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Sports for the Ladies
Popular sports and exercises for ladies in the Georgian era
Georgian era women were surprising athletic, although you would never catch anyone of the time calling a woman “athletic.” Contrary to popular belief, namely that of the medical profession at the time, Women were encouraged to stay active, and this didn’t just include walking a few miles to Netherfield.
From exercise to sports, women had options, some of which might surprise you. That said, we must acknowledge that only a few were acceptable for aristocracy and gentry, while others were open for commoners to participate to their heart’s content.
Archery was among the most popular choices for ladies of quality and had been much loved by royalty for centuries, even rumoured to have been one of the ways Anne Boleyn seduced King Henry VIII. It was one of the few sports considered gentle and refined enough for aristocracy. When considering a lady’s accomplishments that marked her as a desirable wife, archery was right alongside pianoforte playing. Interestingly, the Royal British Bowmen was the first British sporting society to admit women in the 18th century.
Daily walking was actively encouraged, but would you be surprised to see running a popular choice, as well? The races, however, were more likely to see commoners than our ladies of quality, but be that as it may, race running was a popular choice for women. There were women-only, as well as gendered, races held across England, such as the September 1730 race in London of a roundtrip 8-mile run.
Cricket was not just a gentlemen’s sport, as ladies enjoyed matches of their own. One parish’s team would challenge another parish’s team, or two teams in the same city could challenge each other, etc. Mary Coote and Sarah Chase were two of the most well-known cricketers of the Georgian era.
Riding was probably the most popular, its main competitor in popularity being archery, especially for ladies of quality, but it was not all docile romps across the lawn, as many ladies participated in horse jumping and horse racing, not only against each other but against gentlemen, as well. The largest crowd drawn was in August 1804, in York, when more than 100,000 people gathered to see Mrs. Thornton face off against Mr. Flint, her mare against his hunter. She raced against derby champion Mr. Buckle in 1805, and even riding side saddle, Mrs. Thornton won against the most successful jockey in Britain.
Callisthenics has been around since ancient Greece, although this specific word for bodyweight exercises was not used until the early 19th century. This was one of the most recommended forms of exercise for women, which ranged from gymnastics to bodyweight training. Yes, those ladies of quality could engage in this within the privacy of their own home, often employing a trainer for sessions--a lady would be remiss if she did not!
Don’t think football was for gentlemen only! Surprisingly, this was often played by ladies of gentry and aristocracy. A ladies-only match was even held at the Prince of Wales’ birthday celebration in Brighton in 1790.
Tennis was another much-loved sport by women, and this included gendered matches throughout the century. It was, according to Sarah Murden’s article “Anyone for 18th century Tennis?” on All Things Georgian, as much the rage during the century as gambling. Madame Bunell was one of the most well-known players of the age and would happily play against any man on the court. In fact, she went up against the top male player, Mr. Tompkyns, twice and beat him soundly both times. Madame Masson is another name to know in 18th century tennis circles, also besting gentlemen as well as ladies.
A few additional activities to add to the list for women to enjoy would be dancing, lawn bowls, billiards, and swimming. Fencing is an interesting sport to consider, as it did not become popular amongst women, at least not competitively, until the Victorian era, as it was still considered a masculine “combat” sport during the Georgian era, but it was not unheard of for ladies of quality to learn how to fence, although the references available seem to indicate it was only for leisure exercise in the privacy of their own homes rather than for any sort of competitive or spectator sport.
Up to this point, ALL of these have been available for both ladies of quality and commoners, although the ladies of quality most likely did not engage in (many) wagered competitions. Our final highlighted sport is one that would not have been considered ladylike for our ladies of quality but was certainly open for commoners to enjoy: boxing.
Fighting (not just boxing) was not as uncommon as you might think, be it with fists, swords, staffs, or knives. Elizabeth Wilkinson was one of the top fighters of the century, undefeated for nine years in London amphitheatres. She was considered the “Mother of Boxing” and used a mixed martial arts style.
A not to be missed article comes from the Folger Shakespeare Library: Peter Radford’s “Glimpses of women athletes in 18th-century England”
For more depth, enjoy another article by Peter Radford from Early Modern Women: An Interdisciplinary Journal, vol. 12, no. 1, 2017, titled “Was the Long Eighteenth Century a Golden Age for Women in Sport?: The Cases of Mme Bunel and Alicia Thornton.”
To read more about archery, specifically, be sure to check out John Stanley’s 2020 article in World Archery on “Archery history: The sport that pioneered equality for women’s participation”
Don’t miss this wonderful article by Sarah Murden from All Things Georgian on “Anyone for 18th century Tennis?”
A lovely article by Shannon Selin on “Exercise for Women in the Early 19th century” is a great read
For fencing, take a look at this article: “Walpurgis: The First Lady of Traditional Fencing”