Games from the Georgian Era & Industrial Revolution
The games on this page cover the era known as the early modern period (1600 - 1800) through to the end of the Industrial revolution (1750 - 1850). Thus the Stuart (1603 - 1714) and Georgian (1714 - 1830) periods are encompassed. Encompassing the Napoleonic era in France and the Gothic style, some of the famous historical figures who might have played these games include writers Henry Fielding, Mary Shelley, Jane Austen and the Bronte Sisters, poets William Wordsworth, William Blake, John Keats, Lord Byron and Robert Burns, painters J. M. W. Turner and John Constable, architect John Nash and landscape designer Capability Brown.
See also: Ancient & Historical Board Games.
- Bagatelle - but the old English style bagatelle. The smaller children's game wasn't invented until later
- Also, Billiards (but not played the same way as today)
- Shove Ha'penny or a version of it such as Shove Groat was a pub game
- Ringing the Bull also existed in pubs
- Nine Mens Morris or Fox and Geese
- The game of Goose in various guises
- Backgammon
- Chess
- Spillikins (like Pick Up Sticks or Jackstraws today)
In general these more physical games would have been played by men - most of them would have been considered unseemly for a lady.
A lot of Gambling, much of it not entirely legal, went on during this period. Great sums were wagered and in some cases old wealthy families lost their entire estate and fortune in a single night.
- Cribbage
- Various other card games including One & Thirty, Bone-Ace & Piquet
- Dice games. Hazard was particular popular and notorious for swindling and huge losses
- Roulette rose to popularity in the 1700s
Let us know if you think there's something missing from this list.
