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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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bowls
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The throwing or rolling of stones to hit a mark is among the earliest of recorded human pastimes but the aim has usually been to knock down the target, as in modern ten-pin bowling. In Britain during the Middle Ages the game developed of rolling the bowl on grass to end up near the mark (an annual tournament held in Southampton claims to date back to 1299). By the 16C the bias had been added to make the bowl travel in a curve. One of the most cherished legends of English history is that of Sir Francis *Drake being told of the approach of the Armada while playing bowls on Plymouth Hoe and replying: 'There is plenty of time to win this game and to thrash the Spaniards too.'
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It was in Scotland that the game was taken most seriously (in effect as a summer version of *curling). Standardized rules were first established there in 1849 and it was mainly Scottish emigrants who took the game to other countries in the empire. It is included as a sport in the Commonwealth Games. Bowls is usually played on a level lawn but some players in northern England use a 'crown green', which slopes gently away from a central mound and can be of less smooth turf. It is thought to derive from the time when many pubs had their own greens but were unable to make them perfectly smooth.
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