Overview

Most leisure-time activities in 1900 were unrecognisable from those of 400 years before. When life was a constant struggle for survival and was dominated by grinding toil any moment of leisure was a welcome relief. The weekly market, twice yearly fairs and annual feast in Bruton were a time of recreation and enjoyment, often to excess. So much of the entertainment was violent: bull-baiting, cock fighting, sword and dagger and cudgelling. Always available as well was the refuge, warmth and community of the alehouses where hard-earned money would disappear in drink and gambling. This popular culture met increasingly with disapproval from the wealthier in the community. For the landed gentry there was their hunting, shooting and fishing, along with the more genteel coffee-drinking and socializing. The Victorian middle classes took their leisure time very seriously and believed that it must be used towards self-improvement, although they also fostered healthy outdoor sports. Some of the old ways remained despite their best attempts to eradicate them.

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9781780033433

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