Cheshire.
Pennant, in his Journey from Chester to London, tells us of a place at Chester without the walls, called the Rood-Eye, where the lusty youth in former days exercised themselves in manly sports of the age: in archery, running, leaping, and wrestling, in mock fights and gallant romantic triumphs. A standard was the prize of emulation.
In a pamphlet also, entitled, Certayne Collection of Anchiante Times, concerninge the Anchiante and Famous Cittie of Chester, published in Lysons’ Magna Britannia (1810, vol. ii. p. 585), is the following:
“That whereas the Companye and Corporation of Shoemakers within the cittie of Chester did yearely, time out of memory of man, upon Tewsday, commonly called Shrove Tuesday, or otherwise Goteddesse day afternoon, at the Cross upon the Roode-Dee, before the Mayor of the said cittie, offer unto the Company of Drapers of the same cittie a ball of leather, called a foote-ball, of the value of 3s. 4d. or thereabouts: and by reason of the greate strife which did arise among the younge persons of the same cittie (while diverse parties were taken with force and strong handes to bring the said ball to one of these three houses, that is to say, to the Mayor’s house, or any one of the two Sheriffs’ houses of the time being), much harme was done, some in the great thronge fallinge into a trance, some having their bodies brused and crushed; some their arms, heades, or legges broken, and some otherwise maimed, or in perill of life: to avoid the said inconveniences, and also to torne and converte the said homage to a better use, it was thought good by the Mayor of the saide cittie and the rest of the Common-Council to exchange of the said foote-ball as followeth: that in place thereof, there be offered by the Shoemakers to the Drapers, six gleaves[10] of silver, the which gleaves they appoynted to be rewards unto such men as would come, and the same day and place, passe and overcome on foot all others: and the said gleaves were presently delivered according to the runninge of every one; and this exchange was made in the time when Henry Gee was Mayor of Chester,[11] A.D. 1539, and in the thirty-firste yeare of Kinge Henry the Eighth.
[10] An obsolete word for a hand-dart.
[11] The following is a copy of the order for the above-mentioned change, extracted from “the Orders and Acts of Assembly, of the Mayor, Aldermen, and Common Council of the City of Chester,” in the Town Clerk’s Office:
“Jan 10 3 Hen. viii. Henry Gee, Mayor.”—After reciting the ancient use of archery and shooting in the long bow, for the honour and defence of the realm, and that the same is much decayed, and other unlawful games much in use: “Ordered by the Mayor, Aldermen, and Common Council, with the consent of the whole occupation of drapers, sadlers, and shoemakers, that the said occupation of shoemakers (which always have, time out of mind, given and delivered yearly, on Shrove Tuesday in the afternoon, unto the drapers, before the Mayor at the Cross on the Roodee, one ball of leather, called a foot-ball, of the value of 3s. 4d., or above, to play at from thence to the common-hall of the said city, and further at the pleasure of the evil-disposed persons; whereof hath arisen great inconveniences) shall give and deliver yearly to the said drapers, before the Mayor at the said time and place: six silver gleaves, each of the value of 27d. or above, to be disposed of at the pleasure of the said Mayor and drapers, to him that shall win a foot-race before them, that or any other day; and that the sadlers (who have time out of mind given, and delivered yearly, at the same time and place, every master of them, unto the drapers, before the Mayor, one painted ball of wood, with flowers and arms, upon the point of a spear, being goodly arrayed upon horseback accordingly) shall henceforth give and deliver to the said drapers, before the Mayor, at the same time and place upon horseback, a bell of silver, to the value of 3s. 4d., to be disposed of at the discretion of the Mayor and drapers, to him that shall get the horse races on that day; and that every man that hath been married in the said city, since Shrove Tuesday, then last past, shall then and there also deliver to the said drapers before the Mayor, an arrow of silver, to the value of 5s. or above, instead of such ball of silk and velvet, which such married men ought then to have given and delivered by the ancient custom of the said city (used time out of mind), which silver arrow shall be disposed of by the Mayor and drapers, for the preferment of the said feat and exercise of shooting in the long-bow, for avoiding the said inconveniences, any use or prescription to the contrary notwithstanding; and also, the said drapers and their successors, shall keep yearly their recreation and drinking, as they used to do, time out of mind, and that the shoemakers and sadlers, and persons hereafter to be married, shall observe this order upon pain of 10l. for every offence, toties quoties, to be forfeited to the drapers according to ancient custom.”
“Alsoe, whereas the Companye and occupation of the Sadlers within the Cittie of Chester did yearely by custome, time out of memorie of man, the same day, hour, and place, before the Mayor, offer upon a truncheon, staffe or speare, a certaine homage to the Drapers of the cittie of Chester, called the Sadler’s ball, profitable for few uses or purposes, as it was, beinge a ball of silk of the bigness of a bowle, was torned into a silver bell; weighing about two ozs., as is supposed, of silver: the which saide silver bell was ordayned to be the rewarde for that horse, which with speedy runninge, then should rune before all others, and there presently should be given the daye and place. This alteration was made the same time, and by the same mayor, like as the Shoemakers’ foote-ball was before exchanged into six silver gleaves.
“Also, whereas of an anchant custom whereof man’s memorie nowe livinge cannot remember the original and beginninge, the same daye, hower and place, before the mayor for the time beinge, every person which is married within the liberties of the saide cittie, dwelling wheresoever without, and all those that dwelle within the saide cittie, for one yeare before, and marye elswhere, did offer likewise a homage to the said Companye of Drapers before the Mayor, a ball of silke, of the like bignesse of a bowle; the same mayor torned the same balls into silver arrowes, the which arrowes they tooke order should be given to those which did shoote the longest shoote, with divers kind of arrowes: this exchange was made as before is mentioned of the Shoemakers’ foote-ball and the Sadlers’ ball. In which exchange there appeared greate wisdom, anchent and sage senators, whoe had great studye and regarde to torne the foresaid thinges unto soe profitable uses and exercises; so that there is three of the most commendable exercises and practices of war-like feates, as running of men on foot, runninge of horses, and shootinge of the broad arrowe, the flighte and the butt-shafte, in the long-bowe, are yearely there used; which is done in a very few (if in any) citties of England, soe far as I understand.”