopscotch" spread throughout Europe. In England, the word "London" was often written at the top of hopscotch courts to make the court reminiscent of the Great North Road, a 400 mile Roman road from Glasgow to London frequently used by the Roman military.

  +-------+-------+      +---------------+
  |       |       |      |       6       |
  |   3   |   4   |      +---------------+
  |       |       |      |       5       |
  +-------+-------+      +---------------+
  |       |       |      |       4       |
  |   2   |   5   |      +---------------+
  |       |       |      |       3       |
  +-------+-------+      +---------------+
  |       |       |      |       2       |
  |   1   |   6   |      +---------------+
  |       |       |      |       1       |
  +-------+-------+      +---------------+
       English                English

The game is called "Marelles" in France, "Templehupfen" in Germany, "Hinkelbaan" in the Netherlands, "Ekaria Dukaria" in India, "Pico" in Vietnam and "Rayuela" in Argentina. The English term "Hopscotch" comes from "hop" meaning "to jump" and "escocher", an Old French word meaning "to cut."

  +-----------------+    +---------------+
  |                 |    |  H E A V E N  |
  |     H O M E     |    +---------------+
  |                 |    |       |       |
  +---+---------+---+    |   8   |   9   |
      |         |        |       |       |
      | NEUTRAL |        +---+-------+---+
      |         |            |       |
      |_________|            |   7   |
     /\         /\           |       |
    /  \   6   /  \      +---+-------+---+
   / 5  \_____/ 8  \     |       |       |
   \    /     \    /     |   5   |   6   |
    \  /   7   \  /      |       |       |
     \/_________\/       +---+-------+---+
      |         |            |       |
      | NEUTRAL |            |   4   |
      |         |            |       |
      |_________|        +---+-------+---+
     /\         /\       |       |       |
    /  \   2   /  \      |   2   |   3   |
   / 1  \_____/ 4  \     |       |       |
   \    /     \    /     +---+-------+---+
    \  /   3   \  /          |       |
     \/_________\/           |   1   |
                             |       |
                             +-------+ 
      Monte Carlo            American

Each player then chooses a marker, usually a stone. Play begins with the first player tossing his stone into the first space. If the stone lands completely within the designated square, the player proceeds to hop through the course. A player can only have one foot in any given square, so single squares must be balanced and double squares (side by side) are straddled. While hopping, the player should alternate the foot he lands on for each square. Any space not marked with a number, i.e. London, Home, etc., are considered rest squares and can be landed in any fashion. When the player reaches the top of the court, he then turns around and comes back, collecting his marker along the way. Play then continues with the player tossing his marker into the second square and so on. If a player fails to toss his marker into the correct square or if it touches a line the players turn ends. The same is true if the player steps on a line, misses a square, or loses his balance and falls. The first player to complete the course for each numbered square wins.

Information from Dagonell's Medieval Games & from Medieval Games and Recreation.

Outdoor Sports & Leisure Evolving in The Americas

Sunday, March 3, 2019

Outdoor Games - Hop-Scotch in 1787